Sentinel 22jul2007
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July 22, 2006 Scentual healing: Perfume is medicine in aromatherapy By Susanna Gaertner Sentinel correspondent Aromathera py is shr ouded in mists of mis concepti on as pow erful as th e fragran ces that a ccompany i t. It is more than merely a sniffing session where beautiful scents waft past your nostrils from oils emanating from an incense burner — sometimes placed on the floor beneath your head for inhalation during the session — and more than a Swedish or remedial massage during healing modality that uses essential oils to stimulate the immune system and relieve stress. Even the ancient Chinese recognized that "every perfume is a medicine," that essential oils work on a dynamic and profound level, affecting our circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems, thereby influencing our very attitudes and outlook. "When administered correctly," says Elizabeth Jones, director of the College of Botanical Healing Arts here in Santa Cruz, "essential oils are known to relieve symptoms such as stress, anxiety and mood disorders, bringing you into a state of relaxed alertness." So, while aromatherapy may be focused on the application of aromatic oils into the skin, these must also please the nose, for it is through the olfactory system that the plant essences have their effect on the limbic brain, seat of our most primal drives and appetites. Clinical trials at Sloan-Kettering have shown that aromatherapy helps support the immune surveillance function of the lymphatic system. According to Dr. Bruce Eisendorf, the human body has two circulatory systems blood and lymph, but only one pump our heart. Alternating contraction and relaxation of the muscles as they move — that squeezing action on the lymphatic vessels and on the veins — is what moves the lymph along. A really good aromatherapist can actually feel lymphatic blockages or "crystals" similar to the "crystals" a reflexologist finds in your feet. Essential oils make their way into the blood stream via the tiny blood vessels at the base of the hair follicles that cover 90 percent of our body. Actually, essential "oils" is a misnomer, according to local practitioner Ahna-Kristen Backstrom. "They're not oils but chemical constituents produced by plants and isolated through distillation into a liquid that is added to a carrier oil," she said. Since they diffuse directly into the blood supply, the oils work very quickly, unlike a substance that is ingested and has to go through your digestive tract before it is absorbed. Backstrom agrees with well-known Australian aromatherapist Hilary Marks, who says "its nature is actually changed by the different secretions of the digestive tract. By the time it lands in the blood, it's not the same substance anymore. Whereas if you put it in through the skin, it is. So this is an effective way of getting those complex plant chemicals to their destination quickly." Because aromatherapy addresses the lymphatic system, the mechanics of its application are different from what you have been used to in a "regular" massage: using long, slow, gentle strokes, the aromatherapist massages the specially prepared oils into the skin, just hard enough for them to penetrate, but not hard enough to work on the muscles and ligaments. This takes some getting used to, as many of us are more accustomed to the deep kneading and vigorous circular movements aimed at loosening tight muscles. It helps to know this before you get on the table. Properly trained aromatherapists will hold a certification in this speciality. About 40 percent also hold massage certificates, though you can call yourself an aromatherapist without one. Aromathera pists gen erally h ave more th orough tr aining in bioch emistry, an atomy and physiolo gy than regular massage therapists, since they must study the effects of essential oils on both the physical and subtle electrical energy body, Backstrom said. As with any discipline, expertise comes with experience. "Ultimately, I choose the oils intuitively," says Syndey, Australia-based-based verteran aromatherapist Morva Belot. And it's because of this latitude that you want to find a veteran: someone with practical experience as well as education. Since more than one oil can be used for any given complaint, the aromatherapist must also be guided Advertisement [AD]
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July 22, 2006
Scentual healing: Perfume is medicine in aromatherapy
By Susanna GaertnerSentinel correspondent
Aromatherapy is shrouded in mists of misconception as powerful as the fragrances that accompany it.It is more than merely a sniffing session where beautiful scents waft past your nostrils from oils
