Posts Tagged ‘aromatherapy’

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Reed Diffuser Education

Monday, March 15th, 2010

When you are shopping for your aromatherapy, it is a good idea to know about what choices exist for your reeds, and about the lifespan of a good quality set before you bring them home. There are good facts to know.

Reeds come in different widths and lengths. Well, the diameters of the reeds do not differ too much. Some are available in 2.75mm, while others are available in 3mm. When looking at the reed description for many packages, it is not often that the diameter will be listed. This is because this factor does not affect the ability for the reed diffuser oil to be transported really.

Your reeds should be higher than the top of your oil jar/container. It won’t be difficult as there are many different lengths of reed diffusers available.

You may find packages ranging from 5 inches to even 11 inches. The beauty is that you can cut the stems down to your desired height, or you can leave them at the natural length. The stems will fill in the jar and hold themselves quite nicely.

In order to diffuse a good amount of essence oil, you will want to know how many reeds you should buy.

All you need are around a dozen of reed diffuser stems and you will be able to get a nice amount of scent wafting naturally in the air.

When having your jar or container ready for the oil, you should note how much volume it holds. Then you can gauge how much oil you should pour in. At least half of the jar will be a really good start. That way, the reed diffuser stems can be thoroughly dipped in the oil.

Sometimes, the reed diffusers will become thoroughly saturated with the essence oils and can not carry the oils up through the stems any longer. This is natural, as over time the oil’s presence takes up the porous space, especially if it is of a lesser quality.

For the reed diffusers to dispense as usual, you can just replace the old diffuser sticks with brand new ones.

Sometimes, cheaper quality essence oils are mixed in with other agents that make it too thick to travel up the diffuser sticks. This may be the case if you are finding your reed diffuser sticks not dispensing any scent after only a few weeks or less.

An eagerly chronic user of reed diffuser oils in her home, Agnes Vernel collects and decorates her home with a plethora of home fragrance diffusers.

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Are Essential Oils Medicines? A New Look at Aromatherapy

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Therapeutic use of essential oils is beginning to be recognized in the United States as a valid modality for treating illness. There is still significant resistance to the science of Aromatherapy, but such is the resistance from the institutional-medicine/pharmaceutical-industrial complex to most ‘natural’ health treatments. ‘Big Pharma’ is THE industry with the highest average profit margins on earth — and is dedicated to producing, patenting, marketing selling new, unnatural (and therefore ‘patent-able’) chemical compounds that are supposed to answer every need of health and wellness. While some formulations do much good for the world (modern medicine has nearly eradicated several life-threatening illnesses from the planet), other medicines simply mask symptoms for a time, and others are downright dangerous.

Essential oils offer inexpensive, effective treatments for many ailments, free from side-effects of over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Whether the very limited and overtly skeptical presentation of Aromatherapy in the mainstream media is driven by the big money involved with institutional medicine remains to be clarified. In the meantime, YOU have the ways and means to include essential oils in your own natural medicine program. There are a great many resources available to the lay-practitioner to determine which oils and how they can best be applied for the improvement of your own health and wellness. Let’s have a look at what the science of Aromatherapy is really about…

There is an amazing disregard for natural healing in the mainstream media – despite the fact that so many of today’s ‘modern medicines’ are derived directly from plant compounds. There are HUNDREDS of plants that are known to contain anti-cancer compounds, for example. Many of these without the side-effects of chemotherapy (it takes a skilled, knowledgeable Naturopathic doctor to develop an effective personal protocol for this type of work, but success is certainly possible). This brings us to the amazing derision placed upon the science of Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is purely the science of therapeutic use, for physiological as well as psychological imbalances and disorders, of naturally-produced volatile aromatic plant chemicals. It may be that the term ‘Aromatherapy’ lends itself to being pigeon-holed into mystical ‘new age’ hocus-pocus, but in reality, it is simply the practice of using a particular class of natural compounds to improve one’s health, wellness and well-being.

