Aromatherapy oils come from natural plant extracts which have healing properties.
WHAT IS AROMATHERAPY?
Aromatherapy is the use of organic essences of aromatic plants for healing and the maintenance of vitality with a body massage. Body massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body by the hands to produce muscular, vascular and nervous effects. There are 5 classical movements in body massage which are effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement and vibrations. These movements will be used by the therapist when the client is being massaged. There is no substitute for the human hand. Hands can be used as a natural way of healing. The essences, or,’essential oils’, as they are commonly known are extracted from a wide variety of plants,and are very concentrated. Aromatherapy is a truly holistic therapy, as it aims to treat the whole person by taking account not only of their physical state but also their emotions, which can have a profound effect on general well-being. It works on the principle that the most effective way to promote health and prevent illness is to strengthen the body’s immune system; in so doing, it helps to restore the harmony between mind and body.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF AROMATHERAPY?
Knowledge of how to make use of the beneficial effects of aromatic plants developed gradually. By 3500 BC, the priestesses of the Egyptian temples were burning gums and resins, such as Frankincense, to clear the mind. The Romans used essential oils for massage, and aromatic herbs within the home.
In 17th Century England, pomanders made of Oranges and Cloves were used to ward off the Black Death. Great herbalists such as Culpepper used essential oils such as Peppermint and Rosemary as an integral part of their medicine.
Aromatic substances played important roles in the medicinal practices of the Hebrew, Arabic and Indian civilisation. But for the ancient Egyptians aromatherapy was a way of life. At about the time that the Chinese were developing acupuncture, the Egyptians were using balsamic substances in both religious ritual and medicine. Records dating back to 4500 BC tell of perfumed oils, scented barks and resins, of spices, aromatic vinegars, wines and beers all used in medicine, ritual, astrology and embalming. When Tutankhamun’s tomb was opened in 1922, many pots were found containing substances such as Myrrh and Frankincense, both derived from tree resins: these were used as much for medicine as for perfume, the two being interchangeable at the time.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AROMATHERAPY?
There are many physiological effects of aromatherapy: The blood circulation is increased. Increased circulation brings nourishment and oxygen to the muscles and absorbs waste products. Waste product (lactic acid) formed in the muscles during strenuous exercise is re-absorbed and stiffness relieved. Development of muscle tone and elasticity can be promoted. Tense and short muscles are relaxed and stretched. It helps weak muscles and joints move more easily. Relaxation of tense muscles and improved tone in slack muscles can lead to improved posture, ie. For treating round shoulders.
There are many psychological effects of aromatherapy: Client feels rejuvenated and more able to cope with things. Beauty radiates from within. If you feel good, you look better and well. Brisk, stimulating massage will help the client to feel more alert. It gives overweight people an incentive to diet as they feel that the therapist is working on fatty areas, client will, in turn, try harder with their diet. In soothing aches adn pains, tension is relieved, the body and face will naturally be more relaxed, the client will look happier and younger. The luxury of a beauty salon with relaxing surroundings gives the clients relief from a hectic daily life and the opportunity to be pampered. Some clients feel inclined to talk out their problems or worries and this can relieve some tension in the client.
WHAT IS REFLEXOLOGY?
Reflexology is a form of, ‘Alternative’, or ‘Complementary’, medicine. It involves a method of treatment using massage to the reflex areas found in the feet and the hands. The ancient healing art of reflexology has been known to man for thousands of years. It was first practiced by the early Indian, Chinese and Egyptian peoples. In 1913, Dr. William Fitzgerald, an American ear, nose and throat surgeon, put forward the idea of, ‘Zone therapy’. Zones are longitudinal lines of energy ascending from the feet to the brain. Reflexology is based on zone therapy. When applying pressure to the feet, we are working on this basis, stimulating these lines which have a rejuvenating and healing effect on the entire human body. We have 10 zones, five on each foot representing 1,2,3,4,5, with zone 1 as the big toe and zone 5 as the smallest toe. The thumb is zone 1 and the little finger is zone 5.
Diagram of the Longitudinal Zones.
In the 1930’s, Eunice Ingham, a psychotherapist originated the first maps which charted the body onto the feet. She expounded the doctrine that all parts of the body could be affected by pressure on clearly defined areas of the feet, particularly on the soles. When you treat the big toes, there is a related effect in the head, and treating the whole foot can have a relaxing and healing effect on the body.
How Can Reflexology Help You?