emanating from an incense burner — sometimes placed on the floor beneath your head for inhalationduring the session — and more than a Swedish or remedial massage during healing modality that usesessential oils to stimulate the immune system and relieve stress.Even the ancient Chinese recognized that "every perfume is a medicine," that essential oils work on adynamic and profound level, affecting our circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems,thereby influencing our very attitudes and outlook."When administered correctly," says Elizabeth Jones, director of the College of Botanical Healing Artshere in Santa Cruz, "essential oils are known to relieve symptoms such as stress, anxiety and mooddisorders, bringing you into a state of relaxed alertness."So, while aromatherapy may be focused on the application of aromatic oils into the skin, these mustalso please the nose, for it is through the olfactory system that the plant essences have their effect onthe limbic brain, seat of our most primal drives and appetites.Clinical trials at Sloan-Kettering have shown that aromatherapy helps support the immune surveillancefunction of the lymphatic system. According to Dr. Bruce Eisendorf, the human body has two circulatorysystems blood and lymph, but only one pump our heart. Alternating contraction and relaxation of themuscles as they move — that squeezing action on the lymphatic vessels and on the veins — is whatmoves the lymph along. A really good aromatherapist can actually feel lymphatic blockages or"crystals" similar to the "crystals" a reflexologist finds in your feet.Essential oils make their way into the blood stream via the tiny blood vessels at the base of the hairfollicles that cover 90 percent of our body. Actually, essential "oils" is a misnomer, according to localpractitioner Ahna-Kristen Backstrom."They're not oils but chemical constituents produced byplants and isolated through distillation into a liquid that isadded to a carrier oil," she said.Since they diffuse directly into the blood supply, the oils
work very quickly, unlike a substance that is ingested andhas to go through your digestive tract before it isabsorbed. Backstrom agrees with well-known Australianaromatherapist Hilary Marks, who says "its nature isactually changed by the different secretions of thedigestive tract. By the time it lands in the blood, it's notthe same substance anymore. Whereas if you put it inthrough the skin, it is. So this is an effective way ofgetting those complex plant chemicals to their destinationquickly."Because aromatherapy addresses the lymphatic system,the mechanics of its application are different from whatyou have been used to in a "regular" massage: using
long, slow, gentle strokes, the aromatherapist massages the specially prepared oils into the skin, justhard enough for them to penetrate, but not hard enough to work on the muscles and ligaments. Thistakes some getting used to, as many of us are more accustomed to the deep kneading and vigorouscircular movements aimed at loosening tight muscles. It helps to know this before you get on the table.Properly trained aromatherapists will hold a certification in this speciality. About 40 percent also holdmassage certificates, though you can call yourself an aromatherapist without one.
Aromatherapists generally have more thorough training in biochemistry, anatomy and physiology thanregular massage therapists, since they must study the effects of essential oils on both the physical andsubtle electrical energy body, Backstrom said. As with any discipline, expertise comes with experience."Ultimately, I choose the oils intuitively," says Syndey, Australia-based-based verteran aromatherapistMorva Belot. And it's because of this latitude that you want to find a veteran: someone with practicalexperience as well as education.Since more than one oil can be used for any given complaint, the aromatherapist must also be guided
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by the client's olfactory responses. To give a personal example: frankincense, precious as gold in daysgone by, is now often used for for what is seen as a calming, regulating effect on the mind andemotions, helping to dispel fear and anxiety. For many, it fortifies the spirit; to others, it smells liketurpentine.Fortunately, there are several other oils with similar properties. The experienced aromatherapist willknow not only which oils are best suited to soothe and heal her client, but also that client's preferences,and then decide which oils will work synergistically and where to apply them.Old medicine
Aromatherapy is one of the most ancient medicinal modalit ies: the use of essential oils is documented
on Babylonian clay tablets and Egyptian tomb paintings, and in ancient Chinese and Indian Ayurvedicpractice. Aromatic oils preserved the pharaohs, their body tissue intact after centuries, thanks to the anti -bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties of plant essences.In fact, hieroglyphics depict individual pharaohs with their own essential oils in alabaster jars that wereentombed with them when they died.The ancient Romans practiced aromatherapy, using herbs and resins imported from conquerednations, research reveals. In Europe, lavender was distilled in southern France in the 16th century thecity of Grasse, in Provence, still holds an annual festival around the lavender harvest, and it is this oilthat was responsible for the reawakening of interest in essential oils at the beginning of the 20thcentury: Upon badly burning his hand in laboratory accident, a French professor named Gattefosséplunged the affected appendage into a receptacle of pure lavender oil: in a remarkably short time, theredness was gone and the hand had healed completely. Naturally, this caused him to investigate the
properties of other oils and, voila! aromathérapie was born. Australian Aborigines have a long tradition of using eucalyptus leaves, camel bush, the oily kernels ofthe desert walnut and the leaves of the parrot pea plant. Tea-tree oil, a relatively recent oil producedonly in Australia, is now used around the world for antiseptic properties and to boost the immunesystem.Says Santa Cruz aromatherapist Elizabeth Jones, "It should be in everyone's medicine chest."
