Aromatherapy means "treatment using scents". It is a holistic treatment of caring for the body with pleasant smelling botanical oils such as rose, lemon, lavender and peppermint. The essential oils are added to the bath or massaged into the skin, inhaled directly or diffused to scent an entire room.
Aromatherapy is used for the relief of pain, care for the skin, alleviate tension and fatigue and invigorate the entire body. Essential oils can affect the mood, alleviate fatigue, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. When inhaled, they work on the brain and nervous system through stimulation of the olfactory nerves.
Essential oils stimulates the powerful sense of smell. It is known that odors we smell have a significant impact on how we feel. In dealing with patients who have lost the sense of smell, doctors have found that a life without fragrance can lead to high incidence of psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression. We have the capability to distinguish 10,000 different smells.
It is believed that smells enter through cilia (the fine hairs lining the nose) to the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls our moods, emotions, memory and learning. Studies with brain wave frequency has shown that smelling lavender increases alpha waves in the back of the head, which are associated with relaxation.
Fragrance of Jasmine increases beta waves in the front of the head, which are associated with a more alert state. Scientific studies have also shown that essential oils contain chemical components that can exert specific effects on the mind and body. Their chemistry is complex, but generally includes alcohols, esters, ketones, aldehydes, and terpenes.
The effect of these chemical components are summarized in the accompanying table.Acupressure Origins: The ancient Chinese developed a system to cure specific ailments. This resulted in a form of rejuvenation through self-massage. Eventually, the Chinese evolved a system of diagnosis and treatment for a more complete medical approach.
Combining centuries of observation and experimentation, with energy theory and points, this developed into theories involving acupressure, acupuncure, omoxibustion (using heat on acupunture points), and herbology. The meeting of Chinese medicine with Japanese medicine resulted in certain techniques from which Shiatsu emerged. Shiatsu, a rhythmic series of finger pressure over the entire body along the energetic meridians, also includes stretching and tapping.
From the early 1900's these techniques developed further. From Jin shin Jyutsu to Jitsu. Then Jin Shin Do, they were incorporated and used in the West more and more. Today these have blossomed into several individualised forms, some of which have been trademarked. The purpose of Acupressure is to stimulate the body's own recuperative powers by stimulating the various points on the body or musculature.
The stimulation removes energy blockages by diffusing the toxic build up that accumulates in the muscle tissue. This accumulation causes stiffness throughout the body. Stiffness in the muscles puts abnormal pressure on nerves, and blood and lymph vessels that in turn affect both skeletal systems and internal organ functioning. By holding and working sore points, muscle flexibility can be restored.
According to the Chinese system of medicine, there are specific pathways of energy that circulate through the body. These pathways, called meridians are like the body's energy highway system. Most people are considered healthy when these pathways are open and energy flows unhindered. In the case of these pathways being blocked, proper application of finger pressure can loosen muscular tension, send the blood circulating, and stimulate or balance the flow of energy.