A backlash may be coming; more people are getting fed up with the high cost of healthcare and the soaring cost of prescription drugs. They are willing to investigate natural, inexpensive alternatives, particularly when ‘proven’ effective in the same arena as are modern pharmaceuticals. An important example is the use of Peppermint essential oil in treating irritable bowel syndrome. A study of 50 children comparing the effects of a common chemical preparation and peppermint oil capsules on alleviating their symptoms showed the peppermint oil to be drastically more effective, with fewer side effects, than the pharmaceutical drug. The nature of the essential oil is that it will eliminate bacteria causing disease symptoms, while leaving much-needed natural intestinal flora unharmed. This is the beauty of aromatherapy, and properly utilized natural medicines in general.

Another well documented treatment using essential oils is the use of Melissa essential oil on Herpes Simplex viral legions. The legions are outbreaks of the virus during times of undue stress; the virus is typically under control of the immune system and remains dormant in nerve endings of the skin – the disease is considered ‘incurable’ by conventional medicine. A great many university studies have evaluated Melissa (and other essential oils containing similar molecular components) and it’s efficacy in treating Herpes – and the results have been astounding. A majority of study participants have less pain, along with shorter and less-frequent outbreaks. One professor claims that the disease has gone into complete remission in some study participants with regular use of Melissa oil; no more outbreaks at all! Further, Melissa is very well tolerated, has no known toxic effects, and is readily available. This is true aroma-’therapy’ taking it’s place in the world of natural health, wellness and fitness.

Then, of course, there is the ‘aroma’ therapeutic aspect of essential oil use. The hard facts show the olfactory sense of the brain is wired directly to vital control centers of the gray matter – particularly those governing emotions, stress levels and, well we’re not sure how this relates to your health, but sexual arousal as well. And with acceptance of the importance of one’s mental health relating to their physical well being continuing to grow, Aromatherapy may eventually find it’s place in hospitals and doctor’s offices alongside stethoscopes, syringes and cotton swabs. Many, many studies have shown the self-evaluated improvements in mood and stress levels when inhaling particular essential oils – and because stress is considered by many health professionals as THE number one cause of disease, it’s a short leap to believe the inhalation of spirit-lifting aromas can result in improved states of health.

Aromatherapy is certainly not a cure all, but like any medical specialty, should be used when appropriate by knowledgeable patients and practitioners. How do you learn to use Aromatherapy most effectively for yourself? Education is the way! There are many wonderful, well-written books on the subject of medicinal usage of essential oils; of particular note are those by Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt: Advanced Aromatherapy and Medical Aromatherapy; also Jane Buckle’s Clinical Aromatherapy, and any publication by Robert Tisserand. These books can open a whole new world of alternative health and wellness, giving you more options to control your health care decisions than ever before. If in need, find a qualified, degreed practitioner – and remember, always consult a medical professional for any serious injury or illness. In some cases, aromatherapy can be used to as an adjunct to other treatments – discuss this with your doctor. Finally, there’s little harm in simply getting started with essential oils – learn, buy yourself some nice oils, and have fun!

The author has made available reports on specific oils such as patchouli and other therapeutic oils.

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Need A Nutritional Boost? Coconut Delivers

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Coconuts are a bountiful gift to this planet. In Sanskrit (the mother language of India), the coconut palm is known as ‘kalpa vriksha’, meaning ‘ the tree that supplies all that is needed to live.’ An ancient plant that is distantly related to grasses, the coconut has been used as a food and medicine since the dawn of history. Ayurveda (the art of science and medicine that has its roots in India) has long advocated the therapeutic, medicinal and cosmetic properties of coconuts.

