Aromatherapy An Essential Experience :: Holistic Healing

Aromatherapy An Essential Experience
by author Jessica North-Oâ€™Connell

What finer treasure is there than one that provides soothing comfort during this hectic holiday season? Aromatherapy offers some ideal solutions.

Aromatherapy involves the use of essential oils to promote healing and well-being. Essential oils are the volatile oils that give certain plants their characteristic scents. They are found in special glands located in different parts of plants and are extracted by various methods depending upon the plant. Not all plants produce essential oils and not all essential oils are used in aromatherapy.

There are different grades of oils, some of which are utilized by the food and cosmetics industries. First distillation (therapeutic grade) essential oils generally work best when they don’t have to contend with the digestive system, so aromatherapists usually don’t recommend ingesting them. Applications of essential oils include inhalation, which involves using a diffuser, vaporizer or even a handkerchief, as well as inunction (applied to the skin) through massage, bath or compress. Inhalation enables the oils to pass into the bloodstream via the lungs, and inunction through the skin. An added advantage of inhalation is the stimulation of the emotional body, as scent directly accesses that part of the brain connected to the sense of smell, the limbic system. This system, situated in the oldest part of the brain, is also the seat of memory, creativity and sensuality, as well as emotional reactions.

Essential oil molecules are very small and pass easily into the bloodstream. Once in the body, they are gradually excreted over a period of 12 to 48 hours via exhalation, perspiration, menstrual flow, breast milk, urine and feces. The molecules appear to be largely unchanged when excreted, leading researchers to the conclusion that they act as "bio-catalysts," meaning they work to enhance the body’s own capacities to correct imbalances.

Because of their great potency, it is usually necessary to dilute essential oils in a vegetable "carrier" oil, such as jojoba, sweet almond or grapeseed oil, before application to the skin. This is especially important when using oils in the bath, as warm water renders the skin more permeable. Use equal parts of essential oil and carrier oil in the tub. Avoid the hazards of a slippery tub altogether by adding a couple of drops to a diffuser while you’re in the bath.

Aroma-Therapeutic Massage

A very effective and pleasant way to use essential oils is in massage. During massage, the brain releases mood-altering chemicals that reduce the sensation of pain, produce an overall feeling of well-being and, in turn, stimulate the immune system. Massage also encourages deep breathing, a well known stress-reduction technique, and is helpful in the treatment of sleep disorders. It can lower blood pressure, relieve or prevent headaches, help digestion, improve circulation and support the elimination of wastes, such as lactic and carbonic acids that cause muscle pain and stiffness. You don’t have to be trained in massage to bring about a beneficial effect. Just remember that a massaging motion should feel good. If it doesn’t, stop and try a different movement.

It is advisable to vary the essential oils used every four to six weeks to maximize effectiveness and to prevent sensitization. Avoid direct exposure to ultraviolet rays for 12 hours after an aromatherapy massage. There are also times when massage is contraindicated, including when a fever or infectious illness is present. Massaging someone with a cold will result in increased symptoms, so unless they can rest for 48 hours, I advise against it. Always check with a medical practitioner before massaging anyone who is pregnant or has a serious illness. Early pregnancy and chemotherapy also contraindicate with the use of essential oils, although gentle massage with a good quality vegetable oil is usually most welcome.

Scented Gift Ideas

To prolong the life of essential oils, it is advisable to blend them together in a separate bottle and add them to the carrier oil as needed. Try these gift suggestions:

Happiness Blend
25 drops bergamot
15 drops geranium

Breathe-Easy Blend
20 drops lavender
5 drops tea tree
15 drops frankincense

Store your blend in a two-millilitre coloured glass bottle. For adults, add seven to 10 drops of the blend (for children or frail elderly, use only three drops) to 15 ml carrier oil for a body massage oil. For bath salts, add six drops each of blend and carrier oil to 125 grams of sea salt. When you fill the tub, use up to a cup of sea salts at your discretion. For a spray-pump bottle of scent, add five drops essential oil blend to 60 ml of spring water. Shake and spritz above your head (eyes closed!) to enjoy a "rain" of fragrance.

Single bottles of pure essential oils, given with an oil diffuser, also make a wonderful gift idea. All around essential oil favourites include lavender, frankincense, mandarin and sandalwood. Gift certificates from an aromatherapist or spa specializing in aromatherapy treatments are unique stocking stuffers. Such aromatic presents provide their recipients with stepping stones to future wellness.

Skin Patch Test

Caution: Some essential oils are contraindicated for various conditions so check with a reliable source before using them. To determine whether you are allergic to an essential oil, perform this skin test: to one teaspoon (5 ml) of carrier oil, add one drop of essential oil. Apply to the crook of the arm or wrist. Leave the area uncovered and unwashed for 24 hours. If any redness or itching occurs, avoid that particular essential oil.

Jessica North-Oâ€™Connell (Hypatia Therapeutics) is a fully qualified aromatherapist, writer and educator with a 30-year background in alternative health practices.

Source: alive #230, December 2001

Home Spas Beat February Blahs
February is the perfect spa month. It's the time of the year when you need a pick-me-up-right in the middle of winter with barely a spring bulb in sight. Mark Spa Night on your calendar and circle the special date in red. First choose the location-a bathroom with a lock on the door is best.

Aromatherapy For Children
Childhood is a time of bumps, bruises, scraped knees and other afflictions. Applied externally, aromatherapy can help minimize many of these common ailments.

Magnificent Myrrh
Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) essential oil, steam-distilled from the crude resin of myrrh, is a dark reddish-brown with a dry, acrid scent reminiscent of its desert origins. Due to its ability to stimulate menstruation, myrrh should be avoided during pregnancy. Myrrh oil finds one of its largest uses in skin care..

