Aromatherapy: It's far more than just the smell

Aromatherapy is a broad and expanding field that scientists are just beginning to explore.  The Essential Oils Desk Reference, 4th Edition puts the latest information into your hands, and gives you easily-accessible applications of therapeutic-grade essential oils that can change your life.

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Discover for yourself the amazing potential that aromatherapy has to offer in the Essential Oils Desk Reference, 4th Edition

Aromatherapy is more than you may think

You come home from work feeling like road kill.  So, you light your scented candle or slip into a fragrant bubble bath.  Maybe you do both: you lay back, close your eyes and listen to a little Mozart.  Or, you have a massage with an aromatic massage oil, with Pachelbel's Kanon in D caressing your soul.

Ah! aromatherapy.  What a great stress-buster.

But, is this all there is to aromatherapy?  It's not even close.

What's commonly viewed as aromatherapy emphasizes fragrancing — it is aromatherapy, after all.  It's primary goal is relaxation or stress reduction through the soothing effects of fragrance — and the emotional response it generates.

And, while it's true that aroma can reach deep down inside of us, and influence us in profound ways, true aromatherapy is far more than just the stress-busting effects of fragrancing.  It offers a holistic approach to natural healthcare and wellness through the powerful healing potential of the aromatic molecules found in therapeutic-grade essential oils.

Aromatherapy is so much more than just the smell.

So, what is aromatherapy, exactly?

In its most basic terms, aromatherapy is the infusion of aromatic molecules into the body systems through the application of therapeutic-grade essential oils, to affect a therapeutic result.  This can be accomplished either by direct inhalation, topical application of the oils or by ingestion.  For this reason, I prefer the term aromatics therapy.  This seems to convey the idea better.  (After all, the man who coined the term "aromatherapy" was a Frenchman.  Dr. René-Maurice Gattefossé called it "aromathérapie": the therapeutic use of aromatics.  His use of lavender oil had little to do with its fragrance, but everything to do with the medical properties of the oil's constituents.)

Three Models of Aromatherapy

There are three models — or schools of thought — in aromatherapy: French, German and English.

• The English model advocates diluting a tiny amount of essential oil in a vegetable oil base (usually at a 1-3% concentration), and massaging the body to produce a relaxing effect and relieve stress.
• The French model prescribes the ingestion of therapeutic-grade essential oils, commonly done by adding several drops of an oil to honey, a piece of bread, or a small amount of vegetable oil, and taking it orally.  It also relies on the neat (that is: undiluted) topical application of the oils.
• The German model focuses on the inhalation of essential oils, based on the belief that the effect of the oils' aromatic compounds on the brain may directly improve the function of many body systems.

One of the most informative video presentations I've seen on aromatherapy is the Science & Application of Essential Oils video.  On it, Gary Young talks about some of the properties of the oils, and gives a demonstration of different methods of application.  It's very practical and easy to follow.  I use the information from it every day; and it's changed my life.

Learn about the basic healing properties of essential oils and how to apply them most effectively for your own natural health and wellness on the Science & Application of Essential Oils video.

Together, these three models show how versatile and powerful aromatherapy, and the therapeutic use of essential oils, can be.  The genius of Young Living is the integration all three of these models, together with the Vita Flex Technique, the auricular technique and the RainDrop Technique, giving you the best possible results from your aromatherapy experience.

How does aromatherapy work?

The ability of essential oils to act on both the mind and the body makes them truly unique therapeutic agents.

Three qualities of the oils, working in harmony, give aromatherapy a wide array of unique health benefits: emotionally, physically and mentally.  Therapeutic-grade essential oils are powerful agents for natural health and wellness because of their:

• Fragrance, through which the power of the aromatic molecules is routed directly to the center parts of the brain, where they influence the release of hormones and neurotransmitters, boosting the immune system and balancing body systems.  Fragrance can have direct influence on your emotions and memory, as well, enabling aromatherapy to have a powerful positive influence on almost every aspect of your health.
• Chemistry and the activity of aromatic molecules on the cells of the body.  There are some 3,000 known chemical compounds in essential oils (a fairly simple oil may contain anywhere from 80 to 300 of these; and an essential oil like lavender is far more complex ), all of which have scientifically documented therapeutic actions.
• Frequency, something like the xi (or chi) of tai chi, xigong or acupuncture, which enables the oils to actually raise the energy levels of your body, to enhance immunity and promote a greater level of overall health.

And, while the general understanding of aromatherapy emphasizes only the fragrance of the oils, if your oils don't provide you with each of these, you're not getting all you can from your aromatherapy experience.

How to use your essential oils to their fullest advantage

Two of the most powerful aromatherapy application methods are cold-air diffusing and neat (or undiluted) topical application.

• Diffusing therapeutic-grade essential oils through a cold-air diffuser is a wonderful way to experience the powerful effects of essential oils.
• Direct application of neat essential oils to the skin has benefits that must be experienced to be believed.  It can be life-changing.