Taking approximately nine months to filter each liter of water in its shell, the coconut makes an amazing natural water filter. The water is drawn up through micro-fibers which purify it before it ends in the actual nut of the coconut. This clear life-giving coconut water isone of the highest sources of electrolytes found in all of nature. Coconut water is a wonderful re-hydrator and makes an excellent sports drink. When we consume a drink consisting of 55% fresh coconut water and 45% fresh green-leaf juice, or blue-green algaes, we give ourselves an instantaneous infusion of life energy.

A completely saturated medium-chain fatty acid (remember: not all saturated fats are bad!), coconut oil contains no cholesterol and does not form dangerous trans-fatty acids. The medium-chain fatty acids (MCT’s) in coconut oil possess incredible health giving benefits requiring less energy and fewer enzymes to digest, allowing the body to quickly convert the MCT’s into usable energy. Even better than olive oil for lowering overall cholesterol levels, coconut oil is stable at high temperatures (up to 170 degrees Fahrenheit), making it an excellent choice for use in cooking.

In terms of its nutritive and cosmetic applications, coconut oil is one of the most important oils in the spectrum of fats. It is useful to the thyroid, helping the production of anti-aging steroids, DHEA, pregnenolone and progesterone. Heart disease, cancer, obesity, senility and other common diseases related to aging are abated by these steroids. Capryllic and lauric acid are also found in coconut, which both help control bacteria, funguses and viruses in the body. In fact, caprilyc acid is the most effective combatant for yeast invasions, making coconut a good oil to work with regulating systemic and localized flare-ups. If these qualities aren’t enough, using coconut oil as your oil of choice in cooking can help regulate blood sugar, aiding harmony in all body systems. When using coconut oil medicinally, adults should use at least two or three tablespoons daily.

Cooking with coconut oil is a fun way to introduce this supplement into your life. Try using it instead of margarine, butter or other vegetable oils. Also, consider using fresh coconuts that are not too old (i.e., forgo the shaved coconut and opt for a whole coconut instead).The meat is primarily fat, and it can be chopped and eaten with fruit for a delectable treat. Coconut oil is also great as an oil for veggies, tossed into your morning smoothie or buttered on bread with spices or preserves. If you’re looking for a way to enliven oats or rice, coconut oil adds a special note to a normally humble dish.

Repairing and nourishing to the skin, coconut oil has been used for thousands of years as a health-enhancing skin moisturizer because it is ideal for all skins types, including dry, rough and wrinkled skin. Aromatherapy employs two types of coconut oil: fractionated and virgin. Virgin coconut oil is solid at room temperature and blends well with essential oils for a thick, nourishing body oil, which does not leave a greasy feel. The same oil that is used in cooking can be used in body care products. Fractionated coconut is a liquid oil that is made when the coconut molecule is cut to a smaller size. This process does not deplete the oil’s healthy qualities, but instead allows us to use coconut oil in a liquid state – an excellent quality for massage applications. Also, fractionated coconut absorbs quickly, does not have the trademark coconut odor and has an extremely long shelf life, all pluses in many situations. Coconut is also blended with other carrier oils, such as jojoba, to create a luscious cream base. Creating your own body care items with coconut oil and essential oils is a lovely, and easy, way to enhance your personal health.

A final thought on coconuts: in addition to being a medicine, a food and a skin moisturizer, coconut oil is also an excellent erotic oil. The smell and taste of this oil can enhance sexual intercourse. Try making a yummy natural body lotion including coconut oil blended with essential oils of cacao and vanilla. Lather this on the skin of your beloved and enjoy the results.

If you’re searching for a multi-use, healthy oil, search no further than the coconut. Whether you use it in skin blends, salads or massage creams, the coconut is an all-around excellent choice as both a carrier and edible oil. It takes essential oils beautifully and will not leave your skin feeling heavy or greasy. Use it in its many forms and see how this unique plant continues to benefit us in our day to day lives.

The author is a huge fan of aroma-therapeutics. Using essential oils for skin care and aromatherapy massage are two excellent ways of utilizing these wonderful, medicinal plant botanicals.

