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How scent can help you change your life's outlook
by Roger Smithe
http://www.healthofman.com
Scented candles are now in all the shops and as everyone
appreciates going into a pleasant smelling house, the
concept of improving our homes through these simple, cheap
(relatively) but effective means is one that appeals to
most of us. It has long been proved that the right smells
can influence our thoughts. That's why supermarkets inject
the right smells to make us buy products and why pleasant
smells in a property will make it more appealing if you are
trying to sell. Although this may not be aromatherapy in
the real sense of the word it is still the use of scent for
advantageous purposes.
The actual definition of aromatherapy is the breathing in
or bodily use of essential oils that have been made from
plants. They are designed to make us feel balanced,
restored or rejuvenated and they can heighten the mind,
body or spirit. It is not only flowers that can make these
oils; they can also be made from the seeds, roots, barks,
twigs and rinds of the plants. They work by stimulating the
immune system thus helping it to heal the body.
Aromatherapy is so personal that one oil can be right for
one person and completely wrong for another with the same
condition but might cure them of a different complaint.
There are, in fact, instances of an oil working well at one
time of the day and not at another. In short, it's very
dependent on mood and surroundings.
Aromatherapy is used through massage, cosmetically or
through the nose (olfactory) but the key thing to remember
is to reduce the concentration of the essential oil by
mixing it either with a carrier oil or with water. The
carrier oils are simple oils like, sweet almond, avocado,
cocoa butter, grapeseed, olive or even sunflower oil and
each oil has a different quality that may or may not appeal
to its user.
Massage aromatherapy benefits the client in two ways,
firstly the healing, soothing massage and then the added
benefit of the essential oils. When used for cosmetic
purposes the oils are combined with skin or hair care
products and olfactory aromatherapy brings the essential
oils into the body through breathing them in. The oils are
usually placed in a small dish, mixed with water and heated
above a candle or light bulb and the odours given off help
to relax the body and mind.
Written evidence of the use of aromatherapy goes back to
ancient Egypt times and shows the use of plants and oils
for ceremonial, medicinal and cosmetic purposes and were
the reason for many of the most profitable trade routes in
the world.
Aromatherapy is thought by many to not only be an ancient
form of healing, but also a simple approach to use with
modern advances. The best aromatherapists will thoroughly
understand the complexities of essential oils, the best
combinations and effective ways to apply them.
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