Aromatherapy

A specific alternative method we researched about.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is defined as the use of aromatic essential oil to promote health and wellness of body, mind and emotions.

It’s Origins

It is believed that Aromatherapy originated in Egypt, around the 4,500 b.C. Aromatherapy was already used. It may be possible that the ancient Chinese civilizations were using some form of aromatics at the same time as the Egyptians. The use of aromatics in China was linked to other ancient therapies such as massage and acupressure.

Egyptians began to practice aromatherapy using the method of infusion to extract the oils from aromatic plants, which were used for their medicinal and cosmetic values as well as embalming. It is believed that Egyptians were the ones who later on built a distiller that allowed the extraction of essential oils. Hippocrates, the first Egyptian to dismiss the widespread belief that illness was caused by supernatural powers, is believed to have studied and documented more than 200 herbs.

It was later developed in India, Rome, and Greece. However, the term Aromatherapy was not used until 20th century, during the 1920’s by Réne-Maurice Gattefossé.
He was a chemist from France, who got intrigued with the use of essential oils for medicinal purposes. One day, the chemist burnt his hand by accident and plunged his arm into the nearest liquid, which was lavender essential oil. It helped him heal faster and without any scar. So he came with the idea of essential oils as antibiotic and antiseptic tools. He is credited for bringing the medicinal uses of essential oils back into focus and also for coining the term “Aromatherapy”.

How Aromatherapy Works

It works by synergistically using the properties of the chemicals in the essential oil for their correct application, which gives each essential oil its characteristic smell.

The essential oils also have different effects on the psychological and spiritual self. They help in curing the mind, body soul thus making it a holistic form of healing.

Aromatherapy works by invoking flavorings memories. The fact that a fragrance has the power to generate an emotional reaction confirms that aromatherapy has the ability to influence or affect our system. Memories carry some emotion allowing us to “relive the memories.” This causes brain through our memory to recreate the emotion related and allow us to remember what was already lived.

The therapy works in two ways: Inhalation and skin absorption. Inhalation: Is through the olfactory nerve, from where they diffuse across tiny air sacs (alveoli) into the surrounding blood capillaries and eventually find their way into the systemic circulation from where they exert their therapeutic effect. Skin absorption: the skin is a two way street capable of both absorption and excretion.

It is all processed by the olfactory system: When we smell something, the tiny particles go straight to the upper part of the nose, where they registered the information received by the cilius, and transmitted to the brain.

The Brain is an important factor because the information the cilius received sends electromagnetic messages to specific brain sections. This action triggers the production and liberation of certain neurochemicals.

Essential oils are the main ingredient for Aromatherapy. They are extractions from plant. They can be taken from the leaves, roots and stems as well as flowers, fruit and trunks. Essential oil is what gives plants their characteristic odor. To get a small amount of essential oil requires much plant material. More or less, on a scale of 1 to 10 tons to obtain a liter. Therefore we can deduce that they are concentrated, and because of this concentration, only a few drops are enough to achieve the desired effect.

The Oils are extracted several ways:

• Steam distillation: oil released through evaporation and condensation is collected during.
• Cold extraction: this system is more common in citrus. To extract the oil fruit press and then subjected to a centrifuge, where it is easier to take.
• Effleurage: It is about putting grease on glass, put a layer of flowers and then cover glass to seal conn. The goal is that the fragrance concentrates in the fat and the longer you leave and repeat better becomes the quality of the oil.

Carrier Oils

This type of oils allows the topic application of the essential oils, which are really concentrated. Carrier oil is an odorless vegetal oil, like olive or sunflower seed oil.

The most common carrier oils are:

-Almond oil

-Olive oil

-Grape seed oil

-Sunflower seed oil

There are various ways of applying Aromatherapy.

Massage: it is a primary factor for aromatherapy.

Take a bath: you can apply aromatherapy while take a shower or a bath with hot water.

Sauna: adding some drops to the vaporized water will have great results.

Inhalation: is the most common and simple way to use aromatherapy. Yuo just have to inhale the essencial oil.

Diffusion: involves electronic devises specially designed to this task.

Humidifiers: just put some drops in a little plate and heat it slowly, a candle will do,this will work both as a vaporizer and a humudifier.

Environmental sprays: dilute a few drops in water makes it much easier to use, you only need a stir at the time.

Perfume: you use essential oils as a normal perfume.

This Table shows the most important and common essential oils and their functions within the therapy.