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Epsom Bath Salts For The Home

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Making bath salts at home are really cheap and easy to make. I hope you have reached this in-depth piece in time for gift-giving holidays!

If you are into natural products, then making personally packaged homemade bath salts is right up your alley! There’s a wide availability of scents and fragrances you can choose from, and depending on which bath salts recipe you like you can create a nice mood for that lucky intended recipient of your gift.

Want a more simple gift-giving experience this time around? Be creative yet cheap. Gather up some Juniper and some Cinnamon oils and fill a jar of homemade bath salts with them. Or try my all-time favorite: Orange.

No need to rush to the market if you already have a handful of jars at home. You know Martha Stewart wouldn’t do that unless she had to. If you already have some at home, reuse them and make them new all over again by filling those with homemade bath salts.

Maybe you don’t have any jars at home. That’s fine. You’ll still save money if you buy jars in bulk. Amazon always has a marketplace full of jars. Make it a one-stop shop and get your bath salt ingredients (including sea salt) while you’re at it.

Now, now. Don’t forget the baking soda while you’re at it.

It’s amazing what colors you can choose to decorate your homemade bath salts. From orange, to indigo, to blue, to lavender…you have the ultimate decision in how deep they will end up. It will take some trial and error in combining food coloring drops to achieve your intended result. Just remember to top off the jar with a nice flair or strings.

Start deciding the intensity of scentedness, and begin with just a few drops of essential oils. Take a sniff, and keep gauging how much more scented the homemade bath salts should be. Don’t worry if the scent seems to be out of control, because it will easily be diluted in the bath water after your gift recipient races to draw the bath.

If you’re ready to smell those homemade bath salts, take a gander at Sydney Garrett’s free epsom salt bath recipes.

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Massage Therapy- The Benefits

Monday, February 15th, 2010

If you are planning to get yourself a good massage, you will have to choose from various styles which will include the popular Swedish style and the classic massage. Apart from this there are also muscle therapies that are deep and have to know about trigger therapy. Each of these styles helps in increasing the blood circulation in the body and also helps to provide respite from fatigue and at times also helps to ease pain.

Therapeutic Advantages

Usually both these terms are considered to one and the same thing, but on the contrary these two are apart and are based on what in particular the therapist recommends. By and large the term massage attains to aid a person to relax. But as for massage therapy, one is entailed for a therapeutic benefit and in verity it is the best option for particular medical problems where in the use of certain forceful sort of techniques are used to ease the signs of unrelieved ailments.

Because of this special feature of a massage therapy, it is now started being used in hospitals as well – either in partnership with massage therapy centers – or given by specially employed hospital massage therapists. Many people that have tried out this form of massage will vouchsafe for the fact that the alleviation achieved is far superior to what you can expect out of different drug therapies.

Many new concepts are being tried and tested, to bring about more development and effective benefits. No wonder there are a hundred and fifty various types of therapies, with the more excellent Tui Na a Chinese therapy. Other therapies such as deep muscle and chair have also shown great benefits.

Among traditional massage therapies, the Hawaiian massage is well known while Swedish as well as Thai massages too are much in demand. What’s more, massage therapy can prove to be very effective when treating chronic cases of which carpal tunnel syndrome is a good example.

Today, a lot more can be learnt about massage therapy that will hopefully help in the development of even better solutions and which will benefit people in numerous ways. For those who regularly feel pain in their backs or who suffer from headaches, a massage therapy can prove to be especially helpful.

The increasing popularity of massage therapy has led to many more people wishing to learn more about how to become massage therapists. This in turn has led to many more massage therapy schools mushrooming all across the country.

A good profitable career can be attained by learning massage therapy. There are many who would like to make a career because of the growing health problems globally, and the need for treatments devoid of drugs. But an official approval or authorization is a must. To obtain it you will have to first sign up in an accredited school for the fundamentals of your career.

