Educate your Senses

Recipes for Winter Stress

Last week on my radio show, Aromatherapist On-Call, I talked about essential oils that had
great calming qualities. I will list the oils that were discussed and I encourage you to research these oils more. Botanical is a good source for more facts.

Calming Essential Oils
- Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
- Clary sage (Salvia sclarea)
- Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
- Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
- Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)
- Rose (Rosa spp.)
- Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
- Sandalwood (Santalum album)
- Vetiver (Vetiveria zizaniodes)
- Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata)


I also said that I would post the recipes that I talked about. These recipes are for your bath, if you do not take baths, you can use the essential oils in these recipes with 2oz. of carrier oil such as grapeseed oil, sweet almond or olive oil to make a lovely moisturizer for your skin after your shower.

Stress-Relieve 
Lavender, clary sage and sandalwood make a deeply relaxing aromatherapy bath.

- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- 3 drops sandalwood essential oil
- 2 drops clary sage essential oil

Add essential oils to the bath water after the tub has filled and mix the oils into the water with your hand. (I would add about 4-5 tbsp. of Epsom and dead sea salt to the bath.) Remember to use intention and visualization as you are releasing your stress into the water, watching it go down the drain.

Restorative 
Frankincense, lavender and rose geranium help restore a sense of balance.

- 1/8 cup Epsom salts
- 1/8 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 5 drops frankincense essential oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drops rose geranium essential oil

Combine the Epsom salts, sea salt and baking soda into a glass bowl. Add essential oils, mix well.  To use, fill the bathtub with warm water and add bath salts after the tub has filled. Mix the salts into the water to dissolve.

Sweet Dreams 
Try this bath just before bed to ensure a restful night's sleep. Lavender, vetiver, clary sage and ylang ylang have deeply relaxing effects on the body and mind.

- 1/4 cup Epsom salts
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drops vetiver essential oil
- 5 drops clary sage essential oil
- 2 drops ylang ylang essential oil

Combine Epsom salts and baking soda into a glass bowl. Add essential oils, mix well. To use, fill the bathtub with warm water and add bath salts after the tub has filled. Mix the salts into the water to dissolve.

In all of these recipes, you can make batches and store them in nonporous sealed containers for future use. If you want to use the Sweet Dreams recipe for a child, cut the essential oils in half.

There are great essential oil bath salts available at Aroma Pharmica.

The Essence of Health and Healing with Aromatherapy

If good things come in small packages, then aromatherapy is Mother Nature’s greatest gift to one’s health.

Aromatherapy is the ancient healing art of using essential oils, which are highly concentrated aromatic extracts from plants and flowers. These oils all contain unique healing properties that can both prevent and cure an array of health problems. Some oils possess properties that fight infection and inflammation. Some oils can relax sedate, invigorate, enhance memory, ease pain, balance the four energy bodies and rejuvenate. Aromatherapy is one the most popular treatments worldwide in clinics and spas throughout Europe. Aromatherapy also refers to the medical practice of using essential oils in some countries.

In our hustle and bustle world, often we forget to nurture ourselves as we are so busy making sure everyone else is taken care of. Aromatherapy is one way to experience self care and wellness on many levels at once. Essential oils are so powerful that one or two drops are all that is needed to perform healing actions. These oils are so potent that one drop of peppermint essential oil equals thirty cups of herbal tea in terms of concentration. Not only have essential oils been shown to improve mental health and well-being, but they are also a great way to invite serenity into one’s home and keep each room smelling heavenly.

The following are creative ways to use essential oils: to bring peace, relaxation, and simplicity into one’s space.

• Put a few drops of essential oil in the bag or filter of a vacuum cleaner. This will fill the room with aroma while cleaning. This instantly changes the energy of a room and the people in the room too.
• Put 3-6 drops of essential oil on a handful of cotton balls and place them throughout one’s closet shelves. Next time one reaches for new sheets or towels, a waft of the heavenly scent will be present. Do the same thing to one’s dresser drawers, desk drawers, etc.
• Add a few drops of essential oil to water in a spray bottle to freshen up one’s linen or spray on clothing before ironing. (Don’t use dark oils on white clothes, I learned the hard way, smelled great though!)
• To clean one’s fridge, put a few drops of orange, mandarin, mint, lavender, or lemon oil in a spray bottle of water. Not only will it disinfect and clean the fridge, but it will leave a wonderful scent when done.
• Simmer a few drops of Cinnamon and Nutmeg essential oils and other spice to create a warm and delicious scent in one’s kitchen. OR make a pot of incredible air freshener by adding cinnamon sticks, cloves and sliced lemon to water and simmer on the stove. This eliminates any odor in the kitchen.
• Take 30 minutes to relax in a sensuous bath infused with 5 drops rosemary oil, 4 drops lemon oil and 4 drops clary sage oil. It is believed that Rosemary will stimulate one’s thinking process, lemon will refresh, and clary sage promotes an all-over feeling of well-being.