Essential oil	Best mix	Precaution	Physical function	Emotional function
Chamomille	Citrus, lavander, genium	Is not recomendable to use it frecuently in the eyes.	analgesicantiallergicantiinflammatorybactericide, etc.	calming and sedative
Melisa	Lavander, citrus and flowers		antispasmodicantihistaminebactericideinsect repellent	antidepressantsedative
Mint	Lavander, citrus, eucalyptus		antisepticantiviralastringentexpectorant decongestant	stimulating and energizing
Lemon	Citrus, ylang ylang, cinnamon	Once its applied, never exposed to the  sun.	Both chamomille and melisa functions plus antimicrobialcicatrizant	refreshing
Lavander	All, but specially citrus and flowers		Analgesic, antiinflamatory, antiseptic and  antispasmodic.	Calming, sedative, balancing, antidepresive
Geranium	Lavander, juniper, jasmine	It first has to be tested on sensible skin.	Antiinflamatory, antiseptic, astringent, fungicide and coagulant	Minti functions and balancing
Cinnamon	Citrus, ylang ylang	Provoques irritation if it’s applied directly to the skin.	AstrngentAntimicrobial and antispasmodic	Stimulating and aphrodisiac

Now , in this  picture we can see on which parts of the body some essential oils that are on the last table can be used.

Some examples of treatments

Just Oils: aprox. 540 pesos

Young Living Oils: between 200 and 1,000 pesos

Some therapies are between 250  up to 950 or 1000 pesos (depends)

Testimonials

Some of our teammates are a living testimonial of how the therapy has aided them.

Marion’s testimonial is that when she get’s the flu instead of taking meds she cures herself with thymus, when she can’t sleep she smells a little bit of peppermint, and she has more examples for when she has a headache or when she is really stressed. Also her dad is really into Aromatherapy so she lives surrounded by aromatherapy and it’s application, and she herself is a proof that it works.

Fernanda has an aunt that knows about Aromatherapy, and uses it in her daily life, and also goes therapies once in a while, and she told us how she implies the therapy to make herself feel better and healthier.

Karla has also tried it once, an aromatherapy therapy, and she affirms it worked for her to get out of her sickness faster.

We have all tried inhaled some essential oils when we were investigating for this project and we can all say that we agree on the fact that Aromatherapy has an effect on our bodies.

Fernanda has a testimonial that has to do with how smells, memory, and emotions are connected. To give a testimonial of that theory there was this time she had a bad experience with lavender. Now every time she smells lavender her memory brings back the emotions registered that day and instantly her brain associates the smell with the bad feeling it created her that day; so basically she can smell lavender anymore without feeling queasy.

We thought of using our own testimonials as examples because we have proved them, unlike maybe we cannot know if what some webpages say. Anyways, we also saw many affirmative comments on plenty Aromatherapy official WebPages, and others not that official, but that use the therapy as well.

One last testimony is Marion’s family, her parents are very involved with Aromatherapy and have quite the knowledge about the therapy, and so they are true testimonials of how the therapy has influenced them. Her family also knows an experienced friend who practices Aromatherapy, and she affirms that it has positive effects on her patients.

Benefits

The therapy has many main benefits like mentioned on the table where we said which essential oil specific benefits where. In addition to those there are some others. Like how the mere smell of these plants essential oils can make us feel better both physically and mentally and they can help you deal with the stress and tension and some medicinal properties.

The essential oils possess anti bacterial properties that help in faster healing of skin disorders. Blood circulation is enhanced and lymph drainage is stimulated during aromatherapy thus boosting the removal of residual toxins in the body. Energy and stamina is enhanced when muscular fatigue is relieved. Aromatherapy is also believed to positively alter labor experiences among pregnant women.

Our Questions

So we still have some unanswered questions about the therapy,  that we now have to dig deeper for.

• Can Aromatherapy induce side effects?
• Should anyone avoid aromatherapy?
• If we decide to take it to Mars, how much can aromatherapy actually cover?
• Since tons of plants to obtain the essential oils, would it be effective and practical method to take to Mars, is there an alternative to make it work, or would it simply just be inefficient?

Those are were doubts so far, then we had a long interview with Ana, an specialist on many alternative methods. These are a couple of her answers.

With Ana Gonzales Boltà

Alternative therapist certified in Spain

We had the opportunity of having an interview with Ana Gonzales Boltà who is a therapist on Alternative Medicine. We had a long talk and discussed all our doubts about Aromatherapy, which she answered thoroughly.

• Can Aromatherapy induce side effects?

Yes, Aromatherapy can induce side effects in some particular cases depending on the patient.

 

 

• Should anyone avoid aromatherapy?

