| Aromatherapy |
What
is aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to achieve physical, emotional,
mental and spiritual health and balance. These highly concentrated essential
oils are extracted from various herbs and produced by steam distillation
or cold pressing from a plant's flowers, leaves, branches, bark, rind
or roots.
Aromatherapists assign specific properties to each essence — for
example, lavender is reputed to heal burns and relieve depression, inflammation,
headaches, respiratory allergies, muscle aches and nausea, while peppermint
is said to alleviate digestive problems; clean wounds, decongest the chest
and relieve headache and muscle pain.
What happens during an aromatherapy session?
The aromatherapist will work with you to develop a blend of essential
oils (known as a 'synergy') that suits your needs.
The essential oils chosen will work well together aesthetically as well
as addressing a particular complaint. If you complain of muscle ache,
the aromatherapist may create a blend of oils to relieve muscle tension,
as well as stimulate mental and emotional response to address the root
causes.
The aromatherapist may massage the oils into the skin or use hot or cold
compresses. You can also use essential oils at home — oil-containing
compounds can be sprayed into the air, added to your bath or heated in
an oil burner.
