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-Issue Number 200 |
Thursday, December 1, 2005 | Page
41 |
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Welcome
to the on line edition of the popular Tenerife free newspaper The Western
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Here's Health! & Beauty (2)
New therapy that’s older than it seems
by
NICOLA ROBERTS
of Bellissima, Los Gigantes
of Bellissima, Los Gigantes
Aromatherapy
is one of the fastest growing therapies in Europe and worldwide. It is
used in homes, therapy rooms, clinics, health spas, and beauty salons.In everyday products such as toothpastes and cough drops, aromatherapy oils such as clove oil and eucalyptus are often incorporated.
Nurses trained in the techniques are now using essential oils more commonly in hospitals as a form of pain relief both for women in labour, and cancer patients.
In Japan aromatherapy oils are being incorporated in the ventilation systems of new buildings, wafting relaxing scents of lavender or rosemary in customer areas, and lemon and eucalyptus into the staff areas to keep the workers refreshed and on their toes all day.
The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were all using oils up to 6,000 years ago.
The Egyptians used aromatic herbs, woods and plants to mummify their cats and kings. They also placed piles of burning aromatic plants in public places to purify the air.
Hippocrates, the Greek father of medicine, also used aromatic fumigation in an attempt to rid Athens of the Great Plague, trying every essence from pine and sulphur, to pepper and frankincense.
Aromatherapy declined after the Renaissance, as pharmacists and chemists began developing the principles of modern chemistry.
The form of aromatherapy that we know today was born in France in the 1930s, when a French perfume chemist, René-Maurice Galtefossé, originated the term to define the therapeutic use of essential oils.
According to the story, he accidentally burned his hand in the laboratory, upon which he plunged it into a container of lavender oil, the closest liquid to hand.
The burn healed exceptionally quickly, with no signs of infection or scarring.
Galtefossé then advanced his research into the healing benefits of aromatherapy.
Later, during World War 2, an army surgeon, Dr Jean Valnet, used essential oils to heal injuries, drawing the attention of the medical world as well as health and beauty therapists to their properties.
Pharmacies throughout Europe sell essential oils alongside homeopathic remedies and modern medicinal drugs. In France they are so widely recognised to be used instead of or in conjunction with conventional medicine that their use is reimbursed by French health insurance.
Essential oils are aromatic essences extracted from plants flowers, trees, fruit, bark grasses and seeds, with their own distinctive therapeutic properties.
Around 150 essential oils have been extracted, each with its own unique scent and healing property – and all have valuable antiseptic properties.
Some are particularly anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, anti-depressant, and antiseptic. Others are stimulants, relaxing, digestion aids or diuretics. These pure oils are usually extracted by stream distillation.
Essential oils enter the body in two ways: by inhalation, or by absorption.
Just like traditional smelling salts, the smell is picked up by sensory cells in the nasal passage and the aroma given off by the oil has a direct effect on the part of the brain which governs emotions, stimulating a reponse to the mood provoked by the fragrance.
When prepared as an aromatherapy oil and applied to the skin, essential oils are absorbed into the blood stream where they will help stimulate the various systems of the body.
INHALATIONS
Direct inhalation – A couple of drops of a relaxing oil on your pillow, or a few drops of decongesting oils on a handkerchief can both be directly inhaled.
Steam inhalation – Three or four drops of oil to a bowl of hot water help clear nasal congestion or catarrh. Eucalyptus, pine, lavender, black pepper or peppermint oils are all helpful for coughs, colds, sinus problems or headaches.
ABSORPTION
Massage – This is the most common form of treatment. The essential oil is diluted in a vegetable carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil, the ideal being a mix of five drops of essential oil to 5ml of sweet almond.
Baths – Add up to eight drops of essential oil for adults to a warm, full bath, agitating the water to disperse it throughout. Relax for 10 to 15 minutes and enjoy the benefits of a therapeutic bath.
Compresses – These can help relieve bruising, skin problems and muscle pain. Use one or two drops of an oil to a bowl of warm water. Soak a piece of cotton in the water and wring out, apply the pad to the area, and leave for at least two hours.
Neat application – Only lavender or tea tree may be safely applied undiluted to the skin. Both are a great addition to the houshold First Aid kit.
The healing affects of lavender are amazing, soothing pain, promoting healing and reducing scarring. Tea tree is also effective when used on cuts, grazes, spots, bites and stings.
Taken internally – This should only be carried out under medical supervision, or qualified guidance.
Beware of the cheap imitations
The sources of oils can be commonplace or rare and exquisite, and this is usually reflected in the price of the oil. For example, jasmine oil, which is one of the most expensive, requires up to four million flowers for every kilogram produced. These can only be harvested by hand during the afternoon and evening.
It takes only 100kgs of lavender to yield 3kg of oil, so obviously lavender is fairly cheap, especially when harvested from great fields dedicated to the purpose, like the one in the picture.
Right now the average price for 10 ml of lavender oil is about €7.50. But it is anticipated that there will be a growing shortage of many organic essential oils, especially lavender, because demand is growing twice as fast as supply and simply exhausting the resources.