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An expert's explanation as to why aromatherapy can be effective. . Zen Living Episode “Aroma Therapy” Nicole: Lavender, citronella, eucalyptus what are they? Those are just some of the popular plant oils used in aromatherapy. Aromatherapy, essential oil or snake oil? We will find out in this episode of Zen living. This is Lisa Richardson owner of whole body studio and she is here to tell us about aromatherapy. Hey Lisa. Lisa: Hi, how are you? Nicole: I am great thank you so very much for having us here. Am very interested to know what is aromatherapy? Because just thought it was something that is in candles and bath salts. Lisa: On the therapy is simply the use of plant essential oils and volatile oils to improve mental and physical well-being. Nicole: So it is more than just smelling nice and being pleasant? There is actually benefits to aromatherapy? Lisa: There are a lot of really wonderful studies that have been done about aromatherapy. There are studies that show that Lavender, which is a really relaxing oil, Can actually increase the alpha waves in your brain, which gives you a sense of calmness. There are some studies which show that aromatherapy can increase the white blood cell content, which increases your defenses. Nicole: Can there ever be any harm with using essential oils? Lisa: Essential oils are very strong. The oil term is misleading, they actually come from leaves, and the bloods, and the bark. They are little scent sacks that plants have. When we distill them down they are 75 to a hundred times stronger than on the plant. So they can be irritating to the skin. When we use them, they are using about a 2% ratio a 2% oil to carrier oil. Nicole: What is a carrier oil? Lisa: Carrier oil is a unscented oil that is usually used in massage, almond oil or another oil that it is mixed with and it is used in a massage to spread over the skin. Nicole: Before we came here we had a little talk about some oils that might be helpful for me and is that what we have here? Lisa: We put together a recipe for you. So the recipe that I put together is addresses allergies and addresses some of the hecticness going on in your life. So there are four essential oils that I have put in here. The first one I put in is mint, mint can help with headaches and it is energizing. The other one I put in your recipe is Ylang Ylang. Ylang Ylang is again a very ancient plant it is like Ylang Ylang and Lavender are kind of the thorozine of the aromatherapy world to me. Nicole: Say that word again, Thorozine? What is that? Lisa: It is a really strong sedative that they give people when they are just essentially out of control. Trust me it will calm anyone down, but this is not that strong or in that fast. The interesting thing about Ylang Ylang, what people do not know is it is the top note in Chanel number five. So if you smell it you can smell that it is there. Nicole: It is a very popular scent; we have a lot of very serene folks out there. Lisa: The next essential oil that I put in was I put in rosemary oil. Rosemary is a decongestant, it is calming and it has antibacterial properties to it. Nicole: I love rosemary in cooking. Sigh cannot imagine not loving it in aromatherapy. Mmm, such a great smell. Lisa: The last thing that we put in is Lavender. And I think people are really familiar with Lavender. It has so many tranquilizer effects; it does so many good things to help people relax. People don't, very few people dislike it so it is easy to use it a lot of places. Nicole: Once we mix all these together what do we get? Lisa: What we can do with this, this is going to be used in a massage. You can use it on your skin or in a massage. Or you can put drops, the drops in bathwater. Like I said earlier you can put it in a cup of boiling water and it will make the house smell good. So if you put it in a carrier oil like this and it is put onto your body then it is actually absorbed into your system. And if you smell it, it is absorbed in a different way. Nicole: Are there some people that shouldn't use aromatherapy? Lisa: Well most people can use some form of aromatherapy. There is some conditions where you would not want to use it. If you have broken skin or a rash you would not want to use it topically. People that have a compromised immune system, or that are ill, or that have chemotherapy should talk to their physician first. You would not use it in the first trimester of pregnancy, just because it is such a important time and they are so many unknowns. Nicole: How would you feel about the second or third trimester? It would probably be really good then for a pregnant person. Lisa: Usually you use a little bit lower concentrate and there are some oils that are great. Ginger helps with morning sickness and mint helps with nausea, it gives you a little energy. Lavender is calming, pregnant women love aromatherapy with their massage. Nicole: Are there any other risks involved? Is there anything I should be concerned about? Lisa: Just like anything you want to use it with caution, and you want to use it with common sense. You do not put the oils directly on your skin. They are some things that are sensitizing. Nicole: Nicole: Are there any sort of oils that we do not have that you would like to talk about? Lisa: We do not have sandalwood out today. And sandalwood is a wonderful calming scent that a lot of men use. Geranium is also relaxing and tranquilizing, so there are different oils that everyone responds to in a different way. Nicole: Well they certainly smell wonderful, and it is good to know that they can be effective at treating certain ailments. So the next time you reach for that bug spray that can have DEET or other strong chemicals. Why do you not consider citronella or other essential oils? They are totally natural and can be just as effective. Many thanks to you Lisa for all of your wonderful oils. Lisa: Your welcome and thank you for letting us talk about this. Nicole: I am Nicole Tomlinson and from all of us at Zen living thank you so much for watching and we will see you next time. Peace.