What is Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being. Aromatherapy uses essential oils from plants to heal, alleviate pain and regulate mood. Aromatherapy can help ease a wide assortment of ailments; easing aches, pains, and injuries, while relieving the discomforts of many health problems. Aromatherapy works on our sense of smell and by absorption into the bloodstream. About 15 per cent of the air we inhale goes to the roof of the nose, where olfactory receptors transport odours straight to a part of the brain called the limbic system. Aromatherapy is one of the fastest growing fields in alternative medicine. 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 are also believed to be absorbed through the skin. There are around 150 essential oils used in aromatherapy, which are thought to have a number of benefits – including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and antidepressant properties.Essential oils are the highly concentrated, volatile, aromatic essences of plants. Essential oils may perform more than one function in living plants. In some cases they seem to be a part of the plant's immune system. In other cases they may simply be end products of metabolism. Essential oils can contain hundreds of organic constituents, including hormones, vitamins and other natural elements that work on many levels.

Patients with cancer, particularly in the palliative care setting, are increasingly using aromatherapy and massage. The different types of Aromatherapy are cosmetic, massage and olfactory. Cosmetic Aromatherapy joined essential oils with facial, skin, body and hair care products containing all natural ingredients. Massage Aromatherapy combines the healing touch of massage therapy with the aromatic benefits of essential oils. Olfactory Aromatherapy releases essential oils into the environment around you either by inhaling or diffusion. Aromatherapy can be used for treatments from acne (Rosemary and Geranium) and other skin problems such as eczema (Chamomile), dry, chapped (Rose, Lavender, neroli) , oily, insect bites, athletes' feet and other fungal infections.

Grapefruit essential oil is a pleasant and refreshing scent with a lot of health benefits. It must be cold-pressed, but when it's been properly prepared, grapefruit essential oil has the same bright, clean perfume as the peels of a fresh grapefruit. People with certain chronic illnesses or conditions should not use aromatherapy. These illnesses and conditions include skin allergies, lung conditions such as asthma and pregnant women should not use aromatherapy. Some oils (such as juniper, rosemary, and sage) may cause uterine contractions. The effects of aromatherapy tend to vary from person to person, and no two people will be affected by the same essential oil in exactly the same way. Even the same person can be affected differently by the same oil depending on their surroundings, time of day or mood.