Equipping People To Make Sense Of What They Are Told
Aromatherapy - The controlled use of essential oils to promote health and well-being.
It is not a new therapy but one that has been used by many cultures for thousands
of years in a variety of forms. The Egyptians, Romans and Chinese all used herbs
and plants as part of their medical treatments.
The term ‘aromatherapy’ originated in 1928 - René-Maurice Gattefossé, a french chemist.
The use of essential oils for pain management has become a more common and accepted
form of treatment in recent years. In some respects the word ‘aromatherapy’ may be
misleading, it suggests that its effect works exclusively through the sense of smell
- aroma. Each essential oil has its own individual combination of constituents that
interact with the body’s chemistry in a direct manner.
It is important to understand that essential oils have three different modes of action:-
Pharmacological - the chemical changes that occur when the essential oil enters the
blood stream and reacts with the various hormones - enzymes etc.
Physiological - the way that essential oils affects the body systems by sedating
or stimulating etc.
Psychological - the way that an individual responds when an essence is inhaled.
The most frequent way of using the essential oils is through massage; however essential
oils can be used in a variety of other ways such as inhalation, vaporisation, in
the bath and with a compress.
Note
Some essential oils can be hazardous due to high toxicity levels.
Some essential oils may cause skin irritation.
Generally essential oils should not be applied to the skin unless diluted using a
carrier oil or cream.
Some essential oils are phototoxic - they may cause skin pigmentation when exposed
to sunlight.
