Guest Post: Aromatherapy 101

This post is part of a series by guest writer Jennifer Chait.

Before we jump into how cool aromatherapy can be, make sure you understand that, while I’ve been using aromatherapy for years, it doesn’t make me an expert. Unless you have a lot of experience or a great aromatherapy text at your disposal, you shouldn’t be playing around with essential oils. At the least, you should follow some basic safety precautions. Just like any treatment or care product, oils can have nasty side effects.

With that out of the way, what I can say is that aromatherapy is the perfect complement to your healthy lifestyle. In the most basic of definitions, aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to treat different conditions. Aromatherapy applications can include beauty regimens, cleaning, and relaxation as well; but back in the day essential oils were first used to promote good health.

Why use essential oils when we have all these over-the-counter and prescription drugs at our disposal?

There are lots of neat benefits surrounding aromatherapy.

• Unlike OTC and other prescribed drugs, essential oils won’t stay in your system – which means no left-over toxins in your body.

• Anyone can learn to use aromatherapy. It’s easy once you get started and inexpensive compared to most traditional medical treatments.

• Aromatherapy is useful for literally hundreds of different conditions such as soothing dry hands, treating headaches and sunburns, curing stomach pain, calming a cranky baby (or mama), reliving menstrual cramps, easing labor pains, and boosting your concentration, to name a few.

• Essential oils have fewer interactions with traditional drugs. This makes aromatherapy a perfect complementary treatment. A complementary treatment is simply a treatment used in conjunction with another. Say you are receiving treatment for a root canal or sprained ankle- you can also support these treatments with additional aromatherapy applications.

• There is a nice ease of use involved with oils. You have many options. Essential oils can be infused in incense or candles, inhaled, used in the shower or bath or for a massage. You can use oils in room sprays, sitting water bowls, pillows, lotions, and so much more. In some cases oils can even be ingested – although, never try this without the advice of a professional aromatherapist, or other health care provider.

• Aromatherapy experts and advocates agree that by using aromatherapy you can boost your overall well being, and balance your body, energy, and mind.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about essential oils in more detail.

Among other places, you can visit Jennifer Chait at Offbeat Homes, Slices of Green, Network Blogging Tips, and Tree Hugging Family.

(photo via SXC.hu)

Tags: womens health blog, womens health, women, woman, health, aromatherapy, essential oils, alternative medicine, complementary medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, CAM, jennifer chait, lively women, kristen king