Aromatheraphy for Natural Health: An A-Z Guide to Essential Oils, Wellbeing and Natural Therapies

By Judith White and Karen Downes

Aromatherapy for Natural Health is an ideal and comprehensive source of reference for every home. Safe and effective remedies will assist in the relief and prevention of a number of common ailments, from acne and arthritis to varicose veins and warts.

The easy to follow, alphabetical format identifies essential oils, methods of use, and ailments, and assists you in using the healing force of nature at home and in the workplace. Complementary natural therapies which work in harmony with aromatherapy are also included. Discover a wealth of optimum natural health options.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Jun 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452502106

Judith White

Judith White is a winner of the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Centenary Award, and twice winner of the Auckland Star Short Story Competition. A collection of short stories, Visiting Ghosts, was shortlisted for the New Zealand Book Awards, and her first novel, Across the Dreaming Night, was shortlisted for the Montana New Zealand Book of the Year. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Book preview

Aromatheraphy

for

Natural Health

Judith White and Karen Downes

BalboaLogoBCDARKBW.ai

Aromatherapy is a natural therapy and a form of complementary medicine, however, it is strongly recommended that one should always consult a doctor before replacing any existing medication with an aromatherapeutic treatment. If you have any doubts about your health, consult your doctor before you embark on any treatment.

This book is not intended as a medical reference book. The information it contains is general, not specific to individuals. Do not attempt self-treatment for serious or long-term problems without consulting a qualified practitioner.

The authors and publishers disclaim all responsibility for any adverse reaction caused by inappropriate use, or poor quality essential oils.

Copyright © 1997, 2011 Judith White and Karen Downes

The moral right of the authors has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

1-[phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-0206-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-0210-6 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Balboa Press rev. date: 6/10/2011

Editing by Rachel Eldred

Text Photography by Elizabeth Dobbie

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

Epilogue

Bibliography

Making The Right Choice

Take Good Care

Discover More About Aromatherapy

For Additional Information

About the Authors

Also by the Authors

Aromatherapy for Scentual Awareness

Aromatherapy for Lovers and Dreamers

Aromatherapy for Men

Aromatherapy for Meditation and Contemplation

Aromatherapy for Scents and Sensuality

We dedicate this book to all who

have journeyed with us

on our Aromatic adventures.

Acknowledgements

Katerina Lettas for overseeing the project. A special thanks to our researcher and editor, Rachel Eldred, and the whole Nacson clan for never losing their sense of humour.

Introduction

Have you ever had an incredible idea that you had to act upon? Whenever you’d mention it to anyone, they’d say yeah, what a great idea, I love it! And then life gets in the way and you put your idea on the backburner, dabbling with it every now and again but never quite getting it done.

Aromatherapy For Natural Health was one of those ideas. We’d always wanted to compile a book where an A-Z of oils, ailments and complementary therapies could be found in one easily accessible guide. It would be a simple, easy-to-use guide, enabling the reader to quickly decide for him/herself an appropriate choice towards bringing greater balance into their lives. It would be a resource for the home that everyone could use. Now, at last, Aromatherapy for Natural Health has become a reality.

What makes this book particularly valuable is that we’ve explored the extensive world of Aromatic healing and also covered the wonderful world of complementary therapy. We believe that combining aromatherapy with an appropriate complementary therapy will make the best possible contribution towards optimum health.

When it comes to achieving optimum wellbeing, there are two universal laws that promise a healthy start: a well balanced diet and exercise. The laws governing good health are no great secrets. Even if we choose not to abide by these laws we are inherently aware of them. After a well balanced meal, or 30 minutes of moderate exercise, our whole being seems to lift and glow a healthy radiance. On the other hand, if we eat a less nutritious meal after sitting around in front of the television all day, our radiance seems to drop and we have less energy.

While exercise and a well balanced diet are important factors in a healthy lifestyle so too is adopting a positive attitude towards stress. Stress is a part of everyone’s life and while some of us can’t seem to live with it, we certainly can’t live without it. A certain amount of stress in our lives enables us to achieve goals or initiate and fulfill dreams (we certainly wouldn’t have completed this book if this weren’t the case!). It’s how we handle stress that is important. If we allow it to become too great, our health is compromised: many doctors today recognise a correlation between stress and ill health. The best way to handle stress is to listen carefully to that small voice within that’s telling you exactly what it needs, ie learn to follow your intuition.