Body massage gives relaxation to the body and mind. For more useful information on aromatherapy massage here

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What Epsom Bath Salts Can Do For You

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

I don’t know why I didn’t care to buy a colorful package of bath salts at the store until now except for the fact that I knew nothing about them. They just looked so colorful and I knew I wasn’t supposed to eat them. Maybe it was just a luxury for the rich and famous.

Fortunately for me, I took to my curiosity and researched on mother nature’s ways of pampering my well-being including aromatherapy. And boy did I land on a gold mine of resources! Who knew that my circulation would be so much better after rubbing in some homemade bath salts onto my skin? And who knew that this effect was first attained by stepping into a hot spring or a natural mineral bath? It is as if all of the epsom and dead sea salt were harvested just to help me exfoliate my skin. And who knew that the aromatherapy’s natural benefit of smelling so sweet be healthy for me?

And to think about how much grime I can get out of my pores from using these homemade bath salts! Fantastic! All that bacteria and sweat, just scrubbed away in the midst of all that exfoliation. Bye bye, pizza face, bye bye. My face is feeling so at ease already just thinking about it. All the pores on my face will be so open and free–it will surely heal with happiness with nothing blocking or in the way.

The added benefit of using homemade bath salts are not just revolving around cleanliness, but also with disinfecting properties, too. You can apply rubbing these epson bath salts to the skin when it is afflicted with Athlete’s Foot or eczema, or when you have some type of skin infection (or a rash). This can also be used to treat bug bites, too.

Okay, okay maybe not so evil, but what if you felt so tense all over your muscles and tendons? That would still benefit from a little massaging with the home made bath salts. With all the stress you can feel mentally, you can feel it physically, too, and the epsom salt can come to the rescue here, too.

If you have ever thought about how smelling something really nice has oftentimes changed your mood, then you will enjoy the fact that this is what aromatherapy does. When you smell essence oils like ylang-ylang and cinnamon you can relieve stress and anxiety, and ultimately ease your mind.

Though you may end up doing this, try not to stay in the salt bath for extended periods of time, or else you will see your fingers turning very pruney and full of wrinkles. That’s happening because your body is losing water! But, at least you can be assured that epsom bath salts change the water composition and protect the skin from water leaving too much.

It is amazing to know that there is so much that this little colorful jar of homemade bath salts can do for you. Who would have known that something that smells so fragrant also makes you feel fragrant (inside the muscles and outside the skin). Thankfully, it is a very cheap yet priceless activity to make these salts.

Sydney Garrett likes homemade bath salts and probably has a cornucopia of salt scrub ingredients for life.

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Are you in need of some alternative medicine?

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

All of us aim for holistic health. Getting sick is always a waste of time and resources, not to mention a grave inconvenience not just on the part of the patient but for the caregivers as well. Even the usual headache and some irregular pain that we feel every now and then could disrupt our daily routine. This is why we always seek for ways to achieve optimum well being. Holistic health nowadays, which is the goal of many, encompasses not just physical health but also the overall aspect of an individual which includes being mentally aware, spiritually attuned, emotionally grounded and socially in sync.

In this quest, people look to maintain the overall well being in every way. However, in times of sickness or illnesses, there are a number of medical options these days. Apart from the usual conventional medication, people have started exploring other options such as acupuncture, herbal remedies, massage and other forms of alternative medicines.

Alternative means an option thus alternative medicine is the concept of a different, unusual and even unconventional treatment procedure in the prevention or cure of varied illnesses and ailments. There are many different types of this medical approach, ranging from ingesting Chinese medicine, usually from medicinal plants and herbs, to yoga, meditation, massage and even aromatherapy. One of the oldest and the most well known alternative methods are the traditional Chinese medication techniques.

Because of the rising negative perception regarding conventional medicine, it continues to lose the trust of the public pushing it spiraling down and losing its share of the market. One of the common complaints is its focus on limiting the treatment on the specific ailing body part only with utter disregard to the cause behind the ailment.

