"The healing touch of aromatherapy massage together with the power of pure essential oils work to alleviate many health problems"
What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is a natural treatment using essential oils to maintain and improve health and wellbeing of the individual - mind, body and spirit.
Like other forms of holistic treatment, aromatherapy treats the whole person and not just the ailment. The aromatherapist will seek to discover not only what the client's symptoms are but to find out more about the client's diet, lifestyle, stresses and strains. The aromatherapist can then use their skill and training to decide which combination of essential oils to use to enhance health and stimulate the client's own self-healing abilities.
Although the actual word 'aromatherapy' was not used until the 1930's, the therapeutic use of aromatic oils, herbs and incense goes back into the mists of time, where they were used for religious ceremonies, perfumery, embalming, hygiene and medicine.
Today, essential oils are introduced to the body in a variety of different ways such as massage, inhalation, creams and lotions, compresses and baths.
During a massage treatment the essential oils are absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream and are also inhaled in through the nose where they cross over into the bloodstream via the lungs. When we breathe in, the tiny essential oil molecules stimulate odour receptors at the top of the nose, which are directly connected to a part of the brain called the Limbic System. This area of the brain is responsible for emotions and memory and so the essential oils can affect our moods and behaviour by causing our bodies to relax, re-energise and rebalance as well as having an effect on our nervous system and physical body via the bloodstream.
What are the benefits of Aromatherapy?
Each individual essential oil has its own specific set of therapeutic properties. So for example peppermint essential oil is stimulating (good for concentration when studying, driving etc), cooling (excellent for inflammation, muscle pain), pain relieving (great for headaches, migraines, toothache etc.) and excellent for the digestive system (very helpful for indigestion, IBS, flatulence, nausea). Whereas frankinsence essential oil is calming to the nervous system (so is excellent for depression, panic attacks and anxiety) and is very healing for the skin (great for wounds, blemishes, scars, wrinkles, dry skin etc). There are hundreds of essential oils available today and they cover a whole range of benefits including promoting relaxation, alleviating emotional problems such as anger and grief, strengthening the immune system, overcoming insomnia, encouraging healing, fighting infection, managing aches and pains and dealing with chronic illness to name a few. When essential oils are blended together they create 'a synergy', which means their combined effects are greater than the effects of the individual oils alone. Knowing which essential oils to blend together for particular conditions is part of the aromatherapist's skill. Together with the healing touch of aromatherapy massage, essential oils work to alleviate many health problems and regular treatment will help the body stay fit and healthy.
Who can have an Aromatherapy treatment?
Aromatherapy is beneficial for most people - children, men, women, expectant mothers (after 1st trimester), elderly, convalescents. A full consultation is given before the treatment so that I can establish which oils are safe and appropriate to use and in what quantity. The blend of essential oils is then diluted in a cold-pressed carrier oil or other appropriate base before the treatment begins.
What should I expect during an Aromatherapy Treatment?
Your treatment will begin with a consultation where you will asked questions about your lifestyle and health history. This will help me give you the best possible treatment, avoid any problem areas and help me select the most appropriate essential oils. I will also carry out a body analysis to check posture, circulation, skin type and condition. This information will be treated with the strictest of confidence and will not be disclosed to anyone without your consent.
During the treatment itself you will be modestly covered with towels at all times to enable you to relax and fully enjoy the experience.
After the treatment most people feel extremely relaxed and so need a few minutes to 'come back to reality' with a refreshing drink. Any feedback on the treatment will be welcome. You will be sent a detailed follow-up after care letter giving advice on essential oil use at home.