Lovely Lemon Verbena
Lemon verbena (aloysia triphylla) is a positive, uplifting oil--a splash of sunshine for the rainy skies of November. It has a light, lemony-fresh scent with herbaceous undertone.

Soothing Christmas Scents
Do you remember when Christmas holidays were actually holy days and a time for relaxing and visiting with friends and family? Probably not. For most of us, Christmas means balancing work and family schedules while trying to do extra baking, gift shopping, house decorating and entertaining.

Cleaning Your Mind, Body and Soul
The way to health is to have an aromatic bath and scented massage every da.

Essential Oils
An Aromatic Perspective We have just completed a century marked by specializations in almost every field and profession.

Spice Up Winter Festivities
Winter holidays can be fun and relaxing-getting together with friends and family to eat, drink, and make merry. Aromatic botanicals are traditionally a significant part of winter celebrations, from aromatic mulled wine to spicy gingerbread cookies.

Natural Fragrances
Imagine anointing yourself every day with a fragrance you created, one without chemicals, one designed not only to perfume your body, but also to stimulate creativity, ease your headaches, or help you through grief.

Nine Radiant Months
Whether it's your first child or your tenth, the worries of pregnancy can definitely affect your stress level. To assure your baby's well-being - and your own - it's important to take care of yourself to reduce stress. Stress affects the body negatively by building up toxins, lowering energy levels, and weakening the immune system..

In Pursuit of True Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a potent and effective branch of natural medicine that is barely recognized in North America. In Europe, medical doctors prescribe pure oils for a wide variety of medical conditions.

Aromatic Aphrodisiacs
Spice up your love life this Valentine's Day by evoking the spirit of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Lov.

Aromatherapy Detox With Essential Oils
Detoxification is a natural and constant bodily process. We are continually eliminating excess toxins through our digestive, urinary, integumentary (skin), circulatory, respiratory, and lymphatic systems.

Smell Comfort
Undergoing treatment for cancer can be extremely stressful, as well as taxing on the immune syste.

Pure Aroma
Essential oils aren't always essentially what is on the label. Essential oils can be tampered with anywhere along the distribution chain, from the farmer's field to the company selling the oils.

Scented Serenity
Childbirth is an exciting time in a woman's life and one of her most natural and primal experiences. It can also be stressful and exhaustin.

Aromatherapy Apothecary
Therapeutic essential oils have a well-deserved place in your first aid kit or home apothecary. They are powerful botanical medicines that can fight fungi, bacteria, viruses, and inflammation. They can also help to manage stress and promote relaxation..

Essential Oils
Since ancient times, people have used the quintessence of plants to optimize their health, and they have done so with the help of essential oils, which are concentrated aromatic liquids extracted from various species of plants, flowers, leaves, grasses, fruits, roots, and trees.

Eucalyptus From Head to Toe
Green eucalyptus leaves are sweet, with a fresh, woody aroma. The genus name "eucalyptus" is derived from "eu," meaning well and "kalyptos," meaning cover. Aromatherapists and herbalists may interpret the name to mean "that which covers well a variety of common conditions."

Treating SAD
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) seriously affects thousands of Canadians during our long, dark, cold winters. The lack of sunlight can cause symptoms like fatigue, oversleeping, sadness, depression, irritation, decreased sex drive, and loss of pleasure and interest in life.

Essential Oils for Travel
I can't go anywhere without essential oils! Even driving to work, 40 km down the South Klondike and Alaska Highway to Whitehorse, I have essential oils going in my handy plug-in car diffuser.

Soaking Up the Relaxation
Long-term emotional or environmental stresses can be hard on the body, mind, and emotions. Quality essential oils have powerful yet subtle effects on emotions and can help relieve stress and anxiety when used in baths, massages, or in an aromatherapy diffuser.

Essential Oils
Essential oils are very concentrated and powerful plant extracts that are 40- to 100-percent stronger than herbs. For example, 10,000 pounds of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) yields one pound of pure essential oil.

Essential Oils for Children
With the lazy days of summer coming to an end, children are returning to their busy routines of school, friends, and extra curricular activities. Back at school, children are confined to classrooms full of other kids, which can lead to stress and susceptibility to colds and flu.

Moving on Up!
Just about everyone goes through an occasional bout of feeling down. Along with a better diet and daily exercise, adding a few tried and true mood boosters to your nutritional and herbal supplement program often makes a noticeable difference in a short period of time.

Essential Oils
There are few better agents to reduce the spread of viral and bacterial illness during the cold and flu season than essential oils. A cabinet of wisely chosen, high quality essential oils can provide an effective natural pharmacy.

Scent-Sational Christmas Gifts
Giving aromatically can be as close as your local natural health store. Many of the ingredients to make your own all-natural gifts can be found in the bulk herb, spice, and cosmetic aisles. Look for any or all of these essential oils, from the tangy scent of orange to the fresh scent of pine.

Stimulate Better Health
Peppermint oil is a mental stimulant. Rosemary oil increases energy. Citrus oils work on improving mood and uplifting your spirits, while floral oils such as geranium, orange blossom, lemon balm and camomile all help alleviate stress and minor depression. If you're feeling angry, use rose oil to help your disposition..

Sunshine: an immune booster

Massage miracles

Far-Infrared therapies resonate within you

Scent-Sational
Want to stand out from the crowd? Want to be good to yourself and the planet? Why not create your own personal aromatherapy perfume using pure essential oils?

Time Travel
Remember the smell of summer? The scent of wildflowers on the breeze, the dew lifting off the forest floor, and the smell of rain. If you long for the easy warmth of summer instead of the cold of a Canadian winter, then invite uplifting essential oils into your life.