Most of the time in the west, the doctor will try to fix the problem, with no regard to future health concerns. How many commercials have you seen where the side effects are worse than the problem it fixes? Alternative medicine is very different than this. they try to treat the body as a whole, not just one part at the cost of another. The reasoning behind this is that by keeping the patients well being first and foremost, when one part of the body needs to be healed, a healthy mind and spirit allows everything to heal better individually.

Due to the growing understanding of holistic healing methods, its popularity is skyrocketing in the US and abroad. Taking advantage of the drawbacks and negative feelings toward conventional medicine. In the last 2 years alone, the herbal medicine market grew 200% in just 2 years time. However, always be careful when trying any new medical treatments. Even with its growing popularity due to the increasing number of people who swear by herbal remedies, there are still some things to keep in mind regarding its use and its ability to deliver the desired effects to an individual.

Even if alternative medicine is naturally occurring, it can be dangerous if misused or abused in certain ways. Despite a lack of FDA labeling and dosage restrictions, they shouldn’t be taken in excess nor with other prescription drugs unless approved by your doctor. Combining it with alcohol is also to be avoided.

Acupuncture is also being taken up by many people in the west these days. This form of traditional chinese medicine uses needles to cure or prevent a variety of ailments. The tiny needles are placed in the skin at very specific points in the body, stimulating certain nerves and energy points. This plays a role in the treatment process.

After learning about all these new medicines, alternative medications and natural holistic healing methods, you may be tempted to just jump right in. Like everything else in life, though, always make sure that you carefully do your research. Learn as much as you can, though, and you should be just fine.

Before you buy any natural health products, please stop by Home Cures, to find out about ADD Natural Remedies

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Study Shows Ability of Aromatherapy Essential Oils to Reduce Inflammation

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

For much of mankind’s history, people have used herbal treatments to reduce pain and inflammation in joints and muscles. The bark of the Willow tree has given us ‘the wonder drug’ for pain reduction, which actually occurs due to a reduction of inflammation. Now, many professional therapists lay-practitioners are turning to essential oils for inflammation reduction and pain relief. Essential oils provide a very simple means of reaping the anti-inflammatory, analgesic potential of natural medicine, as all one need do is put a few drops of essential oil into a base oil and massage in for quick, sometimes long-lasting relief.

A look at the most recent research gives a long list of abstracts where scientists have validated the inflammation reducing potential of essential oils. Several plants have a long history and strong reputation for their anti-inflammatory activity. Ginger, for example, has an interesting dual-action of being both warming to an area, and have potent anti-inflammatory activity at the same time. Ginger oleoresin (an oil and resin compound) has been successfully studied for its anti-inflammatory activity. Supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of Ginger root, also with strong anti-inflammatory activity, are easily obtained by licensed practitioners and home users to include in their joint and muscle ache recipes.

Just published in the Journal of Lipid Research are the results of an investigation in Japan confirming the anti-inflammation activity in several essential oils. This confirms the therapeutic selections of several — not just any single — essential oil for reducing inflammation. The range of oils found to have anti-inflammatory activity was very broad, from thyme and clove, to rose, eucalyptus and even cold-pressed Bergamot; many of these oils the traditional therapist would not expect to display a significant effect. Also of interest was the notable absence in the research of what are considered some of the strongest anti-inflammation essential oils, namely Lavender, Helichrysum, German Chamomile and Ginger. This of course does not deny in any way the inflammation-reducing action of these oils; instead in bolsters their potential use by noting that even oils NOT considered the foremost inflammation reducers can have dramatic effects.

