Aromatherapy

Are you among the millions of people who are already tired of taking numerous over-the-counter medications to relieve various aches, pains and illnesses?  Are you becoming consciously aware of the after-effects that popping a pill to treat a symptom might eventually lead to? 

If you are one of the people who answered yes to the previous questions, well, worry no more!  Ever heard how aromatherapy naturally heals the body? 

A Little Bit of History

The origins of the practice of aromatherapy can be traced back to the Egyptians, as early as 4000 years ago.  Ancient Egyptians were known to use aromatic plants in formulating medicines, massage oils, embalming preparations, perfumes and various skin care products.  Historical accounts also reveal that the Chinese practiced aromatherapy at about the same time as the Egyptians.  

Several other ancient cultures all around the world also employed aromatherapy for various therapeutic and aesthetic purposes.  The Indians, the Romans, the Greeks, Arabians and Aztecs have written historical records of how they incorporated aromatherapy in their daily lives.  Rome even became the bathing capital of the world, following their breakthrough discovery on how to improve the aromatic oils! 

Essential Oils versus Over-the-Counter Drugs

What are the advantages of using essential oils versus over-the-counter drugs?  Well, for one, essential oils have such distinct biochemical complexities, which allow them to act effectively on such a wide range of symptoms.  Not only that, using essential oils (aromatherapy) may provide you great savings!  How about that for starters? 

There are essential oils to cater to your every need.  Some oils may help relieve physical or physiological ailments and symptoms while some others may help promote emotional or psychological well-being.  Given this context, using essential oils (aromatherapy) may pave the way towards providing true holistic healing. 

Essential Oils for Physical and/or Physiological Ailments

Some of the ways in which essential oils help provide physical well-being are enumerated below:

.  Some essential oils help in the elimination of metabolic wastes and thus provide great assistance in the detoxification process.  Some examples of these are grapefruit, cypress, sweet fennel and juniper oil.  

.  Others work to repair injured body cells (lavender and helichrysum oil) while some essential oils fortify the natural immune system of the body (tea tree, thyme and oregano oil). 

.  Essential oils may also provide relief from muscle and joint pains.  The warming properties of black pepper, ginger, juniper and nutmeg oils may just be the relief you need to soothe aching muscles.  The relaxing properties of marjoram and lavender oils, on the other hand, may help ease up muscle tension. 

.  Poor circulation can be improved by using rosemary, juniper berries and cypress oils while congestion due to colds and allergies may be remedied by using eucalyptus, peppermint or myrtle oils. 

.  Skin rashes may be treated with lavender, geranium or chamomile.  For minor skin irritations and acne, you may opt to use tea tree, lavender or rosewood oils. 

See how much good you can derive from using essential oils?  Please note that this is only a partial list of how essential oils benefit the body at the physical and/or physiological level.  There are still a lot, which are not discussed here. 

An important note: Using essential oils is basically safe when used as prescribed by a qualified aromatherapist.  However, caution should be observed by those whose conditions are complicated by pregnancy, epilepsy and other serious medical problems.  To be on the safe side, please consult with a certified aromatherapist before any aromatherapy treatments are taken.