Aromatherapy as a Healing Art
Healing with aromatherapy and essential oil
Combining essential oils with intuitive and Swedish massage
techniques in the 1960s led to the contemporary practice of aromatherapy
as a healing art. Aromatherapy is a holistic, complementary health-care
discipline. The main treatment is full body massage, using essential
oils diluted in a base of vegetable oil. When you visit a qualified
aromatherapist, he or she will take a detailed case history covering
your medical history, lifestyle and emotional wellbeing, before
selecting appropriate essential oils for you.
The Healing Power of Touch
Although there are other important uses of essential oils, it is
human touch and essential oils that hold the essence of the healing art
of aromatherapy. The healing power of touch is instinctive in human
nature: we express affection, sexuality and other forms of non-verbal
communication using touch. We naturally rub our body for pain relief
when we hurt ourselves. And when we formalize that instinctive touch
into massage, it becomes a powerful healing tool.
One of the most important aspects of aromatherapy is that essential
oils are only applied by external means. It is illegal for a qualified
aromatherapist to suggest that a client ingest essential oils by mouth.
Although in France some medical doctors are trained to prescribe the
internal use of essential oils, this is a highly specialized aspect of
aromatherapy.
It has been scientifically demonstrated that the external application
of essential oils is in most cases more effective, and considerably
safer, than taking them internally. Thus the healing art of aromatherapy
lies in the hands of the therapist working in synchronicity with the
judicious choice of essential oils.

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