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Aromatherapy means "treatment using scents"
Lighting a therapeutic candle can promote a sense of well-being and calm, as well as being a powerful anxiety and stress buster. If you ever feel overwhelmed with these negative feelings, the soft candlelight and the scent of essential oils burning can center your mind and allow you to feel calmer and more relaxed.
Aromatherapy candles can help you relax, feel calm, energized and help your brain get into a more productive mindset. Lavender candles help ease your mind and relieve stress. Eucalyptus candles are energizing and improve focus. Lemon candles also energizing and can relieve anxiety and depression.
Aromatherapy is never a substitute for medical treatment
History
Aromatherapy has been around since between 5,000 and 7,000 BC. The essential oil can be made from a root, plant, leaf, bark, flower, sap or resin. It is derived from the practice of using plant oils, so essential oils are the pure "essence" of the plant.
The use of essential oils for therapeutic, spiritual, hygienic, and ritualistic purposes goes back to ancient civilizations including the Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans who used them in cosmetics, perfumes, and drugs. Oils were used for aesthetic pleasure and in the beauty industry. They were a luxury item and a means of payment. It was believed the essential oils increased the shelf life of wine and improved the taste of food.
Oils are described by Greek physician, Dioscordes, along with beliefs of the time regarding their healing properties, in his De Materia Medico, written in the first century. Distilled essential oils have been employed as medicines since the eleventh century, when Polish physician, Avicenna isolated essential oils using steam distillation.
In the era of modern medicine, the naming of this treatment first appeared in print in 1937 in a French book on the subject: Aromatherapie: Les Huiles Essentielles, Hormones Vegetales by Rene-Maurice Gattefosse {fr}, a chemist. An English version was published in 1993. In 1910, French chemist, Gattefosse, burned a hand very badly and later claimed he treated it effectively with lavender oil. A French surgian, Jean Valnet {fr}, poineered the medicinal uses of essential oils, which he used as antiseptics in the treatment of wounded soldiers during World War II.
What are essential oils made from?
Depending on the species of plant, essential oils are extracted from petals, leaves, roots, buds, twigs, wood bark, resin or fruit. In a few cases every part of the plant growing above the ground is used. Essential oils are powerful and should be used with care.
How does it work?
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Because the odoriferous molecules of essential oils are extremely volatile, they diffuse through the skin in the same way as other gases.
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They have the ability to penetrate right into the deep layers of the skin and travel to various organs, glands, and tissues of the body.
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When they have passed through the epidermis they seep into the small capillaries in the dermis and are carried all around the body.
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When inhaled, essential oil particles are taken directly to the roof of the nose, where information about the aromas, via the olfactory bulb, are forwarded to the area of the brain associated with smell.
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Their scents are said to have an effect on the limbic system in the brain, which is connected to emotion and memory.
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This is why aromatherapy is believed to promote relaxation and a more positive mood.
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Aromatherapists also argue that many essential oils have medicinal properties, including antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and, regenerative qualities.
Potential Benefits
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Induces a state of relaxation;
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Relaxes tight and tense muscles;
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May induce natural sleep;
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Stimulates blood lymph circulation which increased the supply of oxygen and elimination of toxins;
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Reduces tension;
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Relieves pain in general and in specific areas;
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Acceptable way of giving and receiving TLC;
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Reduces swelling in limbs;
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Returned sensation;
With certain kinds of medical issues, such as stroke, and even at the end of life, if a patient cannot smell or has lost their sense of smell, the oil gets absorbed as the ODOR molecule into the nasal cavity goes to the brain through the nose and gets introduced into the brain's of-factory nerves, which is like Brain food.
Aromatherapy has become one of the fastest growing natural healing arts in the country. It has also rapidly gained respect from orthodox medical practitioners. Aromatherapy is increasingly being used in gyms, health and beauty clinics and extending to hospitals, hospices and surgeries.
Many of us have been burning more candles lately than we ever have before. Candles are a tradition in many cultures, a mainstay in many homes, and even a luxury to treat yourself and others. Especially at a time like now, when many of us have been quarantined for over a year, candles truly affect how we feel about our space.
"It is scientifically proven that scented candles can play an essential role in the physiological effects of mood, stress, working capacity, and overall mental health," said Chryssa Chalkia, an, accredited clinical integrative psychotherapist and cognitive-behavioral therapist.
Aromatherapy Benefits
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manage pain
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improve sleep quality
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reduce stress, agitation, and anxiety
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soothe sore joints
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treat headaches and migraines
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alleviate side effects of chemotherapy
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ease discomforts of labor
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fight bacteria, virus, or fungus
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improve digestion
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improve hospice and palliative care
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boost immunity
In Conclusion
Why is everyone so excited about essential oils these days?
There was a time in American history when essential oils were only used by traditional healers, massage therapists, and subculture flower children. But now, we have modern families, business owners, and even medical doctors using them in their homes and professions.
Here are five reasons why I believe essential oils are back to stay! After reading them you may decide to incorporate them into your lifestyle too!
Why essential oils are popular?
1. We need alternative healthcare
Essential oil knowledge was lost when modern medicine became popular in the United States. This is because people used to think Western medicine was more evolved, and therefore should have greater respect. Some innovations, like life-saving surgeries and fertility procedures, are truly miraculous. However, this standard of care is only focused on palliative measures. It doesn't address the root cause of health imbalances. We need and expect more. Nature, traditions medicines, alternative health practitioners, and your own intuition are the best guides. Essential oils are from nature that helps support physiological functions, improve mood, control infections, and thereby add to our health.
2. Essential oils are effective alternatives to toxic products
We are living in a toxic soup that triggers many health problems in our population. Essential oils can clean our homes and bodies. Many families make their own home and personal care products using essential oils. There are also some trusted companies who provide ready-made products using essential oils, one is J & R Scentuals
3. Essential oils have been used effectively for thousands of years
As mentioned earlier, Ancient Chinese, Indian, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations prized them for their beauty enhancing, spiritual, and therapeutic value. So even though they are new to Americans, that's not so in the rest of the world.
Our culture is starting to respect older modalities like my profession of Chinese Medicine, as well as using Essential oils. It is not just called a trend. Americans are just now seeing what has always been around - an awakening of sorts!
4. People want to feel empowered & resourceful with health choices
Many people these days don't believe that "doctors know best". It's important to have a health practitioner as a guide for a different perspective. However, most people have the awareness to know when they're well or not though, and whether it's an emergency. They know how to research and experiment with natural remedies and determine if they're working.
5. There's tons of research to support essential oil efficacy
Each year, hundreds of research studies validate essential oil efficacy. Certainly, the excitement behind essential oil use is backed by a compelling need!
Just Breathe
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