Aromatherapy is an ancient therapeutic treatment that aims to relieve stress and enhance psychological and physical wellbeing, using volatile plant oils, known as essential oils.

Aromatherapy oils are pure essences extracted or distilled from plants. Flowers, fruit, bark, leaves, roots, resins and seeds of many herbs, shrubs and trees are used to produce aromatic oils, each with their own unique combination of healing properties. Some oils are used for their regulating effects on the nervous and hormonal systems, and some for their beneficial effects on the functioning of bodily systems. Some oils have, for example, a powerful antiseptic action, while others act as natural painkillers.

Oil blends and applications are designed to treat the whole person by supporting our bodies’ natural ability to balance, heal and maintain themselves.

Regular aromatherapy treatments can help to strengthen our immune systems, assisting in prevention, rather than the cure, of ill-health.

How Does It Work?

The aromatic molecules in essential oils are so tiny that they easily pass through the skin into the bloodstream, which circulates them throughout the body. Whilst the most common means of applying the oils to the skin is through massage – using a few drops of essential oils mixed in a ‘carrier’ oil such as sweet almond, grapeseed or sunflower – they are also used in compresses for some conditions, or added to baths. Because they are highly concentrated, only a small quantity of essential oil is required to be effective.

The molecules are also administered through inhalation. They are inhaled through the nose and transmitted to the part of the brain which influences the nervous and hormonal systems, and which is connected to higher functions such as memory and emotional behaviour.

You will of course receive benefits this way during an aromatherapy massage, or whilst enjoying a bath to which oils have been added, but sometimes direct inhalation from a tissue or pillow is recommended, or using a diffuser to spread the molecules around a room.

When high quality essential oils are used correctly, the combination of attractive aromas, massage, relaxing baths and creams or lotions can work to balance, heal and maintain your physical and mental well-being.

Aromatherapy does not cure conditions, but can help the body to find a way to heal itself and improve immune response.

Health Benefits From Aromatherapy Treatments

Aromatherapy can be beneficial for a wide range of individuals and problems, including:-
-Relieving pain in muscles and joints
· Relaxing muscles
· Stimulating the immune system
· Improving circulation
· Triggering the release of neurochemicals which have a relaxing, sedative,    stimulating or euphoric effectand has been found to be particularly helpful in stress-related symptoms such as
· Skin problems
· Poor digestion
· Disturbed sleep
· Low energy
· Anxiety

Aromatherapy can help to release physical, mental and emotional stress (or dis-ease).
Acute stress sometimes manifests in hyperventilation leading to conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, panic attacks, mood swings, nervousness and anxiety.
The deep relaxation that aromatherapy offers, can help to regulate the breathing process, assisting the nervous and hormonal systems to return the body to its ideal state, known as “homeostasis”.

BUT YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE ILL TO BENEFIT FROM AROMATHERAPY!

An aromatherapy treatment with a qualified and experienced practitioner is a real tonic to the system, helping you to sleep peacefully, increase your vitality and boost your immune system