Further, some of the individual natural constituents of the essential oil were examined, and it was discovered that carvacrol had the strongest activity. Carvacrol is found in many essential oils, and is most often considered aromatherapy’s most potent anti-bacterial, and has been directly implicated in boosting immune system function in other scientific studies. There seems to be a link between inflammation reduction, immune system function and longevity (the inflammation reducing power of the essential oils studied was compared to red-wine extract, implicated in potentially extending lifespan). The study did not go so far as to elucidate the actual mechanism of reducing inflammation, but it would not be suprising if this activity were a factor — carvacrol, as well as thymol — the other major component of Thyme essential oil — are well-known antioxidants.

Using the anti-inflammatory action of essential oils for one’s self is very simple to do. A personal massage formula can easily be created by choosing one to three of these essential oils in this category. Massage strength — or a formula that one would use regularly on sore joints and muscles is usually found with a concentration of 2-5% essential oils in a carrier oil (like Jojoba or Almond oil). Higher concentrations are NOT better, and some oils have actually been found to be pro-inflammatory at higher strengths. An example recipe would be 1% Ginger, 1% Thyme and 3% Lavender in a base of Sweet Almond oil. A one-percent concentration is 8 drops of essential oil per fluid ounce of carrier. As there are so many inflammation-reducing oils, do a little research to find which ones might be right for you. Some are warming (ginger), some cooling (German chamomile) and enhance your active lifestyle.

AnandaApothecary.com/essential-oils.html is an excellent online resource for premium grade wildcrafted, organic and 100% pure essential oils, flower essences, and aromatherapy skin care supplies.

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Science of Aromatherapy and It’s Uses in Medication

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Only one drop of an essential oil can treat several aberrations. There are some methods to get these smells into the air. Drops of fancy oils used on the light bulbs of lamps will release the smell into the room. Incense of different smells is employed by many just to keep certain scents in the air. Holidays supply the perfect time to get some comfort smells into the air. Glaringly, these are scents that may lift your mood and keep your home delighted for anyone that enters it.

The scent from this methodology is intensely different to the scents that are employed in the standard candle making process. If you use low-quality ingredients and materials, you can only get a candle with a feeble smell and limited benefits.

Studying the different obligatory oils will help you know just what to use for each situation. All of you’ll also find that these oils are healing and inspiring while restoring that much wanted harmony and balance into your lives.

Typically, these fancy oils are mixed together and might have exact smells best for a specific purpose. Aromatherapy could be employed by smelling it or by watering down it and applying it during massage.

Aromatherapy is employed as a part of holistic and alternative medicine. It is excellent for people who like a more natural approach to healing and need to take a more active part in their own treatment for numerous infirmities. Typically, there are professional aromatherapists found all around the planet. You should be capable of finding one to suit your private needs .

Peppermint is used to reduce headache and queasiness. Tea tree also has lots of uses as it is antifungal, antibacterial and fights yeast infection also. Rosemary as an example is also employed in reducing pain. Indeed, aromatherapy can be helpful in a number of ways in improving your contentment – in body, in mind and in spirit.

Aromatherapy can be a wonderful way to improve your health. If you would like to find out more about healthy lifestyle choices then check out this gluten free foods list by visiting Shauwn Kincaid’s site on gluten free banana bread.

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Geranium Is a Scent Worth Remembering

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

A Brief Overview

Geranium flowers grow in many gardens throughout the United States and around the world. This fragrant perennial plant, taxonomically identified in the genus Pelargonium, is known for its distinctly powerful leafy-rose scent. There are over 250 natural species of Pelargionium with hundred of hybrids and thousands of cultivars (variety produced by selective breeding). Although commonly known as geranium, there is genus with the same name. The genus Geranium and the genus Pelargonium share the same family (Geraniaceae) but they are different from one another in their cultivation as well as their botanical features. Species of plant in Geranium are known to be hardy and can grow almost anywhere. Pelargonium species on the other hand are specifically cultivated and are of great commercial value. They can also be distinguished by their differing flower patterns.

