Aromatherapy is a complimentary and holistic natural therapy, using the healing properties of plants in the form of essential oils. Aromatherapy massage is a beautiful experience – it is relaxing while also igniting your senses as essential oils are used in the massage oil.
Bella is an experienced Aromatherapist who will choose a synergistic blend of essential oils specifically for you. Aromatherapy may be used for mind, body or spirit.
What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are concentrated natural essences from plants that are extracted through the process of steam distillation or cold expression of plant material such as flowers, leaves, grasses, trees, fruits and roots – from a single botanical source. Bella uses therapeutic/practitioner grade essential oils (Essential Therapeutics) – these are 100% pure and natural. Real essential oils are highly aromatic, making their application very enjoyable, and they are healing. These are not to be confused with fragrance oils or adulterated oils that have been labelled as essential oils, which have no therapeutic value.
Essential oils are highly versatile. In addition to therapeutic usage such as in using them in massage oil, baths, diffusers, compresses etc, they are also used in cleaning products, skincare products, perfume and food flavouring.
How do Essential Oils work?
Essential oils directly affect the limbic system in the brain via the olfactory nerves and therefore have an influence on our mind, mood, emotions and memory. They can be up to seventy times more concentrated than the original plant source, which means you only need a few drops to have an effect, and which also means you should not consume them as they can irritate the oesophagus and gastrointestinal tract.
Essential oils can be beneficial to different systems in the body such as the immune system, endocrine (hormonal), respiratory, digestive, reproductive, integumentary (hair/skin/nails) and urinary system. They make their way to these body systems by getting into the bloodstream via the skin (massage) and via inhalation.
Key Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage
Bella’s Aromatherapy massage is deeply relaxing and rejuvenating. Bella also works into those tense spots to ensure your muscles are restored to a relaxed state too. Aromatherapy massage is very calming for the nervous system which enables the body to work at its most optimum, giving the opportunity for it to repair itself, all the while the essential oils make their way into the bloodstream via the skin and lungs – to be distributed throughout the body systems to effect change. Essential oils also have a direct effect on the mind and emotions via the limbic system in the brain and can help increase concentration, or calm anxiety, uplift a person’s mood, increase happy feelings, or induce deep calm.
Specific essential oils will be chosen for you based on what you imbalance you would like to address. Aromatherapy massage may be beneficial for:
- Women’s health issues: PMS and menopause
- Stress and tension
- Digestive issues
- Muscular and general aches and pain
- Emotional issues – assists with anxiety, grief, depression, and irritability.
- Skin conditions – it is soothing internally (reduces stress and therefore inflammation in the body) and externally – e.g. on eczema, acne etc.
- Insomnia
- High blood pressure
- Headaches and migraines
- Boosts immunity – massage therapy puts our bodies in the “rest and digest” mode and therefore encourages our immune system to return to optimal levels (stress reduces immune activity). Plus many essential oils do have antibacterial, antiviral and antiseptic properties.
Aromatherapy as Integrative and Holistic Medicine
Aromatherapy can be used as a complimentary therapy to treat some physical ailments (such as headaches, digestive issues, women’s hormone imbalances, insomnia, muscular pain, fatigue, and skin disorders) or mind and mood issues (such as depression, anxiety, stress and grief).
It is best if the treatment is holistic and integrative, for example to bring long-term relief from chronic headaches/migraines a combination of regular aromatherapy massages (using essential oils with calming and analgesic properties) with a focus on head, neck and shoulder massage; looking at lifestyle – diet, caffeine intake, water intake etc, as well as some stress management techniques such as diffusing essential oils at home, meditation and yoga.
When it comes to holistic healing we view the body as always serving us and always working to be in a state of homeostasis – so if you are getting a symptom often, such as headaches, stomach pains, anxiety, pain in the body, then that is feedback from the body that there is an imbalance that needs addressing.
There are different application methods used in aromatherapy, including: massage, baths, inhalation, vaporisation, ointments, body and face oils, natural perfumes, and compresses.
Extensive knowledge is required to use a wide range of essential oils beneficially – and this is where knowing an aromatherapist is very helpful. Bella can help you get started with using aromatherapy with her practical advice (just ask at your next massage appointment) and the information provided on her blogs. You can buy therapeutic grades essential oils directly from Bella.
An aromatherapist may also provide remedies for the client to use at home such as particular essential oils to use in a diffuser/vaporiser/oil burner, in the bath, a foot bath, sitz bath (e.g. to treat UTI), hot or cold compresses (treats muscular aches, headaches and fevers), direct inhalation, steam inhalation (clears sinuses, treats a cold/flu/cough), topical application to treat a skin disorder (e.g. eczema or acne), and chest rubs (cough/cold/flu). Bella creates natural aromatherapy perfumes for her clients which also serve as a remedy – evoking certain emotions, or uplifting, or calming a person, as scent has such a powerful effect on the mind and emotions.
