A popular form of complementary medicine which uses concentrated essential oils extracted from plants. Some aromatherapists have a background in conventional medicine or in paramedical disciplines such as physiotherapy, but others may use alternative systems such as traditional Chinese medicine or radiesthesia. The application of oil to the skin is an effective way of getting active agents to be absorbed into the bloodstream, and aromatherapy treatment is often combined with massage. Some oils are used topically (eg eucalyptus or tea tree oil as antiseptics); others may be taken internally, either by mouth or in the form of a suppository or pessary. Cosmetic aromatherapy is offered by many beauty salons, sometimes in conjuction with facial massage, usually using proprietary brands of preblended oils.
| Mind-body interventions - edit |
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| Alexander Technique Aromatherapy Autosuggestion Bach Flower Therapy BodyTalk System Eutony Feldenkrais method Hypnotherapy Metamorphic Technique Journaling Meditation Support groups T'ai Chi Ch'üan Trager Approach Yoga (alternative medicine) |
| NCCAM classifications |
| Alternative Medical Systems Mind-Body Intervention Biologically Based Therapy Manipulative Methods Energy Therapy |
| See also |
| Alternative medicine |
Aromatherapy, commonly associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), is the use of volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils (EOs), and other aromatic compounds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person's mood or health. Aromatherapy is a generic term that refers to any of the various traditions that make use of essential oils sometimes in combination with other alternative medical practices and spiritual beliefs.
History
The word was first used in the 1920s by French chemist René Maurice Gattefossé, who devoted his life to researching the healing properties of essential oils after a lucky accident in his perfume laboratory. cosmetic use) Clinical aromatherapy (as part of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy) Aromachology (the psychology of odors and their effects on the mind)
Materials
Some of the materials employed include:
Essential oils: oils that are usually expensivedistillation (e.g. eucalyptus oil) or expression (grapefruit oil). However, the term is also occasionally used to describe fragrant oils extracted from plant material by any solvent extraction. Absolutes: Fragrant oils extracted primarily from flowers or delicate plant tissues through solvent or supercritical fluid extraction (e.g. The term is also used to describe oils extracted from fragrant butters, concretes, and enfleurage pommades using ethanol. Many terpene-based fragrant oils and sulfuric compounds from plants in the genus "Allium" are Phytoncides, though the latter are likely less commonly used in aromatherapy due to their disagreeable smells. infusion of chamomile) Carrier oils: Typically oily plant base triacylglycerides that are used to dilute essential oils for use on the skin (e.g. sweet almond oil)Theory
Because aromatherapy is somewhat of an umbrella term, more than one theory of its operation exists. Some proponents of aromatherapy believe that the claimed effect of each type of oil is not caused by the chemicals in the oil interacting with the senses, but that the oil contains a distillation of the "life force" of the plant from which it is derived that will "balance the energies" of the body and promote healing or well-being by purging negative vibrations from the body's energy field.
On the continent, especially in France, where it originated, aromatherapy is based on the pharmacological properties of essential oils. There, aromatherapy is incorporated into mainstream medicine and the use of the anti-septic properties of oils in the control of infections is emphasized over the more "touchy feely" approaches familiar to English speakers. In France some essential oils are regulated as prescription drugs, and thus administered by a physician.
When aromatherapy is used for the treatment or prevention of disease, a precise knowledge of the bioactivity and synergy of the essential oils used, knowledge of the dosage and duration of application, as well as, naturally, a medical diagnosis, are required.
Essential oils, phytoncides and other natural VOCs work in different ways. Internal application of essential oil preparations (mainly in pharmacological drugs;
Choice and purchase
Oils with standarized content of components (marked FCC, for Food Chemical Codex) have to contain X amount of certain aroma chemicals that normally occur in the oil. For instance, lemongrass essential oil has to contain 75% aldehyde to meet the FCC profile for that oil, but that aldehyde can come from a chemical refinery instead of from lemongrass.
Undiluted essential oils suitable for aromatherapy are termed therapeutic grade, but in countries where the industry is not regulated, therapeutic grade is based on industry consensus and is not a regulatory category. Likewise, claims that an oil's purity is vetted by mass spectrometer or gas chromatography have limited value, since all such testing can do is show that various chemicals occur in the oil. Many of the chemicals that occur naturally in essential oils are manufactured by the perfume industry and are used to adulterate essential oils because they are cheaper.
The best instrument for determining whether an essential oil is adulterated is an educated nose.
Price
Oils vary in price based on the amount of the harvest, the country of origin, the type of extraction used (steam distillation, CO2 extract, enfleurage), and how desirable the oil is. Indian Sandalwood is considered more desirable than Australian Sandalwood, based upon the aroma, and is twice as costly, mainly because the species that yields Indian Sandalwood essential oils is endangered. Organic and wild harvested essential oils also tend to be more expensive. It is useful for skin conditions linked to stress, such as cold sores and chicken pox, especially when combined with eucalyptus oil. But cold-pressed Bergamot oil contains bergaptene, a strong photosensitizer when applied to the skin, so only distilled or 'bergaptene-free' types can be topically used. Citronella oil, obtained from a relative of lemongrass, is used as an insect repellant and in perfumery. Tea tree and many other essential oils have topical (external) antimicrobial (i.e. eucalyptus oil sandalwood oil thyme oil Clove oil is a topical analgesic, especially useful in dentistry. Lavender oil is used as an antiseptic, to soothe minor cuts and burns, to calm and relax, and to soothe headaches and migraines. Yarrow oil is used to reduce joint inflammation and relieve cold and influenza symptoms. Jasmine,Rose,Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang oil are used as aphrodisiacs. There are some treatments generally accepted in Western medicine to give a form of relief for the airways in case of cold or flu, such as mint and eucalyptus essential oils.
The term "aromatherapy" has been applied to such a wide range of products that almost anything which contains essential oils is likely to be called an "aromatherapy product", rendering the term somewhat meaningless in that context. Skeptics express concern that people with maladies curable by contemporary medicine will revert to certain holistic medicines, such as aromatheraphy, homeopathy and Ayurvedic medicine, and receive no benefit while their health could have been maintained with scientifically proven medicine.Since essential oils are so potent, many can irritate the skin and can cause toxic reactions like liver damage and seizures unless diluted with a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil, olive oil, hazelnut oil, and rosehip seed oil. Advanced Aromatherapy: The Science of Essential Oil Therapy, Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D. ISBN 0-89281-743-7 Medical Aromatherapy: Healing With Essential Oils, Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D. ISBN 1-883319-69-2 The Practice of Aromatherapy: A Classic Compendium of Plant Medicines and Their Healing Properties ISBN 0-89281-398-9 Food Chemicals Codex: ISBN 0-309-08866-6
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