Throughout the ages, intuition was the primary force when it came to health care. Whenever an individual fell ill they would trust their own intuition, or that of a local healer, to let them know which berry to chew, or drink to brew, to promote healing.

Modern society now has the best of both worlds when it comes to health: medical science and Mother Nature’s pharmacy. We do not trivialise the role medical science plays in our lives for it certainly has its place. Having said that we shouldn’t ignore our own inner knowing when it comes to healing either. Optimum wellbeing incorporates a healthy balance between intuitive knowing and professional know-how.

Aromatherapy for Natural Health has been written to re-kindle this approach to healing, encouraging you to better understand the individual needs and wants of your body. When it comes to healing, allow your intuition to influence you toward making appropriate health care choices.

In ancient China, physicians and healers were hired only when their patients were well. If a patient fell ill, payment was withdrawn. Thus it was in the physician’s best interest to ensure the patient’s wellbeing.

If a physician observed that a patient was inappropriately dressed in cold weather, the patient would be advised to put some warmer clothes on and swallow a particular berry, known to assist in the prevention of colds and flu. This was an effective form of preventative medicine. Today, with a far greater understanding of the science of aromatherapy and other complementary therapies, we recommend you explore the possibilities presented by regular use of these efficacious treatments as valuable health insurance.

As you prevent the wheels falling off your car, or the roof of your home collapsing, so too should you prevent your health deteriorating. Neglect often has serious and long term ramifications.

Aromatherapy for Natural Health has been designed for easy reference. First, flick through the A-Z guide to ailments for general information about your particular concern then check with the A-Z of essential oils for information about the specific oils recommended. Following this you can refer again to the list of ailments to see how best to use each specific oil to assist healing. Finally, the complementary therapy chapter provides a summary of some of the most efficacious natural therapies available today. A list of conditions each natural therapy has shown to have a positive effect upon is also included. (See back of book for Natural Therapy Associations and Societies.)

We do not profess to be medical practitioners, or to have all the answers to every ailment. We strongly advise you to consult your chosen health practitioner on those occasions when you may not be 100 per cent confident about a diagnosis. In this way you can ensure that your self-diagnosis gets the benefit of a second opinion.

Here it is, your companion to wellbeing. If we had realised how much fun it would be and what fascinating insight it would offer, we may not have taken so long to bring the idea into fruition. But in the immortal words of John Lennon, Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.

CHAPTER ONE

The Aromatic Wardrobe

1

The Aromatic Wardrobe

The power of smell is beautifully highlighted in the book Perfume by Patrick Süskind. Readers are taken on a fascinating and poignant journey through one man’s experience with the sense of smell: his sense is so acute that he can literally smell the essence of everything around him. So if he was to come and enjoy breakfast at your house, he’d be able to smell the coffee bubbling on the stove as well as the tart smell of lemon meringue pie you had baked in the oven two days previously. As well as these smells, he’d be able to identify your own special fragrance, too.

While Patrick Süskind may have imagined this story into creation, its sheer brilliance lies in its realism. After all, everything that exists in this world has an essence; this is what gives things their smell. Some essences are strong, rose for example, others more subdued, like apples.

We are able to extract smells, or aromas, from the leaves, stems and flowers of plants, shrubs and herbs through their volatile oil. This and the fact that they are insoluble in water is what gives them their name, i.e. essential oils.

Essential oils differ from fragrant oils in that they are not chemically constituted by humans. Essential oils are the working tools of aromatherapy, and for aromatherapy to have therapeutic benefits you must be sure you are using Mother Nature’s gifts; not human-made imitations.

With the use of essential oils, aromatherapy can have an effect on all the different systems of our body: skin, circulation, muscles and joints, respiratory system, digestive system, reproductive system and endocrine system. Most oils will have qualities that overlap with other oils, although no two oils are alike.

Essential oils enter our body via two routes: skin and breath. They then enter the blood, transporting the oils throughout the entire body so they can either