Introduction
Aromatherapy is an alternative form of medicine which has various modes of application. Aromatherapy is not only about the good smells and the massage, but has a high healing power both to the soul and the body.
It is widely accepted that plants are a great source of the medicine today, and time has proved that the plants have a healing power to the human body. Our fore-fathers used traditional ways of medication that proved to work very well, before the invention of the modern western medication that is currently in use.
This paper is going to look at the benefits of using aromatherapy today, its place in modern medicine today, the healing modality, and if aromatherapy can treat serious illnesses in the community today.
Aromatherapy is nothing more than a pleasantly scented massage
Aromatherapy is not only about smelling for healing but using essential oils to perform the therapy. (Snyder p.336). Aromatherapy massage is a perfect way to relax, using the essential oils which are absorbed by skin to give you a relaxing feeling. It not true that aromatherapy is nothing more than a pleasantly scented massage, but has a lot more benefits to the user. The user is relieved from stress, balances the moods of the user and gives you a wow feeling; it also boots the immunity of an individual as well as their respiratory and circulatory systems. Frequent aromatherapy enables the body fight diseases and infections too. It helps release or stop abdominal pains, indigestion, and coughs too. Psychological benefits are achieved when the aroma stimulates the brain to trigger reactions while a physical benefit is the aroma supplies therapeutic benefits when inhaled into the lungs.
Aromatherapy can be defined as the use of volatile plant oils for treatment, which has been discovered to work well when used appropriately. Physical and psychological benefits are achieved if the essential oils are inhaled. (Balch p.425).
Essential oils are purified from leaves, the tree stems, flowers, bark of the tree, roots, among other plant components. Absolutes are aromatic fluids which are said to be more concentrated, also used in aromatherapy. Aromatherapy helps people to relax and release stress, since the kind of life that people are living today is very involving thus people get stressed a lot. Everybody needs some aromatherapy to give them new strength or refresh them every now and then, and enable them to keep up with their busy lives. At the same time, aromatherapy gives one a better skin appearance and treats infected skin. Basically aromatherapy is an all around kind of treatment to the user that handles almost all your problems.
Martin says that essential oils can be used in severe cases, like helping to relieve swelling on lymph (p.209). They also help to do away with toxins, increase oxygen and nutrients.
The use of essential oils is to cure wounds, making your skin tone look good, gives you energy, relaxes the muscles, makes you sleep better, among other benefits that are going to be mentioned in the cause of this paper. A person is able to know smells of your body. Through smelling, the Limbic system found in the brain which is responsible for mood controls enhances the good feelings in a person. Essential oils like marjoram, basil, among others help the circulation system. Aromatherapy is also used traditionally to treat insect bites, reducing muscle pains as well as healing minor cuts to the body.
Cunningham states that, although scientist disagreed before, that aromatherapy works, now they are in total agreement that it really has a direct impact to the human brain. (p.8). For example the University of Miami School of medicine confirmed that use of aromatherapy and rosemary adds the ability to be alert, without being anxious. This is a positive indication that aromatherapy is a beneficial practice to the people in this modern society full of the modern western way of living and doing things.
A good massage can give the following benefits:
- improved metabolism
- speed up recovery
- removal of toxins
- enhances relaxation
- lessened aches
- renewed energy
- better skin tone
- reduces indigestion
The good smells have positive psychological impacts on the user, since they increase the defense system of the human body. When the oils are absorbed in the skin, the impact can be experienced for a period of one to two hours. Peppermint improves the mental ability and the individual is able to be more attentive thus make very few mistakes.
Aromatherapy has neither value nor place in modern medicine
Aromatherapy has a lot of value in the modern medicine, if not better, since we all depend on medicine to take our sickness away. Aromatherapy involves the healing of the whole body while modern medicine only treats symptoms of a disease. Aromatherapy is an alternative form of modern medicine. It does not substitute the modern medicine neither is it a threat. Both the two medicines work hand in hand together. The combination of aromatherapy and counseling, plus a nice smell in the background can do wonders to the patient. Both the aromatherapy and modern medicine can be used together to cure patients.
Ericksen says that for women, it could be very useful to use aromatherapy because it helps to cure menstrual pains, PMS among others and be able to relieve them of their pains, moods and lift their spirits. This can be achieved by just applying or bathing with the extracts.
During the times when a woman is menstruating, she may have abdominal pains as well as emotional or hormonal changes that make her to be moody. Aromatherapy is good because it eliminates the pain, gives a good feeling and relieves the moody feeling thus feeling better on those days. It is beneficial because she would not have to have medication to feel better or even go through the mood swing ordeal.
Snyder indicates that nurses have been certified to practice aromatherapy to treat their patients in hospitals, and has being seen to work very well. (Snyder p.9). This is to say that the hospitals have appreciated the use of aromatherapy and are using it on their patients, unlike before when it was thought just a traditional kind of treatment and was not accepted in the modern world. Aromatherapy enables the mind, soul and body function well, thus a quality upgraded health for the individual.
