Re-Coloring Black Friday with Aromatherapy

BY Keoi Magill, ACHS Certificate in Aromatherapy Graduate

On Black Friday (November 26), we have less than a month until the presents will be unwrapped. With all the gifts to be purchased, parties to plan, cards to write and holiday cooking, we just don’t seem to have time to spend taking care of ourselves. You can dial down your holiday stress and achieve balance with aromatherapy. Here are a few simple and easy ways to sail through the holiday season.

Before you go out shopping put a few drops of lavender oil Lavendula angustifolia, on a cotton ball. Just breathe in the calming aroma whenever you need it. Another way is to add the lavender to 4 oz of distilled water and spray yourself with a fine mist. It will help reduce your stress and alleviate irritability.

Add a drop or two of peppermint oil Mentha piperita, to your favorite body lotion and rub it into your feet. It will help invigorate and refresh your tired feet and help with exhaustion.

Make a blend of bergamot Citrus bergamia, peppermint Mentha piperita, and cinnamon Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and diffuse on a lamp ring or ceramic diffuser throughout your home before a party. Not only will it help reduce your anxiety and nervousness, it smells festive and inviting.

When you are wrapping presents or writing out your holiday cards, diffuse or use a cotton ball with a few drops of rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis and neroli Citrus aurantium var. amara. These two oils are great together for mental clarity and to help ward off depression.

The holiday season doesn’t have to be black when you can open your crayon box of essential oils and in minutes color yourself balanced.

To learn more about aromatherapy and essential oils, download your free copy of "History of Aromatherapy" HERE.

*This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, prescribe, or cure. See you primary care physician before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine.

5 Essential Oils in 5 Minutes or Less: Our Top 5 Picks for Fall

If you could only pick five essential oils to use for the rest of your life, which would they be? Don’t worry … we can’t answer that question either! But we can recommend five of our favorite essential oils to keep on hand this fall. Here’s a snapshot introduction to our top five picks.

1. Cinnamon Cinnamomum zeylanicum has a spicy aroma and is considered a base to middle note. It blends well with frankincense, orange, and peppermint, forming a lovely seasonal scent. Medicinally, cinnamon has antiseptic, antispasmodic, and bactericidal qualities, making it an effective air purifier. Blend cinnamon with some of our other favorites (like clove, lavender, and peppermint) to create a room spray that’s both seasonal and germicidal.

2. Clove Syzygium aromaticum was an important commodity for the Greeks and Romans and was heavily traded. Clove bud oil has been shown to inhibit the production of free radicals and to have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Recent studies have highlighted its use especially for oral hygiene. Another good oil for travel! You can add 2 drops of the essential oil to 1 cup of water to make an on-hand mouthwash. For aromatherapeutic blends, clove imparts a fresh top note and blends well with bergamot, lavender, vanilla, and ylang ylang.

Read about our other picks--eucalyptus, tea tree Australia, and vetiver--in the October issue of our enewsletter, The Reporter. Download The Reporter HERE.

Help us spread the word about aromatherapy. Use the share button to email this article to a friend. Post a link to your Facebook. Send a tweet. And ... thanks!

*This information is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

International Fragrance Association wants to ban melissa, rose, oak moss, and bergamot

By Rhavda Cooper Emison

Today in the aromatherapy community we have a "call to arms" in facing another challenge with the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) due to the IFRA imposing more and more unfair, ungrounded regulations worldwide on what can and cannot be used in the perfume/fragrance world. Melissa, Rose, Oak Moss, and Bergamot are just a few of the essential oils that the IFRA wants to remove from our use in not only the perfume/fragrance industry but also in the aromatherapy world.

The IFRA is continuously and quickly taking away our rights and freedoms in choosing what natural products are best for us to use in our businesses. The loss of our rights and freedoms impacts all of us. Whatever IFRA's true agenda for removing our choices to grow, manufacture, and buy natural products is yet to be fully seen but the main causes are suspected to be power, money, and greed. IFRA is placing its interests above the interests of the community that it is supposed to protect.

According to Tony Burfield of CropWatch and Safety Advisor to NAHA, he used to support the IFRA until the time of the 40th Amendment. At that point, