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WHAT IS AROMATHERAPY AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

1)

The physical effects of the massage alone:
a) this is known to change levels of endorphins - our natural painkillers.
b) Hormone levels have also been shown to change.
c) The blood is diluted slightly because of the lymphatic drainage effect.
d) Muscles respond to the physical effects of the massage, and muscle spasms are prevented or removed.
e) Poor peripheral circulation is improved.
f) Touch sensors in the skin are affected and these pass messages to the brain.
g) Body energy flows may be stimulated by massage in a similar manner to acupuncture.
Therefore massage alone has enormous and clinically proven benefits. 2)

Essential oils used with the massage:
a) Can increase the heat in the superficial layers of the skin. This is invaluable when treating muscle stiffness, joint pains and sluggish circulation.
b) The fragrance of the essential oils has a potent effect on the emotional centres of the brain.
c) The inhaled essential oils have pharmacological effects such as helping ease breathing, acting as respiratory tract antiseptics, and other beneficial effects have been detected. 3)

The placebo effect:
This seems to be triggered much better with aromatherapy than with many other forms of treatment. The placebo effect is our most powerful in-built healing mechanism. It is so powerful that it can enable the body to cure itself of serious illnesses. Unfortunately, in complementary medicine the placebo effect tends to be looked on as a dirty word, rather than being recognised as our most potent healing mechanism.

To sum up: Aromatherapy with massage brings together several healing modalities for maximum therapeutic effect. The brain is bombarded with a mass of different signals from different sources. It brings a sense of being cared for and pampered which few other forms of treatment can approach. The use of essential oils is a vital part of the package. The great benefit of essential oils is that almost anyone can use them. Highly beneficial results can be obtained from self-use of essential oils.  Few oils are that dangerous in unskilled hands. Many aromatherapy writers are guilty of leading the public towards the self-use of some of our most dangerous essential oils. Therefore placing all your faith in so called ‘professional aromatherapists’ can be misguided. A few schools are good, but the majority are very poor indeed.

Essential oils do have accepted pharmacological actions:
Many are antibacterial and antifungal, but individual oils are not always reliable.
Several essential oils are powerful anti-inflammatory agents.

Many of their constituent chemicals have recognised medicinal activity.
Several essential oils still appear in national pharmacopoeias as medicinal agents. Eucalyptus and peppermint are the best examples. The internal use of essential oils can bring in another whole raft of pharmacological actions. However, this method of use is not generally advisable. See separate article on this.

How aromatherapy does not work. There is no sound scientific evidence that essential oils work by being absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream in clinically significant amounts. Indeed all the best evidence indicates that human skin presents an effective barrier to most essential oils. In reality, we probably get more essential oils into our body from foods such as curries; onions; garlic; flavoured drinks; chewing gum and even toothpaste than ever would get there from using essential oils in massage via the skin It does not work because essential oils represent the ‘life force of the plant’. This is poetic nonsense. Most essential oils are

cooked similar to foods, and therefore it is no different to saying your cabbage, potatoes, etc.

when cooked contain life force. In addition, essential oils are only a limited representation of the therapeutic compounds that occur in plants. The water-soluble components of plants, which can contain potent drugs, do not appear in the plants essential oil.