Aromatherapy + Essential Oils
True Aromatherapy is a holistic health modality that utilizes therapeutic plant extracts called essential oils to evoke the body’s own intrinsic healing power. Essential oils support the body in achieving what it does naturally – seeking homeostasis and balance. Aromatherapy health is a vastly different concept than the current commercial idea of “recreational” aromatherapy comprised of scented candles, bubble bath, perfume oils, fragrance plug-ins, etc.
Surprisingly, Aromatherapy is not chiefly about aroma, but rather the processes that occur in the body after its application. Using extracts of aromatic medicinal plants called essential oils Aromatherapy facilitates the body’s own healing power at the cellular level allowing the body’s systems to balance, repair and restore health. Research has established that essential oils are highly unique substances and that they may address some of the unmet challenges of today’s healthcare. Scientific studies confirm that aromatherapy oils may calm, energize, balance, rejuvenate, repair, and purify the mind and body. Other aromatherapy health benefits include reducing pain and inflammation, easing stress, boosting the immune system, acting as quick intervention for colds and flu, combating mold and airborne germs and neutralizing toxins. In addition, studies confirm that essential oils actually discriminate between normal and abnormal cells (such as cancer cells). What does this mean? It means that essential oils can be a lethal weapon for abnormal cells and pathogens, but harmless (and actually beneficial) to normal cells and tissues. Amazing!!! Aromatherapy offers fantastic options for our health care!
We have just recently recognized the true effects of Aromatherapy here in the States and its use is growing rapidly. Dr. Andrew Weil, the “king” of integrative medicine, says Aromatherapy is “the most exciting of all the complementary healthcare modalities”. But in Europe and Australia, Aromatherapy health practices have been accepted as part of customary healthcare for decades, both preventive and curative. There, essential oils are used not only to maintain health but also to correct serious medical problems. Aromatherapy protocols have saved lives when all other conventional medical practices failed.
There are several application methods in which essential oils may be used in Aromatherapy. The three basic methods are: inhalation, topical applications of diluted essential oils and internal methods. Depending on your personal needs and objectives, these three methods may be combined and used together for optimum aromatherapy health. All approaches are practical and straightforward, but guidance from a clinically trained aromatherapist like myself is highly recommended for internal methods of use.
There are a myriad of ways to take charge of your own health with the holistic system of Aromatherapy. Unfortunately, however, many of the essential oils widely sold today are not appropriate for health care. Many are not derived from medicinal plants at all, but are artificial substances synthesized in a laboratory without healing properties. Even “natural” and “genuine” essential oils are commonly adulterated. To fully experience the effects of Aromatherapy, I suggest you step into the arena of Aromatherapy by first educating yourself. Schedule an Aromatherapy consultation or attend/host an Essential Oils Class with me. Working with a professional Aromatherapist is the fast track to learning and reaping the rewards of essential oils. I can teach you which oils suit your individual needs most appropriately and provide you with high quality therapeutic grade oils. I can also identify contraindications and provide accurate safety guidelines for best use and benefit. Not only can you learn to address common or chronic complaints that you may already be treating at home, you may also learn methods to provide additional support for serious illnesses. Aromatherapy protocols with essential oils can be a very powerful adjunct to conventional medical treatments.
Now is the perfect time to become more open and aware of our healthcare options, including our mental health and wellbeing. Let’s admit it, Western allopathic medicine does not hold all of the solutions to our health and happiness. Medical mistakes are responsible for thousands of deaths in this country annually. Prescription drugs as well as over-the-counter drugs are riddled with side effects which can cause organ damage and/or claim lives even when used as directed. It’s actually unfair and unrealistic to expect our doctors to have all of the answers. We must take a greater role in our own welfare, educate ourselves and utilize of a combination of therapies for best effect.
So consider this – after 6,000 years of proven use, Aromatherapy may be more viable and valuable than ever as we face challenges without many affirmative, all-around allopathic answers. Aromatherapy addresses a multitude of issues within a completely natural, drug-free, holistic context. And when used as directed, there are no negative side effects.
