Excellent Aromatherapy Guide

Depression

The term depression covers a wide range of emotions with differing psychological states, feelings and psysical beharior traits. One depressed person may be lethargic an apathetic, feel numb and fatique all the time and do very little, maybe sleeping, feel anxious a lot of the time and have bursts of feverish activity. Obviously these two cases require different techiques and remedies with different essential oils.

Useful remedies

When apathy and lethargy characterize depression, then enlivening, uplifting essential oils are called for. In this case, taking baths with suitable oils is good idea, not least because it makes you do something positive for yourself, rather than relying on someone giving you a massage, which might increase you passivity. Self-massage, however, can be helpful-agai because it makes you do something actively to help yourself.

The most suitable essential oils for depression characterized by apathy and lethargy are both stimulating and anti-depressant. They include bergamot-perhapst the most sunny, elevating and cheering can clear the head and blow away emotional and mental cobwebs. Melissa can help you find a renewed interest in life.

When depression is characterized by anxiety and nervous tension, then calming, soporific essential oils are called for. Receiving a full body massage from an aromatherapist is probably the best remedy here, but diffusing suitable essential oils in your room and using them regularly in the bath are good supplements.

The most suitable essential oils in this instance are both sedative and anti-depressant. They include roman and german chamomile, neroli, sandalwood, ylang ylang, frankincense and clary sage. Including no more than one drop of narcissus, jonquil, linden blosson or violet leaf in a blend adds a deeply calming and slightly hypnotic influence, which helps you ground yourself and find your centre.

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Aromatherapy Candle

There are many different benefits of aromatherapy that help people find health and wellbeing. Perhaps the most important are the completely natural qualities of aromatherapy, the emphasis on preventative measures and on clients learning to take responsibility for their own health care.

Essential oils are a precious gift from nature, derived with only minimal human intervention, as you will discover in the following section. The vegetable base oils used to dilute essential oils before massage are also natural. Both base and essential oils work in harmony with the human body, minimizing any risk of adverse reactions.

In the modern world there are many chemicals and synthetics in common use, to which increasing numbers of people suffer allergic reactions, such as asthma, skin rashes, digestive upsets, and so on. Aromatherapy’s natural qualities help to redress the problems caused by excessive use of these unnatural substances.

Focus on prevention

The emphasis of aromatherapy can be summed up as ‘Prevention is better than cure’. In practical terms, this means that an aromatherapist will look at a client’s lifestyle holistically and suggest simple changes that can prevent illness or dis-ease arising in the first place.

For example, one of the mist common problems that clients present is backache. Aromatherapy massage reduces pain and dispels the stress and tension that are a major cause of back pain. However, there are many other potential causes of backache. The aromatherapist will go through these with the client to see if physical causes such as uncomfortable work chair, a sagging mattress or an unsupportive car seat might be contributing to the problem. Redressing such causes will alleviate some, if not all, of the problem.

Prevention leads naturally into the arena of self-responsibility. The aromatherapist will encourage clients to look after themselves, to be involved in, and take responsibility their own health care. In this way clients can actively seek their own health and wellbeing, with assistance from the aromatherapist.

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Natural Healing

The principle behind allopathic, or orthodox, medicine is that illness is seen as something to be treated by suppression of the symptomps, often using quite harsh, synthetic drugs. This in stark contrast to the holistic apporach used in aromatherapy, which aims to treat the whole person : mind, body and soul (or spirit).

Symptoms of illness – or ‘dis-ease’ – are seen as an imbalance of energies, and treatment with essential oils works in conjunction with the body attempting to heal itself.

This holistic framework involves the aromatherapist doing far more than simply choosing essential oils from the narrow perspective of treating symptoms. The essential oils themselves are complex, with many different qualities. So part of the skill of the therapist lies in selecting the right combination of essential oils to help the client regain mental, physical and spiritual health and balance.

What a treatment includes

A full aromatherapy treatment involves far more than simply giving massage. The therapist will also make suggestions to assist the client to help himself or herself. Advice on lifestyle issues, diet, exercise and so on all form part of an holistic aromatherapy session.

