Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the skilled use of fragrance and essential oils for physical, emotional and spiritual enhancement. Centuries of research has shown uses for plants and their essences. Until the development of pharmaceuticals in the twentieth century, most medicine relied on the knowledgeable use of plants and minerals. Recently, essential oils have been chemically analyzed, and the theraputic uses of the major components identified.
Aromatherapy has profound and subtle effects on the mind and the body, and is easy to use in various ways. Pleasant smelling oils can be used as perfume, or diffused into the air, while other oils are best introduced through application to the skin through bath or massage. Because the essences in the oils are so concentrated, it is taxing to the liver and other organs to introduce the oils into the body through the digestive system.
Essential oils are readily absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin, and are easily administered through massage. Oils enhance the benefits of massage; the absorbed oils remain in the body long after the massage has ended. Research shows that the repeated use of oils in massage shows prolonged improvements in relaxation, anxiety and mood. If you are interested in aromatic massage, we will need to discuss what you hope to achieve through massage and aromatherapy so that I can choose the oils most suited to your nose and needs.
My formal training in aromatherapy has been more than 50 hours of homestudy and seminars offered by the internationally acclaimed aromatherapist, Michael Scholes. For more information on Michael and his work, go to LabofFlowers.com.