What is Aromatherapy and how can it help?
What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is an ancient holistic system of health that uses aromatic extracts from plants that can bring about deep healing, improve health. reduce stress and generally boost mind, body and spirit.
If you are completely new to the world of Essential Oils, then keep reading as I’ll be sharing with you some of my favourite facts about Aromatherapy as well as some of my personal experiences over the years.
First off, it’s important to remember that essential oils have been used for thousands of years and are even mentioned in the bible! In recent years there has been a definite increase in their use and many people are realising their powerful health benefits. However there are many out there who believe that essential oils simply smell nice and have no impact on our health.
Hopefully this article will go a little way into showing you that essential oils can be extremely supportive for our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing!
What can Aromatherapy help with?
I think the easier question would be ‘‘ What can’t Aromatherapy help with?’’. If I were to list all of the uses of each essential oil and their benefits we would be here forever so I’ll list some of my favourite benefits and ones that I have personally experienced and witnessed.
Essential oils can help with:
Digestive issues
Hormonal imbalances
Headaches and Migraines
Pain in the body i.e. muscles, joints, skin etc
Arthritis
Hayfever
Insomnia
Asthma
Focus
Anxiety and Stress
Motivation
Fungal and Viral infections
Menstrual Cycle pain and irregularity
Peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms
Dry and Oily Skin
Oral health
The list is endless! The longer I work with Essential Oils the more I realise that there is pretty much an oil for every ailment.
How to use Essential Oils?
Essential oil safety is something that I feel very strongly about as there is a lot of misinformation out there so it’s a good idea to make sure you know what you are doing before using them.
Essential oils are extracts from plants that can have amazing health benefits but it’s important to remember that they are very potent and powerful.
One drop has the ability to affect every single cell in the body within minutes so less is more when it comes to essential oil usage.
There are three main ways to use essential oil
1.Aromatic use of Essential Oils
When we refer to the aromatic use of essential oils, we basically mean that we are breathing in the essential oil via our respiratory system. This is one of the easiest and quickest ways to use essential oils as it requires very little effort from us.
Particulary useful for little kids who are congested or have trouble sleeping!
What happens when we breathe in an essential oil?
Inhaling essential oils stimulates our olfactory system, the part of the brain connected to smell, including the nose and the brain. As the molecules reach the brain, they affect the limbic system, which is linked to the emotions, the heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress, and hormone balance.
The aromatic use of essential oils can therefore assist us with so many emotional and mental issues including panic attacks and anxiety and our physical responses to those experiences.
The easiest way to use an essential oil aromatically is via a diffuser or an oil burner. Oil burners are not my favourite as the heat can effect the therapeutic effects of the oil and the smoke can sometimes be irritating.
Diffusers simply use cold water and air to disperse the molecules into the air making them very easy to breathe in. If you don’t access to either of these, you can breathe an oil straight from the bottle but just be careful of your eyes and getting it on your skin.
2. Topical use of Essential Oils
One of the most common questions I get is ‘‘Can I use essential oils on my skin?’’and the simple answer is YES!
Topical use of essential oils is highly recommended and is one of my favourite ways to use them. However, before we even think about using an essential oil on our skin it’s imperative that we make sure that we dilute it in a carrier oil.
Carrier oils are so called, because they literally carry the essential oil into the skin and they reduce the intensity of the oil.
This is useful because it helps those of us who have sensitive skin, but it also means that we can use essential oils safely with young children, the elderly and ourselves without any risk of an adverse reaction.
Using a carrier oil also means we get more use for that essential oil as we can cover a bigger surface area which is why essential oils are commonly used in massage therapy.
Common carrier oils include vegetable oil, sweet almond oil (avoid if you are allergic to nuts), jojoba oil, avocado oil.
If you’d like to learn more about carrier oils check out my e-book ‘‘ A guide to carrier oils’’ for a more detailed look at carrier oils and their benefits. Once you’ve chosen your carrier oil you are one step closer to being able to use your essential oil!
3. Internal use of Essential Oils
The third and final way we can use Essential Oils is internally.
Essential oils can be very effective when taken internally but it is imperative that you seek advice from a qualified aromatherapist like myself before taking oils internally.
If you do decide to take oils internally please ensure they are 100% organic and unadulterated i.e. not mixed with carrier oils or nasty toxic chemicals. Do your research as there are many essential oil brands that harvest plants from areas sprayed with pesticides.
In general the cheaper the essential oil the likelier it is that it is not pure and has been mixed with something nasty.
Which method should I choose?
This depends on what you need the essential oil for!
For congestion both Aromatic and Topical use will be very beneficial especially with little ones. Aromatic use is also great for nausea and digestive issues.
Topical use is generally more useful for any pain in the body or skin or nail conditions. If you have a teething child topical use along the jawline will be very helpful!
Aromatic use is generally more useful for little children and the elderly or those that do not like to be touched. In my own personal experience, I find Aromatic use great for helping to alleviate emotional upheavals and improve focus.
The best way to decide is to start using them and experiment!