These are a few quick and easy ways to enhance one’s mental and emotional health through aromatherapy, but one should consult a trained Aromatherapist who can read the chemical composition of an essential oil profile and make an educated decision about the safety of an essential oil before delving into this healing modality.

Heather A. Howell is a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist and owner/formulator of Aroma Pharmica, an organic skincare company and custom blend practice in Charleston, SC. Her life revolves around her 3 incredible children, nature and holistic healing. Aroma Pharmica is located in Charleston, SC. Contact Heather at 843.330.5941 On-line at http//:www.aroma-pharmica.com

Integrative Wellness with Aromatherapy

I am here today to tell you about essential oils and how for hundreds of years, they have been used successfully for healing and deserve serious consideration as a current therapeutic option.

Briefly, the stance of aromatherapy as an alternative medicine in the present social and cultural landscape can be applied as a self care method, returning the power to the patient, lessening the dependency on the authority of the medical establishment.

With a population growing impatient with the expense and complexity of managed health care - it is time to return medicine to our communities.  The warlike fighting of disease is an expression of masculinity along with the creation of the "health care" system of the last 50+ years. Let's explore the realms of creatively solving problems of life through the feminine; our first mother - Earth.

God has laid before us a plethora of healing plants. In the garden of Eden, he provided absolutely everything we will ever need to keep ourselves well. To maintain harmony with nature and to prevent illness, we can take that first step by boosting our immune systems with essential oils.  These are the life blood of a plant and within each drop of essential oil are tiny molecules that can penetrate into every cell, administering healing therapy at the most fundamental levels of our bodies.

The medicines manufactured by man cannot compare with the healing capabilities of essential oils. Man-made pharmaceuticals lack the life force, the intelligence imbued by God and the vibrational energy found in healing oils. The point here is that essential oils are a gift from God to us, his children. They are special. They have been a gift too long ignored and misunderstood. The time is now to correct these misunderstandings and bring the art of aromatherapy back into the uses for which God intended.

Please join me at Aroma Pharmica, where we can together bring our energy bodies into complete health and wellness. I would love to hear your thoughts and views on how we can integrate with nature and live an optimum life.

Your Holistic Guide to Wellness

As medical costs increase and people grow skeptical of traditional medical advice and pharmaceuticals, holistic medicine is playing a more significant role. Holistic medicine is known as treating the whole person with the goal of achieving a balance in mind, body and the spirit. At, Hemp Essentials, the same approach is taken.

While Western medical practices focus on treating the physical symptoms and complaints of illness and disease, a holistic approach looks at a variety of factors that may be contributing to health problems and healing that, not masking the symptoms. Holistic therapies range from the use of herbs to yoga and meditation practices to massage and crystals. Holistic practitioners specialize in different modalities and treatments.

Although holistic medicine was once considered by many (especially in the West) to be illegitimate, these days even doctors who have studied traditional Western medicine are starting to recognize the benefits of many holistic medicine perspectives and treatments. Even medical doctors will suggest certain holistic treatments as a supplement to their methods. 

The basic concept of holistic medicine is that each person has a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual component to his or her body. Each part has different and unique levels of consciousness and energy. When there is disharmony between the different parts, the body can become unhealthy, resulting in illness or disease. People who practice holistic medicine believe harmony must be recreated in order for healing and health to take place. 

Common signs of unbalance in one's body are a compromised immune system, aches and pains, and emotional instability. The holistic practitioner's goal is to restore balance first, which results in the improvement and eventual disappearance of symptoms. The way to meet this objective varies greatly from doctor to doctor. Some chiropractors also specialize in holistic medicine, and they focus on creating balance through spinal alignment. On the other hand, an herbalist or nutritionist is going to focus on creating balance through foods and herbal concoctions, while an aromatherapist can bring balance back through essential oils that are applied directly to the body via lotions or carrier oils. 
There are many different categories within holistic medicine. Here are five of the most popular therapies: 
• Acupuncture ~ a traditional Eastern medicine that utilizes needles inserted into certain points in the body to stimulate energy flows and positively influences healing and pain relief. 
• Aromatherapy ~ an ancient art that targets the emotional, physical and mental bodies, this therapy uses essential oils and other natural materials and substances to provide various aromas that have been known to heal, energize, rejuvenate and relax. 
• Homeopathy ~ uses natural substances that may create illness symptoms in a healthy person to boost health in a sick person who is experiencing the same symptoms. It is important that this therapy is administered and monitored by a knowledgeable practitioner, because side effects can become dangerous in some cases. 
• Meditation ~ It's a form of concentration, increasing awareness and removing distractions; while many people use it for personal development, others believe meditation can promote healing and rejuvenation. 

• Reflexology ~ this treatment is much more than foot massage, but rather a pain reliever and potential healing method that utilizes pressure on particular points in the hands and feet in an effort to help the body to heal itself as well as prevent illness and disease. This modality is used in conjunction to aromatherapy to effectively direct essentials to specific parts of the body.

Now, take a few moments and think about ways to keep yourself healthy naturally and let me know by adding your comments.