History Of Aromatherapy Massage

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. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates used aromatherapy baths and scented massage. He used aromatic fumigations to rid Athens of the plague.

The modern era of aromatherapy dawned in 1930 when the French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse coined the term aromatherapy for the therapeutic use of essential oils. He was fascinated by the benefits of lavender oil in healing his burned hand without leaving any scars. He started investigating the effect of other essential oils on healing and their psychotherapeutic benefits.

During World War II, the French army surgeon Dr. Jean Valnet used essential oils as antiseptics. Later, Madame Marguerite Maury elevated aromatherapy as a holistic therapy. She started prescribing essential oils as remedies for her patients. She is also credited with the modern use of essential oils in massage.

What is Aromatherapy Massage

Aromatherapy means “treatment using scents”. It is a holistic treatment of caring for the body with pleasant-smelling botanical oils such as rose, lemon, lavender, and peppermint. The essential oils are added to the bath or massaged into the skin, inhaled directly, or diffused to scent an entire room. Aromatherapy is used for the relief of pain, care for the skin, alleviate tension and fatigue and invigorate the entire body. Essential oils can affect the mood, alleviate fatigue, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. When inhaled, they work on the brain and nervous system by stimulating the olfactory nerves The essential oils are aromatic essences extracted from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, bark, grasses, and seeds with distinctive therapeutic, psychological, and physiological properties, which improve and prevent illness.

How Does It Work

Doctors have found that a life without fragrance can lead to a high incidence of psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression. We have the capability to distinguish 10,000 different smells. It is believed that smells enter through cilia (the fine hairs lining the nose) to the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls our moods, emotions, memory, and learning Studies with brain wave frequency have shown that smelling lavender increases alpha waves in the back of the head, which are associated with relaxation. The fragrance of Jasmine increases beta waves in the front of the head, which is associated with a more alert state.

Benefit Of Aromatherapy Massage

• Stimulates the lymphatic system
• Deep relaxation thus healing
• Rejuvenates and refreshes the body
• Digestive problems
• Sleeping disorders
• Stress-related conditions

Precautions:

• Heart problems
• Progressive neural disorder
• Postoperative states
• Severe varicose veins
• High blood pressure
• Epilepsy

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