Aromatherapy

What is Aromatherapy?

A French chemist, René-Maurice Gattefossé invented the term aromatherapy to describe the process of using plant oils therapeutically. History says that, while working in a perfume factory in the early 20th century, he used lavender oil to treat a burn on his hand and was so impressed by how quickly and cleanly the burn healed, he began studying the healing powers of plant oils.

The Aromatherpist uses a mixture of concentrated essential oils to treat conditions which are based on elements from plants. These oils are extracted from various flowers, grasses, roots, resin, peel or bark which are not concentrated from whole plant parts - unlike regular herbal medicines. However, people have been treated with plant oils for thousands of years - records go back to the times of ancient Egypt, China and India

What does Aromatherapy feel like?

The first session can take up to two hours including the initial consultation. After which, the aromatherapist will create a mixture of the chosen oils in what is called a carrier oil - e.g. almond or grapeseed. This mixture is then massaged into your skin paying particular attention to any sensitive or painful areas on the body. It is also common for you to be given advice about aftercare treatments, for example using the oils in baths or as inhalations. Subsequent sessions will normally be shorter, approx one hour is common and for long-term treatment you may need one session per week for a number of weeks depending on the condition being treated.

Is Aromatherapy safe?

Aromatherapy products such as toiletries contain only small amounts of essential oils. But in their concentrated form the oils can be very powerful and should always be handled with care - you only need a few drops in a bath for example. More could cause irritation, and some essential oils are toxic if used incorrectly - such as eating or drinking them.

Aromatherapy oils can have side-effects - nausea, headaches or an allergic reaction for instance. Some of them, including citrus oils such as orange, lemon and bergamot, react with ultraviolet light and can cause skin to burn more easily in sunlight.

Essential oils should almost never be used neat on skin - exceptions are lavender oil and tea tree oil in small amounts. You should only ever take them internally on the advice of a fully trained professional therapist, and some professional organisations advise against using the oils in this way at all.

Check with a professional therapist or your doctor before using an essential oil if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. There are several oils that should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding, as some may find their way into breast milk.

Some oils can aggravate skin conditions in susceptible people, so essential oils should be used with caution on:

• infectious skin conditions
• broken skin
• varicose veins

Anyone recovering from surgery should not use aromatherapy. It's also not suitable for anyone with any of the following conditions:

• epilepsy
• high blood pressure
• deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in your leg)

Some essential oils may either reduce or enhance the effects of certain conventional medicines, including antibiotics, antihistamines, sedatives and anti-epileptic drugs. Most homeopaths advise against the use of essential oils if you are taking a homeopathic remedy.

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What can Aromatherapy be used to treat?

Aromatherapy is now used to treat a whole range of conditions and is believed to work on people both physically and psychologically. The first part of the theory is that when you smell an essential oil, it triggers your limbic system - the part of the brain that controls emotions and stores and retrieves learned memories - and relaxes you. The other part of the theory is that the essential oils are absorbed through the skin, and have medicinal properties which act on the cause of the problem.

Just some of the conditions aromatherapy is used to treat are:

• anxiety, stress or insomnia
• muscular aches and pains
• headaches
• asthma
• eczema
• digestive problems
• menstrual or menopausal problems

You can choose to be treated by an aromatherapist, or you can buy certain aromatherapy oils over the counter at pharmacies and health shops, and treat yourself. If you visit an aromatherapist, he or she will probably massage oils into your skin. If you treat yourself, you can add them to your bath, or inhale them using steaming water, a diffuser or an incense burner. There is also a wide range of toiletries containing essential oils available, some of which may claim to increase wellbeing or have some healing properties.

Want to learn more? Learn the Power of Aromatherapy

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