Aromatherapy
is the systematic use of volatile plant oils known as essential oils
for the treatment or prevention of disease. It is a form of complementary
therapy designed to treat the whole person and not just the symptom
or disease by assisting the body's natural ability to balance, regulate,
heal and maintain itself.
Essential oils consist of tiny aromatic molecules
that are readily absorbed via the skin, and whilst breathing they enter
the lungs. These therapeutic constituents next enter the bloodstream
and are carried around the body where they can deliver their beneficial
healing powers. Because they are highly concentrated, only a small quantity
of essential oil is required to bring about results.
Today, aromatherapy is one of the most popular
of all complementary therapies, offering a wide range of highly effective
treatments to both the acute and chronic stages of illness and disease.
At the same time, regular use of aromatherapy treatments and home-use
products can help to strengthen the immune system, thereby establishing
a preventative approach to overall health.
One of the reasons that aromatherapy has been
so hugely successful is because it uses a holistic approach, whereby
the aromatherapist takes into account a persons medical history, emotional
condition, general health and lifestyle before planning a course of
treatment. The whole person is treated - not just the symptoms of an
illness - and this is in direct opposition to the modern trend of just
treating the presented condition.
Backache, irritable bowel syndrome or headaches,
for example, are often the result of stress and not actually a physical
problem. Therefore no amount of pill-popping is really going to provide
a long term solution since it only masks the symptoms without addressing
the problems. By looking at the causes of the stress and providing treatments
to ease and manage it, the aromatherapist will alleviate the condition
in a much more efficient manner.
It
has long been known that stress accounts for a staggering amount of
illness in modern society, and aromatherapy offers one of the finest
ways of combating the ravages of stress without having to resort to
drugs which can be habit forming and damaging to your health. This is
yet another reason that aromatherapists believe taking a holistic approach
with aromatherapy promotes positive physical and mental balance.
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