There are specific cases. For obvious reason evade if you are allergic to any of the essential oils. Pregnant women should avoid Ruta, because in the first months of pregnancy it can be abortive. It is a plant that affects the genital system of women, so for pregnant women it accelerates labor, with consequences of course. Oregano helps regulating menstruation but is also abortive.  Other case is in children, you can’t apply on their skin very strong oils because it causes strong irritation on their skins. Also if you have asthma problems or specific health problems, or allergies, you should avoid it.

• Can you mention some benefits of Aromatherapy?
  • Relaxing
  • Evoking pleasant sensations
  • Producing chemicals and hormones for specific tasks
  • Immediate response
  • Increases healing process
  • Reducing inflammation
  • Strengthen Immune System
  • Get rid of an infection
  • Quick release of a flu

 

 

• How can you know, as a therapist that Aromatherapy works?

By creating an ambiance with aromas (incense) for purposes of the patient. I can validate by an evident study of the consequences of the application. The way they react, and the way I analyze them lets me know a lot. I also consider that it is also somewhat psychological, since I can’t cure a person that doesn’t want to be cured.  And other from that I see results from the session after session we have, that’s the way I can be sure that the therapy is working.

 

• Can you describe the diagnose and treatment that your patients undergo on your sessions? Aromatherapy is curing with aroma. So that’s what I do. I apply Aromatherapy into my sessions. First I analyze and study the patient. I ask them questions which are designed for them not to realize they are being analyzed, but that permits me to gain knowledge about them. These questions can be through aromas, flavors, symptoms, and I do a mental diagnose. I also study them physically, if they look pale, tired, their scent, and their actions and reactions. I study them overall, and from there I talk to the patient about what’s going on and I tell them what we are going to do, and then I can tell them the therapy we are going to follow or it also happens that I have to tell them I can’t help them because the solution to their problem is not within my reach. With this study I also chose the essential oils that would do good to the person. I make my own oils to work, so I can mix them the way I know that will be best for the patient, and that’s what I use in the therapy.

 

• If we decide to take it to Mars, how much can aromatherapy actually cover?

It can be a great therapy, but can only apply as a supportive therapy. Aromatherapy is a really good source, but it won’t be useful in every case.

• Would it be effective and practical method to take to Mars?

From my years of experience I can tell you that the best way to work is the one that is least expensive, it is more about the will you put into your work as a therapist and the credibility that the patient has about you. You can prepare the essential oils by yourself from the plants, when they flourish; you mix them with olive oil (cold pressured, not very shredded or crushed so it doesn’t loses its properties), you cut the flower and leave them in maceration, so instead of taking the commercial essential oils you just take your homemade oil and have both, aromatherapy oil and massage oil.

 

(Here we thought that we could also take the plants to Mars my micropropagation of the most essential plants in aromatherapy and then apply the method she told us she uses for her sessions).

 

 

• Aromatherapy on Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cancer, how much can they help?

Well, for me honestly, Aromatherapy is a therapy that helps other therapies. There are many factors of these diseases. It won’t cure them, but it will help. You can decrease your blood pressure, and feel relaxed to prevent them but that’s it. And of course, it would work only if the patient wants it to work.

On our talk with Ana and adding all the information we already had we can conclude that the session can be that a specialist recommends you an essential oil to treat specific disturbances. In some places they give you massages as in Spa’s but that’s not specifically Aromatherapy, they use Aromatherapy, but the method itself is the use of the essential oils for your better health.

Ana also was a testimony when she told us about all her pleased patients, for whom the essential oils she recommends have positive results, and we have also tried them and can definitely say it works. As Ana said, it doesn’t work for al cases, but for other simple ones it does wonders without having to recur to pharmaceutical drugs.

Conclusion

To maintain health we should create a well-designed environment, with the proper technology and tools to delay the disorders or symptoms of the diseases based on our genetics. The most important factor is to create an environment properly designed to evoke peaceful and calmed sensation, giving the body a well maintained health status. Obviously, to maintain the body in balance and well health conditions we should exam the given circumstances in Mars, and how, depending on the human or the genetic predisposition, they can affect us, and therefore, create a rigorous structure of feeding, exercise and prevention. Going to Mars is really difficult and, therefore you cannot take a lot of things there, so in our opinion the best way of prevention is changing the paradigm that causes or can cause any disease. And then we can start with the regular types of prevention, such as exercise, well environment, feeding, etc. But the main cause of our diseases is, without a doubt, the not-appropriate mental configuration. Once you correct that, everything starts to work properly.

 

 

In our interview with an alternative medicine expert

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