For example, if a client presents with symptoms of insomnia, instead of simply giving a panacea (like a doctor prescribing sleeping pills), the therapist will treat the client holistically. This includes giving advice on reducing caffeine intake, checking whether the client’s bedroom is sufficiently dark and quiet to promote sleep, and asking if there is some emotional problem troubling the client – all before selecting the essential oils for the aromatherapy treatment.

In this way, the holistic approach seeks to address the causes of the dis-ease, and not simply suppress the symptoms. By removing the causes, the desired effect of health and wellbeing is brought about as naturally as possible. Of course there are times when allopathic medicine is invaluable and life-saving. A truly holistic approach to health care means using all medical systems, and complementary therapies as and when they are appropriate.

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Gattefosse’s research into essential oils was taken up by Frenchman, Dr Jean Valnet, who used essential oils to heal soldier’s burns and wounds during the First World War. He then successfully treated psychiatric patients with essential oils, demonstrating their emotional and psychological healing qualities. Marquerite Maury subsequently pioneered their use in beauty and revitalization therapy, thereby establishing another aspect of the healing powers of essential oils.

Combining essential oils with intuitive and Swedish massage tehcniques in the 1960s led to the contemporary practice of aromatherapy as a healing art. Aromatherapy is an holistic, complementary health-care discipline. The main treatment is full body massage, using essential oils diluted in a base of vegetable oil. When you visit a qualified aromatherapist, she or he will take a detailed case history covering your medical history, lifestyle, and emotional wellbeing, before selecting appropriate essential oils for you.

The Healing Power of Touch

Although there are other important uses of essential oils, it is human touch and essential oils that old the essence of the healing art or aromatherapy. The healing power of touch is instinctive in human nature : we express affection, sexuality and other forms of non verbal communication using touch. We naturally rub our body for pain relief when we hurt ourselves. And when we formalize that instinctive touch into massage, it becomes a powerful healing tool.

One of the most important aspects of aromatherapy is that essential oils are only applied by external means. It is illegal for a qualified aromatherapist to suggest that a client ingest essential oils by mount. Although in France some medical doctors are trained to prescribe the internal use of essential oils, this is highly specialize aspect of aromatherapy.

It has been scientifically demonstrated that external use of essential oils is in most cases more effective and considerably safer, than taking them internally. Thus the healing art of aromatherapy lies in the hands of the therapist working in synchronicity with the judicious choice of essential oils.

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Aromatherapy - Ginger Essential Oil

Aromatherapy – Ginger Essential Oil

By : Heru Muskita

(Zingiber officinalis)

Family : Zingiberaceae

Description : Ginber is a perennial, tropical herb with reedlike leaves, white or yellow flowers and a thick tuberous rhizome or root.  The essential oil is steam-distilled from the unpeeled, dried, ground root.

Countries of origin : India, China, Thailand, Australia

Characteristics : Ginger has sharp, green top notes and fiery, woody, sweet, spicy undertones. It blends well with the citruses and also with neroli, geranium, ylang ylang, rose, frankincense, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli and rosewood.

Main therapeutic properties : Analgesic, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, baceticide, carminative, cephalic, febrifuge, laxative, rubefacient, stimulant, tonic.

Ginger is warming and stimulates the circulation and digestion. It is excellent used in winter to war the body and emotions, both physically and psychologically. It is a tonich of the heart and is indicated in baths and massage for poor circulation, cardiac fatigue and cold hands and feet. Overall, ginger is warming, comforting and fortifying.

Its stimulant properties make ginger useful for poor digestion and flatulence. It is especially good for travel sickness and morning sickness, either sniffed from a tissue or blended into a mood perfume. It is also good in massae when the muscles are tired and aching, particularly when they are cold and contracted. Ginger can be useful in a bath or inhalation when you have a cold or sore throat, as its sharp, piercing cuts through catarrh and congestion.

Psychologically, ginger is arousing, opulent and stimulating. It is indicated for use in meditation when there is debility through nervous exhaustion. It warms and strengthens the emotions, increases determination and inspires initiative and action to carry plans through to their conclusion. Ginger also helps to blow away the winter blues and is useful in combating Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Contraindications : Do not use if you have very sensitive skin. Use no more than 3 drops in the bath and no more than 2 percent in massage oils.

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