I feel aromatherapy is the key to a fulfilling future. Its versatility is unlike anything else. It may affect your skin, your hair, your muscles, joints, respiratory system, nervous system, digestion and circulation. It can also improve your emotional state, focus and concentration, and more. The effects of aromatherapy are numerous. No other modality influences body, mind and spirit as completely as aromatherapy. No other therapeutic practice affects us so profoundly on every level of our humanity. For deep transformation and healing, aromatherapy holds a unique place in the field of medicine and integrative healthcare.
Herbalism
Herbalism is use of plants for medicinal purposes and the study of such use. Plants have been the basis for medical treatments through much of human history and such traditional medicine is still widely practiced today. Herbal medicine, also known as herbalism or botanical medicine, is a medical system based on the use of plants or plant extracts that may be eaten or applied to the skin. Since ancient times herbal medicine has been used by many different cultures throughout the world to treat illness and to assist bodily functions.
Plants have been used for medicinal purposes long before recorded history. Ancient Chinese and Egyptian papyrus writings describe medicinal uses for plants as early as 3,000 BC. Some indigenous cultures used herbs in their healing rituals while others developed traditional medical systems (such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine) in which herbal therapies were used. Researchers found that people in different parts of the world tended to use the same or similar plants for the same purposes.
In the early 19th century, when chemical analysis first became available, scientists began to extract and modify the active ingredients from plants. Later, chemists began making their own version of plant compounds and, over time, the use of herbal medicines declined in favor of drugs. Almost one fourth of pharmaceutical drugs are derived from botanicals.
Recently, the World Health Organization estimated that 80% of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for some part of their primary health care. In Germany, about 600 to 700 plant based medicines are available and are prescribed by some 70% of German physicians. In the past 20 years in the United States, public dissatisfaction with the cost of prescription medications, combined with an interest in returning to natural or organic remedies, has led to an increase in herbal medicine use.
Reiki
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s life force energy is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
How it Works
There are several types of Reiki techniques and all pair wonderfully into a holistic program or as stand-alone treatments for healing. Reiki is so wonderful and intuitive, because it activates the natural healing processes of the patient’s body to restore physical and emotional well-being. As a vital, high-vibrancy healing energy, Reiki is safe, effective & gentle to use on people of all ages, and with all medical conditions. In general, the way I like to describe Reiki is as a powerful energy healing modality, much like acupuncture, without the needles.
The word Reiki literally means Universal Energy. It is this energy we tap into that is used to heal and it’s administered via a hands-on approach or through distance healing. They are both equally as effective. Reiki is an intelligent energy that purifies and cleanses the chakras & energetic aura working on the body in areas where it is needed most.
When looking at the human condition which leads to illness, disease lines start in the energy field and move inwards. The physical body usually has problems because the life force energy has stopped flowing properly. Whether we are stressed, ill, grieving or holding onto something, we all have a natural tendency to stick this feeling or stressor into our bodies and we store them in all sorts of spots. By stimulating your own body (life force) energy to flow properly, the natural ability of the body to heal itself functions again.
In short, Reiki works on different levels of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual enhancing everything in life. It is not only one of the oldest healing systems in use; it is also one of the most versatile.
What Can I expect?
The Universal Energy works on your body within your own energy field and isn’t bound to any religion or dogma. It simply requires those receiving the treatment to be open and accepting of the loving, gentle energy. While you lay fully clothed & relaxed on a massage table my hands are placed at different points of the body. Many people say they can feel the effects within 5-15 minutes of starting the treatment session and the effects can last up to a few days. For deeper or more intense energy blockages within your personal system more sessions are beneficial (at least 2 or 3 within a few weeks time period). You should drink plenty of water after any Reiki session, much like a massage, the energy moving through your system is purifying toxins and therefore you will need to flush them out & hydrate yourself for optimal results.
Benefits
- Restore physical and emotional well-being by establishing balance of mind & body
- Stress & inflammation reduction
- Induce relaxation & clear emotional blockages
- Mental clarity, inner peace & harmony (which aids in spiritual growth)
- Speeds up recovery from surgery or long-term illness
- Helps alleviate mood swings, fear, frustration, depression and anger
- Aids in adjusting to medicine/treatment, also tends to reduce side-effects. For example, Chemo-therapy patients who received Reiki noticed a marked decrease in side effects from treatment. Reiki can be an effective way to treat immediate problems, such as physical or mental illness (recovery from surgery), but regular treatments can also improve overall health. By helping to maintain a state of physical and emotional balance, Reiki can not only treat problems, but perhaps even prevent them from ever developing.
