Modern Aromatherapy: It’s Not Just About Aroma Anymore!
Therapeutic use of essential oils for medicinal purposes is now on the verge of being recognized as a valid tool in the arsenal of today’s most progressive M.D.’s. There is still a significant amount of resistance from the institutional medical community, perhaps due to the pervasive image of Aromatherapy being ‘feeling nice from smelling something pleasant’. Most trained and degreed aromatherapists do not even consider this the most important function of healing with essential oils however. Their use in treating infectious illness is actually considered the realm of medicine of where they may be of greatest importance. There are numerous scientific studies to support the wonderful anti-viral and antibacterial actions of essential oils (which do not have many of the drawbacks of synthetically-produced equivalents). Clinical studies support other areas of essential oils’ efficacy as well: as antidepressants, sleep aids, insect repellents and wound healing anti-inflammatory agents.
Essential oils offer inexpensive, effective treatments for many ailments, free from side-effects of over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Whether the very limited and overtly skeptical presentation of Aromatherapy in the mainstream media is driven by the big money involved with institutional medicine remains to be clarified. In the meantime, YOU have the ways and means to include essential oils in your own natural medicine program. There are a great many resources available to the lay-practitioner to determine which oils and how they can best be applied for the improvement of your own health and wellness. Let’s have a look at what the science of Aromatherapy is really about…
Aromatherapy is the branch of botanical (plant-based) medicine using a particular class of compounds – no more, no less. It just so happens these compounds smell exceptionally nice – does medicine have to be nasty to work? And do drugs made by high-tech means always result in the best of these medicines? This seems unreasonable, given the fact that a very high percentage of today’s modern ‘drugs’ are extracts of wild plants, though they have been encapsulated and manipulated so that ownership may be granted under patent law. This doesn’t mean a natural preparation of the plant can be any less effective! And what, physically, are essential oils? If you boil or send steam through plant matter, collect the steam and allow it to cool, an oil-like liquid will float atop the water. Essential oil. That’s it! The chemicals made by the plant that do not dissolve in water. Interestingly enough, this ‘lipophillic’ nature of essential oils makes them even more compatible and absorbable with our physiology than many other plant compounds. No reason to turn our backs on them as medicines, eh?
The dichotomy of deriding aromatherapy for it’s unfounded healing potentials and extolling its virtues as effective medicine is curious. Take the recent ‘proof’ of enteric-coated capsules of Peppermint essential oil being extremely effective in treating the sometimes debilitating symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS. IBS is a result of unchecked growth of ‘unfriendly’ bacterial in a weakened digestive system. Western medicine has been hard-pressed to find a safe and effective long-term treatment. Enter the steam distilled essential oil of whole peppermint herb – taken in capsules as to be well tolerated by those with sensitive stomachs, and to be released in the region of most effect – the intestines. The treatment has been widely accepted mostly due to it’s ‘proven’ efficacy in controlled studies. Peppermint has the wonderful result of eliminating the disease-causing microorganisms, while leaving the natural and healthy ‘bugs’ in the digestive system to do their job.
Another widely-published effect of a particular essential oil is that of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) for the treatment of oral and genital herpes. The herpes simplex virus, or HSV, is one that a patient is thought to have to live with for the rest of their lives once contracted. The virus remains dormant in the nervous system until times of stress reduce immune system function enough to allow recurrence of painful sores and legions. It’s not fun, nor is it considered ‘curable’ by the American medical establishment. However, in many university studies performed in Germany, Lemon Balm (as well as other combinations of essential oils containing the same ant-viral compounds) has been shown very effective at reducing the pain, duration, and frequency of outbreaks through topical application. One professor has even proclaimed that repeated use before and during outbreaks can lead to complete remission of the disease. Again, Aromatherapy to the rescue!
On the ’soft side’ of essential oil use, that of inhalation or massage-based ‘aroma’ therapy, it is important first to note that MANY health professionals consider stress to be the number one cause of all disease. The body, lead by the mind, becomes overburdened in a variety of ways which lead to breakdown of particular systems (immune, circulatory, etc). Time and time again, Lavender and other essential oils have been reported by patients, even in controlled studies, to reduce stress levels. As the understanding of the mind-body connection to health and well-being grows, the importance of stress reduction techniques in natural health programs is coming to the forefront. Inhalation of essential oils is but one possible technique, but a powerful one at that. Upon comparison to Valium – the most ubiquitous of anti-stress agents in the Western world, a headline in the Journal of Essential Oil Research proclaimed “Lavender beats benzodiazepines” for stress reduction. This is one commonly-used anti-stress oil; there are many, many others – some people don’t like Lavender, but the may like Neroli, Bergamot, Sweet Orange, or one of hundreds of other oils that may reduce stress and have ‘downstream’ effects of improved health and wellbeing.
Aromatherapy is certainly not a cure all, but like any medical specialty, should be used when appropriate by knowledgeable patients and practitioners. How do you learn to use Aromatherapy most effectively for yourself? Education is the way! There are many wonderful, well-written books on the subject of medicinal usage of essential oils; of particular note are those by Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt: Advanced Aromatherapy and Medical Aromatherapy; also Jane Buckle’s Clinical Aromatherapy, and any publication by Robert Tisserand. These books can open a whole new world of alternative health and wellness, giving you more options to control your health care decisions than ever before. If in need, find a qualified, degreed practitioner – and remember, always consult a medical professional for any serious injury or illness. In some cases, aromatherapy can be used to as an adjunct to other treatments – discuss this with your doctor. Finally, there’s little harm in simply getting started with essential oils – learn, buy yourself some nice oils, and have fun!
The author is proponent of the varied and potent healing actions of aromatherapy essential oils. For more, see http://www.anandaapothecary.com/essential-oils.html.