Another oil unique to Australia, boronia, is reputed to help with obsessive behavior caused byemotional injury or sadness. It was also used by the early colonists in their horses' food to controlworms.
Again, it's important to remember that ingesting plant substances, whether fresh or in dried form asherbs, has no bearing on their effectiveness or potency as oils: Essential oils reportedly are 70 timesstronger than fresh herbs.So, if you're feeling sluggish or blue, anxious or depressed, treat yourself to one of history's oldestforms of hands-on therapy. Mind, body, and soul will thank you.Contact Susanna Gaertnerat [email protected] to look for in a good aromatherapist
A good aromatherapist begins by taking a thorough history of a client: any physical complaints, as wellas desires and disappointments, past illnesses, state of mind and mood, not to mention an actual stateof health (for example, blood pressure), habits and medications. The aromatherapist then concoctspreparations specifically for that client, mixing drops of essential oil into a carrier oil such as almond,
jojoba, grapeseed or apricot.There is no state licensing for aromatherapists, so anyone can legally call themselves anaromatherapist; often, acupuncturists, naturopaths and other holistic medical practitioners willincorporate essential oils into their therapeutic arsenal but look for someone who has completed theprogram certified by the California Board of Post-Secondary Vocational Education, and is now a
Certified Essential Oil Therapist.In Santa Cruz, the College of Botanical Healing Arts offers a 390 -hour certification course that impartsthe knowledge of botany, chemistry, physiology and clinical ethics that you want your aromatherapist tohave. Some, but not all aromatherapists are also certified massage therapists, who will at least havethe malpractice insurance to ensure a certain level of seriousness.
All pure, natural, essential oils are labeled in Latin, so a quick scan of the aromatherapist's arsenal willquickly confirm whether you are getting the real thing.
A session typically lasts an hour and a half and typically costs between $60 and $75. Aromatherapists A partial listingof some of the aromatherapists practicing in Santa Cruz:
l Elizabeth Jones, MA, CEOT, Santa Cruz, 566-2115, [email protected]
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l Wayne Hoff, CMT, CEOT, Santa Cruz, 818-6980, www.waynehoff.com.l Ahna-Kristen Backstrom, CMT, CEOT, Aptos, 566-2674, [email protected] Santana Shoemaker, CMT, CEOT, Capitola, 596 -1739, [email protected] Stephanie DiPietro, L.Ac., Scotts Valley, 439-5145, www.okay.com.l Debbie McReynolds, CEOT, Scotts Valley, 438-2988.
For more information, call or write the College of Botanical Healing Arts at 462-1807 [email protected].
Emily QuirkMedia Director/Office Manager
College of Botanical Healing ArtsSanta Cruz, CA 95062
office: 831-462-1807cell: 831-419-7712
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