Ayda Moreno, C.A.H.T., Aromatherapist
My practice is holistic. I take into account the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of each individual. As your aromatherapist I will do the research to find the oil or blend of oils most suitable for your specific case. On your part, it is important to give Aromatherapy Massage time. Although you will benefit from the first session, it is strongly recommended a minimum
of three sessions, since the effects of massage are accumulative.
THE ESSENCE OF AROMATHERAPY
Aromatherapy is a natural therapy and a healing art which uses Essential Oils, to balance and treat the mind, body and spirit.
Although the word aromatherapy was first used in the past century to describe the use of Essential Oils from plants as a form of treatment, the principles on which it is based are very, very old. Aromatherapy has its roots in the most ancient healing practices of humankind, for the plants from which we now derive Essential Oils had been used for thousands of years before the technique of distilling oils was discovered.
WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?
Every aromatic plant and tree has a characteristic essence or essences. These essences are made in the plants by very specialized cells in different parts of the plants. Essences are found in the skin of fruits, in the leaves , flowers, barks, roots and in the resins of numerous plants and trees.
The essences are considered the vital-life force of the plant and they play very important and diverse roles in
its survival. They influence growth and production, attract pollinating insects, repel predators and they protect the plant itself from disease both internally and externally.
The essences can be extracted from the plants by different methods, the most known being distillation. Once the essence is extracted from the plant it is called Essential Oil.
Some of the properties of Essential Oils are:
- A complex chemistry. Essential Oils consist of hundreds of components of carbon, such as terpenes,
esters, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, phenols and oxides. It is for this reason that one oil can help in a
wide variety of disorders.
- They dissolve easily in oils and alcohol but not in water.
- They evaporate at different rates.
- They are not greasy.
- They are antiseptic.
HOW AROMATHERAPY WORKS?
To understand how the Essential Oils work we need to understand somewhat the skin, the lungs, the sense of smell and its direct connection with the mind.
The skin is the largest organ of elimination we have. It can also absorb some substances into the body while excluding others that can be harmful. What determines whether any particular substance will be able to pass through the skin or not, is the size of the molecules from which it is made up. Essential Oils have a relatively small molecular structure, they can easily be absorbed by the skin and carried into the blood stream.
The lungs are another route by which Essential Oils enter the body. Essential Oils evaporate on contact with the air, so when breathed in they are carried with the inhaled air through the nose and into the lungs. In the lungs they go through smaller and smaller structures until they reach the smallest one, the blood-vessels (capillaries), entering in the bloodstream for circulation to other parts of the body.
The sense of Smell and the Mind.
The sense of smell is considered the most subtle and immediate of our senses. We are rarely conscious of the smells in our world unless they are unusually intense, or pleasant, or unpleasant. But they have a deep emotional effect and are often linked with our strongest and most long-lasting memories. The reason for the strong link between Smell and Memories is found in the way smell messages are send into the brain.
The smell nerve fibres are among the most delicate in the body, and their paths are very complex. They are linked to many parts of the brain; areas concerned with emotional feelings and many activities vital to survival like sleep, sexual response, hunger, thirst and smell. Some smell nerve fibres reach to the structure that regulates the Endocrine and Nervous Systems and through them can influence every organ of the body and a wide range of body processes. Other smell fibres go into “the thinking part of the brain” and still others go to where breathing and other automatic functions are controlled.
There is a wide variety of ways in which Essential Oils can be used.
*Massage with Essential Oils is the most important application of aromatherapy. It combines the profound and therapeutic power of Touch with the healing properties of the Essential Oils. Touch is by far the most simple of all therapies and probably the one that helps us the most to get in touch with our body, mind and spirit. It relaxes the body and the mind thus allowing healing to occur.
*Aromatic Baths *Inhalations *Compresses *Vaporization
*Gargles & Mouth washes *Aromatic showers *Hand & Foot baths *Sauna
The benefits of the Aromatherapy Massage are numerous, they include relief from:
-Stress
-Digestive problems
-PMS
-Insomnia
-Skin problem
-Muscular aches & pains
-Fatigue, and much more…
It is important to point out that Aromatherapy can effectively complement orthodox and alternative or complementary disciplines like Osteopathy, Homeopathy, Nutrition, Acupuncture, Shiatsu, Reflexology and others; combining to great advantage.