Aromatherapy
means "treatment using scents". Such as rose, lemon, lavender and
peppermint. The essential oils are added to the bath or massaged into the skin,
inhaled directly or diffused to scent an entire room. Aromatherapy is used for
the relief of pain, care for the skin, alleviate tension and fatigue and
invigorate the entire body. Essential oils can affect the mood, alleviate
fatigue, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. When inhaled, they work on the
brain and nervous system through stimulation of the olfactory nerves.
The essential oils are aromatic essences extracted
from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, bark, grasses and seeds with distinctive
therapeutic, psychological, and physiological properties, which improve and
prevent illness. There are about 150 essential oils. Most of these oils have
antiseptic properties; some are antiviral, anti-inflammatory, pain relieving,
antidepressant and expectorant. Other properties of the essential oils, which
are taken advantage of in aromatherapy, are their stimulation, relaxation,
digestion improvement, and diuretic properties. To get the maximum benefit from
essential oils, it should be made from natural, pure raw materials.
Synthetically made oils do not work.
Aromatherapy is one of the fastest growing fields in
alternative medicine. It is widely used at home, clinics and hospitals for a
variety of applications such as pain relief for women in labor pain, relieving
pain caused by the side effects of the chemotherapy undergone by the cancer
patients, and rehabilitation of cardiac patients.
Aromatherapy is already slowly getting into the
mainstream. In Japan, engineers are incorporating aroma systems into new
buildings. In one such application, the scent of lavender and rosemary is pumped
into the customer area to calm down the waiting customers, while the perfumes
from lemon and eucalyptuses are used in the bank teller counters to keep the
staff alert.
History of Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy had been around for 6000 years or more.
The Greeks, Romans, and ancient Egyptians all used aromatherapy oils. The
Egyptian physician Imhotep recommended fragrant oils for bathing, massage, and
for embalming their dead nearly 6000 years ago. Imhotep is the Egyptian god of
medicine and healing. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used
aromatherapy baths and scented massage. He used aromatic fumigations to rid
Athens of the plague.
The modern era of aromatherapy is dawned in 1930
when the French chemist Rene Maurice GATT fosse coined the term aromatherapy for
the therapeutic use of essential oils. He was fascinated by the benefits of
lavender oil in healing his burned hand without leaving any scars. He started
investigating the effect of other essential oils for healing and for their
psychotherapeutic benefits.
During World War II, the French army surgeon Dr.
Jean Val net used essential oils as antiseptics. Later, Madame Marguerite Maury
elevated aromatherapy as a holistic therapy. She started prescribing essential
oils as remedy for her patients. She is also credited with the modern use of
essential oils in massage.
Aromatherapy
works the best when it works on the mind and body simultaneously.
|