Indigenous to South Africa, geranium was first introduced into Europe in the 17th century and later hybridized. These hybrid cultivars have a wide variety of scents, including rose, citrus, mint, coconut and nutmeg. The main species cultivated for the aromatherapy and perfume industry is Pelargonium graveolens, or rose geranium. This specific species is indispensable in the aromatherapy industry and highly prized in the perfume industry. Extracted by steam distillation of the leaves and branches, the rose geranium essential oil is used by aromatherapists to assist with a wide array of maladies such as mood swings, skin disorders and feminine menstrual irregularities as well as to balance feminine hormone levels during menopause. Rose geranium has similar chemical constituents as those present in rose oil, namely geraniol, linalool and citronellol, thus making it a favorable alternative for the perfume industry to the more expensive essential oil of rose petals. Such a fragrance is also widely used by the cosmetic industry as a component in soaps, detergents, creams and lotions. The essential oil itself is extracted from the leaves and branches of the plant. After cutting, a common practice is to partially dry the plants in order to increase the yield of oil.

The first geranium plants grown for the French perfume industry were planted in Algeria in 1847 and then in the 1880s extensive plantations were established in Reunion – an island in the Indian Ocean governed by France. Geranium oil is also cultivated in other parts of the world for its commercial value such as China, Egypt, Russia and Central America. The oil from China is thought to be similar to that of Reunion (known as Bourbon), while the Egyptian geranium is quite different. This is due to various soil and climatic conditions. The Bourbon variety, with its rich aroma, is considered to be the most important of the geranium oils.

Geranium Oil May Bring Hope to Hospitals

In recent years, the main media have reported on the rise of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. This week in the news is no exception. In the January 2010 issue of Microbiology, researchers from the National University of Ireland in Galway published their findings on how disinfectants might lead to bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics, especially in hospitals. It is standard hospital procedure to use surface disinfectants to prevent the spread of bacteria; if disinfectants are non-effective than antibiotics are used. The study looked at the response of the gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (known to be the cause of many hospital infections) to increasing amounts of disinfectant. What they found were bacteria not only able to develop immunity from the disinfectant but also become resistant to ciprofloxacin (a commonly-prescribed antibiotic) without direct exposure to the drug. Researchers conclude that bacteria resistance to both controls could be a serious threat to hospital patients and thus urge medical practitioners to rethink how infections are handled.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria are widespread in nature, inhabiting soil, water, plants, and animals. Yet these pathogens usually do not infect healthy human individuals, only those with compromised immune systems. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), P. aeruginosa accounts for 10.1 percent of all hospital-acquired infections and can be a cause of such diseases as pneumonia, urinary tract infections (UTIs), bone and joint infections, gastrointestinal infections and bacteremia. These infections are considered complicated and possibly life threatening.

There are an increasing number of studies being published in peer-reviewed journals on the potent antimicrobial properties of essential oils, including geranium. A 2004 study (Burns 2004 Dec; 30(8): 772-7) found that geranium in combination with Citracidal (grapefruit seed extract) had great effectiveness against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and in combination with tea tree was highly effective against methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. These researchers concluded that essential oils serve as highly useful antimicrobial agents and in treatment of MSRA infection. A more recent study (BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006 Nov 30; 6:39) found that essential oils, including geranium were effective against Staphylococcus aureus, including the ubiquitous bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Concluding Thoughts

Geranium, a common plant found in many gardens, is also of historical and now medical significance. Its traditional uses are well accounted and its therapeutic actions used for centuries. The pharmacological and clinical studies of geranium essential oil are steadily increasing. It is no small concern that individuals seeking hospital care are greatly threatened by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Medical researchers are currently investigating alternatives to conventional microbial treatments, with great attention given to the antibacterial properties of essential oils. It is clear that modern medicine must confront its limitations and refer back to plants and how they have developed a system of defensive antimicrobial chemicals over millions of years.

Author’s Note: When using essential oil for therapeutic purposes, it is important to find high quality oils. Her favorite resource is www.anandaapothecary.com

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