Aromatherapy

The ancient art of Aromatherapy uses pure essentials oils that are extracted from a variety of plants and trees. Once extracted the essential oils are absorbed into the body to help promote physical, mental and spiritual equilibrium.

Essential oils are considered the “life force” or “souls” of plants and are naturally fortified with a whole host of therapeutic properties, without the harmful side affects associated with chemically processed drugs. Some essentials oils will help you relax, others will have an invigorating effect on your spirit while others, are more specialized in the therapeutic benefits they provide.   Essential oils can boost your immune system, provide balance when needed, simulate your circulatory system, fight infection, help ease a cold and provide many other therapeutic benefits. Essentials oils are only created in nature; there is no such thing as a chemically manufactured or synthetic essential oil.

Essential oils penetrate the body in two different ways, through the nose and through the skin.  The olfactory, nose to brain association, is the most direct way for your body to absorb the therapeutic benefits of essential oil.    Our sense of smell has a direct link to the limbic section of the brain, where emotion, memory and other regulatory functions are processed and controlled.    Since essential oils are organic they can be absorbed through the pores and hair follicles in our skin. Unlike synthetic drugs or chemicals, essential oils will not accumulate and are naturally eliminated from our bodies.

History of Aromatherapy

Plants have been used since the dawn of time for medicinal proposes.   Egyptians used aromatic plants in their daily routines as early as 3000 BC.  They also used primitive forms of essentials oils to treat a vast array of medical conditions: including respiratory problems, tooth and gum infections and emotional disorders. There have been cave paintings discovered in France that show plants being used for healing proposes that date back to 1800 BC.  The ancient Chinese, Indian and Romans also used aromatics plants to treat several medical conditions. Hippocrates, the Greek “Father of Medicine” used many of the same plants to treat medical disorders that are distilled for essential oils today.

Aromatherapy is recognized as an alternative approach to traditional medicine in Australia and the United Kingdom. In fact, both Countries have an “Aromatherapy Regulatory Committee” similar to our FDA.  Aromatherapy products are intended to be used in conjunction with traditional medical treatments; they should not be considered a substitute to traditional medicine.

BE WARE….

The term aromatherapy has been incorrectly used and many people equate the term aromatherapy to the effect that a scent has on their emotional out- look.  In a very broad sense that definition is partly accurate but it is a better definition for the term “Aroma - cology.”   Many products marketed today as “aromatherapy” have been misrepresented and should really be marketed as “aroma – cology products,” because they contain absolutely no essential oil and have none of the therapeutic effects of essential oils or true aromatherapy products.   They just smell good … and in some cases that may be debatable.

I like to thank Bonnie Castle Founder of “My Time” Aromatherapy

She provided us with this wonderful information about aromatherapy and the history of aromatherapy.

You can visit her site to learn about the full line of body care products she offers.

 www.mytimearomatherapy.com