Two of the most effective methods for the direct application of essential oils are the RainDrop Technique and the Vita-Flex Technique.

Another method, closely related to diffusing, is direct inhalation.  Just place a few drops of a therapeutic-grade essential oil into the palm of one hand, rub your palms together clock-wise (which increases the frequency of the oil and helps to harmonize it with your body's energies), cup your hands over your nose and mouth and inhale deeply several times.  An alternate method is to apply oils to a handkerchief or tissue and inhale (think in terms of those French dandies in Louis' court).  Essential oils may also be dropped on your pillow at night to create a very pleasing — and therapeutic — sleeping environment.

Other ways to use essential oils:

• In humidifiers and vaporizers: Some essential oils, like lemon, peppermint and frankincense, work especially well for this.
• In the bath or shower: Young Living Essential Oils has a line of aromatic bath & shower gels or handmade aromatic bar soaps that are truly wonderful.  They also have a line of hair and skin care products, oral hygiene products and many other products incorporating therapeutic-grade essential oils to bring aromatherapy into the whole of life, including the Thieves^® line.  There is also a quality line of products just for kids, and another for your pets.
• As an alternative to synthetic fragrances: Essential oils are all-natural and have long-lasting, distinctive aromas that have never failed to bring appreciative smiles to the faces of those we've met.  And once you've used them for awhile, you'll never settle for toxic, allergy-inducing synthetic fragrances again.
• In compresses: Applying a compress over the oils produces a deep, soothing effect.  Simply rub a few drops of essential oil (either neat or diluted, depending on the essential oil used) onto the area to be treated, and cover with a damp towel, and cover that with a dry towel.  Leave this in place for 10 to 60 minutes.  The warmth of the towel, along with the moisture, drive the oils deep into the tissues.
• As dietary supplements: Many essential oils may be diluted in an oil-soluble liquid (such as rice milk, grade B maple syrup, honey or Agave nectar ) and taken orally.  (See the Essential Oils Desk Reference, 4th Edition or the Integrative Medical Guide for information on taking essential oils in capsules.  It's a truly powerful way to use therapeutic-grade essential oils.)
• In cooking: Essential oils can be used instead of herbs with the most wonderful results.  They are much more potent and flavorful than dried herbs, and can really make your pot roasts or hams will sit up and sing.  For best results, they should be added after — or near the end of — cooking to preserve their therapeutic benefits.
• In cleaning: Adding a few drops of lemon, peppermint, Melrose™ or Purification™ to your laundry, dishwasher or dishwater helps to disinfect and purify.  It also makes things smell great.  In the laundry, you can add a few drops to the wash water; but an even nicer effect is created by adding a few drops to a moist wash cloth and putting it in the dryer with wet clothes.

Essential oils as a boost to other healing modalities

Clinical research has demonstrated that aromatherapy has powerful beneficial effects when added to other natural healing modalities.  Research has shown that essential oils can magnify benefits by 2 to 10 times over results obtained from these modalities alone.  Essential oils can be used in conjunction with:

• Massage therapy: Essential oils can greatly enhance the relaxing and restorative effects of massage.  The oils aid in soothing stressed muscle and other soft tissues, improve circulation and promote lymph drainage.  (On a personal note: with my Fibromyalgia, massage never did me any good at all until I added the oils.  I still find the neat application of oils to be of considerably more benefit than the diluted application used in massage, but essential oils still increase the effectiveness of massage to a significant degree.)  Either add your favorite essential oil to a massage base oil, or use one of Young Living's aromatic massage oils.  Applying the oils neat, and layering a massage oil over that is also very effective.
• Reflexology: Adding essential oils, especially with the Vita-Flex Technique, can greatly enhance the effectiveness of this healing practice.  The frequency of the essential oils makes a perfect partnership with the energy of the reflexologist, to produce results that reflexology alone cannot achieve.
• Acupuncture: As with reflexology, essential oils are a natural enhancer of the effects of this healing modality.  It makes a wonderful alternative to the use of an electrical stimulation, used with acupuncture by so many chiropractors today.
• Chiropractic: One chiropractor, who uses essential oils in his practice, states that using certain essential oils makes adjusting 40% easier, and the results last 65% longer.  My personal experience is that, without essential oils, even with adjustments three times a week — for years — I always felt like I needed an adjustment.  Once I started using the oils, I've cut my chiropractic visits by more than 70%, and most of the time, I feel in alignment.  The difference has felt nearly miraculous.

As you can see, aromatherapy involves a lot more than scented candles to help you relax.  It's truly the missing link in health care.

My use of essential oils has enhanced every aspect of my life.  The FDA won't let me go into detail here, but I simply can't imagine my life without them.  They have literally re-defined for me the meaning of "health".  I've come to accept these aromatic miracles with great thankfulness; as treasured gifts from God.