The body has the ability to heal itself. After illness, stress, injury or disease, it is in a state of, “imbalance”, and important energy pathways are blocked, stopping the body from functioning well. Reflexology can restore the body’s equilibrium and encourage healing. Obstructions in the energy lines register pain, eg. stiff neck or a painful back. Obstructions also interfere with blood circulations and this is noticed mainly in the hands in feet. Hands become stiff, cold and painful. Waste products accumulate at the lowest point of gravity, which is clearly felt under the thumb and fingers as you work on the feet. There is no substitute for the human hand. The feet are really a mirror of the body. The condition of our feet and the way we use them reveals our physical and mental state and influences not nly their own performance but the functioning of our mind and body as well. Consultation with a chiropodist to remove hard skin and deal with corns and calluses prior to commencing reflexology treatment sessions is highly recommended.
TREATMENTS
6 Treatments are recommended for the therapy to work to its full potential. Have a course of 6 massages and you will get the 7th treatment for half price and this will need to be paid for by paypal. The therapist will send you a payment request by email to pay for the 7th treatment. When you first visit us you will need to go through a consulatation sheet with the therapist to verify that you do not have any contra-indications to the therapy that will be given to you. On your first session, you will need to arrive 15 minutes before your treatment in order to fill in the consultation sheet, after which the therapist will be going through this sheet with you. Please bring your doctor’s details with you when you come. We will not be contacting your GP without your written consent.
AFTER CARE ADVICE
1.Drink lots of fluids especially water and herbal teas for at least 12 hours after treatment. This helps to flush the toxins and stops dehydration for the client. Aromatherapy encourages lymphatic flow. The more you drink, the more your body flushes out its toxins. Avoid a bath or shower for 6 – 12 hours after treatment. It takes 3 – 4 hours for the oil to be absorbed into the skin. Do not have a sauna, steambath, sunbed or go swimming within 12 hours of having a treatment. This causes further dehydration. With swimming, chlorine can combine with the chemical of the essential oil and this can be toxic.
2.Avoid using a hairdryer for 6 – 8 hours after the treatment due to dehydration. This also can cause a build up of heat and this is not good for you. Cut down or cut out your tea, coffee and do not drink any alcohol on the day you have an aromatherapy treatment. Avoid strenuous exercise prior or after the treatment.
3.Do not have a heavy meal 2 hours prior to a treatment and 6 hours after the treatment. This is because if you have eaten, your digestive system is working at full steam and it takes time for food to be digested. This can cause you to feel sick if the therapist is working on your abdomen. Also the body cannot concentrate solely on detoxification if it requires the digestion of your food to be completed also.
4.Try to have a nice relaxing day. Do not go shopping. The treatment can cause toxins to build up which can cause a headache or nausea. Allow rest for 15 minutes after your treatment. Clients taking homeopathy remedies should contact the practitioner about the treatment. They can get advice from him. If you are taking any homeopathic medicines these may cause an irritation or a problem when the chemicals in the medicine become mixed with the essential oils that are absorbed into your blood stream. The same applies toany other medicines you are taking.
5.Take fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid red meat. Drink 4 pints of water if possible to flush out the toxins from your body. Try to do some exercises especially stretching exercises as these are good for you. There are many alternative therapies that you may wish to try. Some examples are Chinese Herbalism, Homeopathy, Crystal Therapy, Bach Flower remedies, Feng Shui, Shiatsu, Acupressure, Affirmations and Visualilsations, Osteopathy, Chiropractic, Spiritual and Absent Healing.
6.The Alexander Technique is very good as it teaches you about posture; stand and walk with your back straight, sit with your back straight, pick up items from the floor by squatting which is bending your knees and then pick up the item keeping your back straight when doing this.
7.Post-nasal crisis; this is where you may suffer from nausea, headaches, stomach rumbling, runny nose, sneezing, runny eyes, skin might break out in spots cleansing the body, bowels may open frequently where you have to keep running to the toilet, feeling emotional after an aromatherapy treatment. This is where the body gets wors before it gets better. It is part of the h ealing programme where your body has to get rid of its toxins first and in doing so the above after effects may take place. However in a day or so you will feel much better. Please give the therapist feedback on how you felt about the treatment; after you have had it, 5 hours afterwards and then the next day how did you feel? This helps us to evaluate how effective the treatment was, and whether to change it to make it more effective.
Tina Sawhney – BSc Hons Psychology (1990), Relationships Counsellor (2016)
Diet and Nutrition Advisor (2016), Aromatherapist and Reflexologist (1999)
Aromatherapy oils come from natural plant extracts which have healing properties.
