Aromatherapy: Alternative Medicine

Aromatherapy is when one uses natural oils that are extracted from plants such as flowers, leaves, roots, stems and other various parts of plants. These essential oils are used by either inhaling the aroma from them or absorbing the essential oil through the skin into the blood system (The Balance & Harmony of Body and Mind). Aromatherapy is said to help the body in both psychological and physical aspects from increased cognitive development, pain relief, mood enhancement, and overall whole body healing (NAHA). Aromatherapy is a growing alternative medicine just like massage therapy.

Aroma therapy has been speculated to have significant positive effects for calming throughout medical history. It has been known in alternative medicine to reduce anxiety, stress, and even ease physical pain. Although aroma therapy has been used in alternative medicine for decades, it is unclear what effect it has on the heart physically. What effects does aroma therapy have on the heart and what specific heart intervals are effected? How do these increments coincide with lowering heart rates and reducing stress? If the use of aroma therapy is proven effective, it may help generations of patients manage pain and stress. With future research in physiology and aroma therapy there could be a correlation found with neurotransmitters and what

Essential oils used in aromatherapy are made from the parts of the plant that contain an aroma. Depending on the plant, this could be the leaves, bark, seeds or fruit, or a combination of several.

Essential oils have been used for countless different practices for thousands of years. Different plant species provide extracts that are used to create the endless variations of essential oils available today. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when essential oils were first used, but experts suggest that they have been used since the days of Mesopotamia, as early as 4500 BC. Egyptians, some of the earliest users, used cedar wood oil for embalming and hygiene purposes. More importantly, essential oils are full of fragrance. They have been known to be used for perfumes, incense, religious ceremonies, medicinal care, beauty care, food preparation and preservation, and many more uses in cultures all over the world. “Essential oils are complex mixtures of fragrance and flavor substance originating in plants.” (Bauer and Garbe 1985). Common examples include: lavender, peppermint, frankincense, lemon, and eucalyptus.

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that focuses on the use of essential oils and other aromatic compounds. Essential oils are extracted from volatile plant materials and have the chemical properties to alter cognition, mood, and even health. There is not a great body of scholarly literature available on the efficacy of this treatment, but recent studies point to essential oils having some therapeutic properties and certain suggest additional research (Edris, 2007). Historically, aromatherapy has been used since ancient times, and distilled oils since about the 11th century. The method came to the forefront in modern times in the early 20th century, was used by the French in World War II. Modern studies link scent to a variety of effects, but the number of variables and cofactors make it difficult to actual pin point physiological effects. However, chemical analysis of essential oils do show that there are a number of anti-bacterial and chemical processes enhanced by aroma or massage with essential oils (Soden, et.al., 2004;

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “aromatherapy” is the inhalation or bodily application (as by massage) of fragrant essential oils (as from flowers and fruits) for therapeutic purposes. Many individuals believe there’s an important debate as to whether aromatherapy exhibits health benefits or if it’s used solely for profit. Aromatherapists advocate the physical and psychological benefits from the essential oils such as reduction of pain and anxiety and enhancement of short-term memory and many others. Others say there’s no effect.

A body spa message is one of the best things that can contribute to overall well-being and fitness. The full body massage includes rubbing and manipulating of the body. Professionals target some particular points of the body to release pain and stress. They are well familiar with the massage techniques and they know calm down the body with perfect massage system. Whether you are a normal person or body builder, you should choose a right message service according to your body type and other health conditions. People who are involved in some physical activities and sports, etc. should go for deep tissue massahe.

Aromatherapy is useful in more ways you can imagine. It can help you relax, it can help you cope with and treat certain ailments, it has been proven to be helpful in some patients suffering from mental illnesses such as dementia or depression. The use of essential oils (they are in the aromatherapy section) has been proven to be helpful in many areas such as treating skin and hair conditions and much

Aromatherapy is the practice of using the volatile oils from plants for therapeutic wellbeing. Used by many ancient cultures, with the first discovery dating back more than 6000 years ago in Iraq. The name aromatherapy was created by the French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse (1881-1950) whilst studying and working in his family’ perfumery business. Similar in nature to herbs, they have complex chemical components that can stimulate the body to trigger a healing response. These essential oils can be utilised in massage, inhalations, compresses, added to baths and used for toxic free cleaning.

Alternative medicines are a healing practice that are not in the guidelines for conventional medicines. There are multiple alternative medicines, such as herbalism, reiki holistic therapy, and aromatherapy. Herbalism is a practice that uses plants and plant extracts. Reiki holistic therapy is a practice that is spiritual. Aromatherapy is the extracted rich-scented oils from a certain plant. The natural ingredients, the cost effective, and the effectiveness of the medicine and length it takes for the medicine to be effective is what makes alternative medicines a great source of medicine.

It is said that the scent of essential oils can improve the mental and physical well-being of a person and using them in aromatherapy can creates a holistic synergy of the mind, spirit, and body. Today, aromatherapy is gaining popularity as a method of alternative treatment with many people aiming for a healthier lifestyle and searching for natural

Alternative medicine is used all around the world in various forms. Some applications are acupuncture, salt treatments, reiki, aromatherapy, and magnet therapy. These treatments can be used for various ailments such as: chronic pain management, illnesses, stress relievers, respiratory problems, and skin conditions. As a pre-med student I am curious why these medicine alternatives are used as treatment methods. Although some of these alternative treatments have been used for thousands of years, how do we know for certain they are effective? Is alternative medicine an acceptable treatment option?

There are as much traditional medicinal techniques as there are diverse cultures in the world. Which is great news, because it would simply mean that people wishing to use alternative medicine as a way to heal themselves would have the luxury to choose, the ones that better meet their expectations, or the ones they believe work the best, as well as the ones that can fit their lifestyles, because, let’s face it, most people would rather look for an easy-to-follow technique that can be done at home and without necessarily making an appointment with a professional therapist.

Does Alternative medicine hold any merit in terms of relieving or curing health conditions, especially chronic health problems?

Alternative Medicine, how modern is it, how effective can it really be, and lastly, does it actually work? Alternative medicine is a non-traditional form of medicine composed of a broad range of healing techniques and treatments, usually consisting of non-drug medicine based interventions. Treatments can range anywhere from therapeutic approaches, philosophic ideas, dieting, meditation methods, acupuncture, homeopathy, and aromatherapy, amongst others. The idea of this new paradigm of health care, alternative medicine, also known as integrative medicine, is the reparation of the body as a whole, not solely focusing on the treatment and healing process of a specific medical problem, rather, concentrating on an overall well-being and optimal mental health.