- Strengthens and heals personal relationships. Because Reiki enhances your capability to love, it can open you up to the people around you and help your relationships grow. By improving your capacity for empathy, Reiki allows you to connect with people on a deeper level.
Reiki vs. Western Medicine
After decades of often disputed validity, the effectiveness of Reiki as a holistic energy treatment is gaining new respect within the medical community. Not only are highly reputable medical facilities throughout the U.S. offering patients alternative healing programs such as Reiki, those facilities are analyzing the benefits of their programs and are submitting them for review and compilation. The results of these Reiki research studies are nothing short of remarkable.
Did you know Reiki is now being adopted by hospitals all over the country? UCLA now has an entire program dedicated to Reiki. With validation and legitimacy on the rise it seems like Reiki is here to stay which is very exciting news for our generation and for generations to come. As Reiki continues to become “a huge asset” for the hospital setting, analytical reporting such as The Touchstone Process (a way of measuring demonstrationable outcomes of the Reiki process) continues to add to the much needed pool of evidence that Reiki is indeed a worthy, effective method for facilitating the healing process; one that can contribute to the betterment of patients everywhere and to the betterment of our health care systems on the whole.
Chakra Balancing + Healing
The word chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit, a sacred and holy language of Hinduism and Buddhism. Chakra is pronounced shock + ra. The first writings about the chakras are dated at approximately 1000 B.C., and their origins are based strongly within Hinduism, but the concepts of chakras and energy centers is also fundamental within the Ayurvedic concepts of prana and the Chinese practice of qi.
It is believed that we each have seven primary chakras and 21 lesser chakras are thought to also exist. Chakras are also sometimes referred to as energy centers or vortices. Each chakra is thought to resemble a colored wheel that spins in a clockwise direction, and the chakras are thought to each spin at a different rate or frequency.
Chakras are invisible to the naked eye and interconnect our physical and spiritual selves. Each of the seven chakras is tied directly to a specific region and nerve center of the body. It is believed that each of the chakras absorbs and filters the energy that we emit through our thoughts and actions as well as through the thoughts and actions of all those that we come into contact with. When one of the chakras is out of balance as a result of negative energy flowing through it, it begins to spin too slowly or too fast. When a chakra is not balanced, it can effect that physical region of the body and also effect very specific aspects of our spiritual and emotional selves.
Even if you question whether the chakras truly exist, the underlying principles of the chakras can still play a special part during prayer, meditation or when trying to improve your physical, spiritual or emotional outlook. By using the principles of the chakras to help me examine where my body and emotions are out of balance, I can focus my thoughts and use of essential oils to seek specific help and guidance of the universe or higher being – and I can play a more active role myself in directly focusing my intent on trying to balance the areas of my body and life that need it.
The Seven Primary Chakras
The Root Chakra centers upon our core needs for survival, security and livelihood. When the Root Chakra is unbalanced, you will feel ungrounded, confused and lack the ability to move forward. Without a balanced Root Chakra, it is impossible to fully balance the other chakras.
The Sacral Chakra influences personal creativity ranging from artistic expression to creative problem solving. Healthy sexual desire and expression is also controlled by the Sacral Chakra, though communicating sexual desires is also directly affected by the Throat Chakra.
The Solar Plexus Chakra strongly influences your identity and sense of self worth. Imbalances can take on polar opposites ranging from low self-esteem all the way to arrogant, selfish behavior.
The Heart Chakra strongly influences the ability to give and receive love in a healthy way. The Heart Chakra also influences our ability to cope with the sadness of betrayals of a loved one or losing a loved one due to breakup, abandonment or death
The Throat Chakra strongly influences our ability to effectively communicate our thoughts, opinions, desires and feelings – and just as importantly, our ability to hear, listen and understand those in our daily lives. The Throat Chakra not only influences what we hear and say through verbal communication, but it also influences body language and written communication methods.
The Third Eye Chakra influences the areas of our mind that control our common sense, wisdom, intelligence, memory retention, dreams, spirituality and intuition.
The Crown Chakra influences our deeper understanding of ourselves beyond the physical or material.