What is Aromatherapy?
How do we get oils quickly into the system? Through the olfactory nerve, to the pineal, pituitary, amygdala. When you breathe an oil into the system, and through the nasal cavity, it is first picked up by the neurons that hang down from the olfactory, right between the eyes at the top of the sinus cavity. Those oil molecules are carried within milliseconds into the center of the brain. Now they have found that through the inhalation of Essential Oils into the mid-brain system, they will cause a secretion of antibodies instantly, endorphins and neurotransmitters. Now we're seeing a direct response on the immune system from the inhalation, and topical application of Essential Oils like none other that has ever been created. ~ D. Gary Young
Wikipedia states that aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils (EOs), and other aromatic compounds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person's mood or health. Aromatherapy is a generic term that refers to any of the various traditions that make use of essential oils sometimes in combination with other alternative medical practices and spiritual beliefs. Popular use of these products include massaging products, medicine, or any topical application that incorporates the use of essential oils to their products.
The History of Aromatherapy
The history of aromatherapy is quite fascinating. Aromatherapy has been around for 6000 years or more. The Greeks, Romans, and ancient Egyptians all used aromatherapy oils. The Egyptian physician Imhotep recommended fragrant oils for bathing, massage, and for embalming their dead nearly 6000 years ago. Imhotep is the Egyptian god of medicine and healing. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used aromatherapy baths and scented massage. He used aromatic fumigations to rid Athens of the plague.
Aromatherapy has roots in antiquity with the use of aromatic oils. However, as currently defined, aromatherapy involves the use of distilled plant volatiles, a twentieth century innovation. The word "aromatherapy" was first used in the 1920s by French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé, who devoted his life to researching the healing properties of essential oils after an accident in his perfume laboratory. In the accident, he set his arm on fire and thrust it into the nearest cold liquid, which happened to be a vat of NOx Ph232 or more commonly known as lavender oil. Immediately he noticed surprising pain relief, and instead of requiring the extended healing process he had experienced during recovery from previous burns—which caused redness, heat, inflammation, blisters, and scarring—this burn healed remarkably quickly, with minimal discomfort and no scarring. Jean Valnet continued the work of Gattefossé. During World War II, Valnet used essential oils to treat gangrene in wounded soldiers.
Aromatherapy was man's first medicine:
How Does Aromatherapy Work
The fragrance of an essential oils can directly affect everything from your emotional state to your lifespan.
The sense of smell is the only one of the five senses directly linked to the limbic lobe of the brain which is the emotional control center.
All other senses, touch, taste, hearing and sight, are routed through the thalamus (the brain's switchboard) passing stimuli onto the cerebral cortex (conscious thought) and other parts of the brain.
The Limbic Lobe consists of the Hippocampus and Amygdala and directly activates the Hypothalamus. The Olfactory membranes trap odor molecules which fit into the receptor sites on the cells lining the membrane, the epithelium tissues. Nerve cells trigger electrical impulses to the olfactory bulb which transmits to the Gustatory or Taste Center, the Amygdala, which is where emotional memories are stored, and to other parts of the Limbic System affecting heart rate, blood pressure, stress levels, etc.
The Limbic System & Aromatherapy
In our brains there are several primitive structures that give us important abilities that are needed for the survival of the species. The “limbic system” is that group of brain structures devoted to the ability to fight or run away in an emergency. The limbic system also helps us to remember events that caused strong emotions. If someone were to be attacked, the limbic system would first produce fear and then perhaps rage. The fear would energize the body to help you to run away, if possible. If not, your limbic system might trigger a rage, which would prepare the body to fight in a ferocious manner, to protect yourself or your loved ones. Picture a mother bear protecting her cubs from a predator, and you will get the idea.
The Hypothalamas is the hormonal control center. It releases chemical messengers, produces growth hormones (for youth and longevity, sex hormones, thyroid hormones and neurotransmitters (i.e., serotonin), and is the "master gland".