Modern hospitals are using aromatherapy to cure their patients of minor illnesses like depression. Aromatherapy is still significant today because doctors at certain times refer their patients to Aromatherapy type of treatment when they don’t respond to conventional medicine.
Balch continues to say that science has indicated that aromatherapy helps in the restoring the immune system. (Balch p.425). For example stress is a modern problem today in hospitals, homes and even in places of work Everybody is now using aromatherapy to heal or boost their moods in the homes. Advertisements about the benefits of aromatherapy are the order of the day. Doctors have encourages aromatherapy, yoga, among others, as a way of reducing stress and uplifting ones moods. Most doctors usually are not sure of how to handle an individuals’ stress hence resort to counseling which is part of aromatherapy. Aromas improves mood, reduces stress, give more energy, help relax and fall asleep easily.
Aromatherapy has no specific proof as a healing modality
Healing is a natural process by which the body repairs itself. It is a process of an individual wanting to get back to health.Physically, healing is a process by which cells in the body regenerate. Aromatherapy has proof as a healing modality like for example:
- Reflexology which is performed on the feet. It is believed that the feet has most of the nerves that when massaged relaxes the whole body and improves the circulation.
- Integrated energy therapy relieves anger and the feeling of resentment in a person. This modality also relieves anxiety, being scared, being afraid,
- Meditation – meditation is good too because it helps you focus on your inner strength, and only concentrate on your breathing but not your problems. This relieves the stresses that we go through every day.
- Therapeutic touch – this works with the body energy system to help balance it, relax you, reduces pain, being afraid and stress too. It makes you feel energized again.
- Massage – it is done using the essential oils to help relax a person. Massage relieves the whole body from pain, aches, and gives the individual a nice feeling of relieve.
There are other modalities that are used in the aromatherapists’ clinic that help to heal different needs of a person. The modalities are specific for the specific needs of the patient, for example the color therapy, chakra balancing, Reiki, among others.
There are hospitals that give its patients these kinds of treatments, like Chakra balancing, Reiki, and others. People value their lives and now prefer the aromatherapy kind of treatment and other modalities for treatment. Modern hospitals now embrace these modalities are a using them in the hospitals. (Jette, p.3). They are used on the patient according to the needs and illnesses. It is therefore not true that aromatherapy has no specific proof as a healing modality.
Aromatherapy has no role for treating serious illness
Aromatherapy is not capable of healing serious illnesses but it goes a long way in making a sick person feel better through the treatments that involve aromatherapy like curing minor sicknesses.
According to Keville, if aromatherapy combined with other modern ways of treatments, they are capable of curing serious illnesses. For instance cancer illness, chemotherapy can be prevented if one uses aromatherapy. (p.15). In cases whereby a person has gone to the doctors and it has been impossible for them to feel better, they may can use the aromatherapy and see if they feel better because there is no harm anyway. Talk is rife that essential oils may help to cure serious diseases although there little evidence to back that up. For example depression is a serious disease because it can kill. Aromatherapy can cure depression thus a good recommendation to the doctors, though the doctor’s advice should always be sought. This therapy cannot substitute the doctor’s medication or the modern medicine, no matter the power. It has being used since time in memorial but it has not yet proved to be effective enough to treat very serious illnesses or even prolong life of an individual. While using aromatherapy one should be aware of the limitations and have the knowledge how it should be used to avoid overdose or misusing them, which can cause harm to the user.
Aromatherapy is a perfect method of treating yourself because it lifts your spirits, nurtures you, and improves your moods very much. It is effective in dealing with stress, depression and its related disorders.
Holland mentions that aromatherapy used by most people to raise their spirits and cure them from stress and other mental problems. (Holland p.287). Depression is a larger term consisting of many problems and signs that can end up causing an individual more harm than anyone thinks. Although aromatherapy is not able to correct the start of the problem, it has the capability of raising ones emotions and making them feel better which makes the problem half way solved. When the depression is severe on the individual, it is obvious that they will need support from the aromatherapist to help them offload their problems and feel good again. Depression is all about the mind and aromatherapy knows how to treat that best because it relaxes you, gives you energy and the ability to sleep.
Conclusion
In conclusion, research on how to use and incorporate aromatherapy and modern medicine should be done so that people are able to get their healing better and without having to take the tablets, which at times make someone feel really bad.
Attention needs to be given to the traditional Chinese medicine, especially by the modern doctors so that they increase their knowledge on herbal treatment, and be able to advice their patients accordingly, and avoid complications. (Snyder p.334). Aromatherapy is a healthy practice and there is no harm in practicing it on your own or a specialist doing it for you.
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