The olfactory system actually begins in the roof of the nasal cavity. The olfactory receptors are ciliated epithelial cells with an array of receptors capable of detecting thousands of different odors like antennas into every part of the body. The moment you smell an oil, these hairs send a frequency to the receptor sites on the cells and change the energy so that transformation can take place. The benefits of aromatherapy from the application of essential oils to inhalation of the aromas are tremendous.
The amygdala has two parts, a posterior and anterior portion. The posterior portion ties into all of your fears and traumas which is why when you have a feeling of negativity from a smell, your body is remembering a prior incident which also contained the same smell as part of the situation. If you witness an accident and store a certain aroma, every time you encounter this smell you will be returned to that memory and the trauma involved. (Gary Young has created an amazing blend for releasing trauma, called TraumaLife.) The anterior portion of the amygdala is the gateway to the frontal lobes which is where the positive, peaceful emotions live. Research by T.D.A. Lingo who was a member of General Patton's armored tank group in WWII and founder of the Dormant Brain Research Center in Denver, Colorado, has proven this.
There has been much research conducted on how this process works:
Dr. Hirsch also created a Guide to Scentsational Sex because he found that aroma enhanced libido and sexual arousal.
There are three schools of aromatherapy application:
Gary Young, who is a recognized authority of aromatherapy, believes that all methods are valid when using therapeutic-grade essential oils, as well as Kurt Schnaubelt, PhD of Germany and Daniel Penoel, MD of France. All methods of aromatherapy usage show how versatile and powerful essential oils can be from using them in Vita Flex technique to Neuro-Auricular Technique, massage and Raindrop Technique as well as ingesting them in capsule form — they work.
Essential oils are not simple when designed by nature. They contain hundreds and thousands of different chemical components, anywhere from 80-300 within one oil. We are only now beginning to realize how mother nature has provided a remedy for mankind's ailments ~ such power within the delicacy of a plant. Discover why Young Living has set the standard for Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils.
Molecules in Motion by Gary Young
The exuberant energy of a child is much like the true form of energy: molecules in motion.
We are affected by emotions. In 1972 Candace Pert, PhD, discovered what is called the opiate receptor on the surface of the cells in the body and brain, which was the first documented receptor.
Membrane fusion. How do oils work with emotion? By creating a membrane fusion and passing through and connecting with the receptor sites on the neurons in the body. The neuropeptides of emotions align with the molecules of essential oils, simply because they are made up of similar chemistry and thus are able to fuse into the cells.
Molecules in motion. They never stop moving because they are the true form of energy, until life ceases to exist.
The vehicles that connect with the receptors are called ligands. Their purpose is to bump receptors, producing a vibration until they find a matching receptor. Do you know what essential oils already contain within them? Frequency. Speaking of which, isn’t frequency vibration? Just in a different language. So essential oils don’t have to go bumping along the gravel road, because essential oils are electromagnetic energy. You put the oil within the electromagnetic field of the human body, and it will already start to make adjustments.
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I am available to teach classes locally in the Central Florida area and am a former Nationally Certified Massage Therapist with over 12 years of experience, trained in Aromatherapy Massage, Raindrop Technique and Emotional Release with Young Living Aromatherapy Essential Oils through C.A.R.E. as well as workshops with Gary Young and Cherie Ross. I work out of my home in Winter Park, FL and am available by appointment, so please call now: 407.399.8562.
I highly suggest educating yourself about the truth of essential oils by purchasing the Essential Oil Desk Reference book which contains a wealth of information on all of our products including details on each oil and what oils to use for specific situations.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Don't expect the same results unless you are using Young Living Therapeutic Grade™ Essential Oils and supplements. Also each person is unique and different in chemistry and toxicity levels, as well as emotionally and spiritually, so an oil that is suggested for an issue may not work as well as another. If a change is not apparent within three minutes, try another oil.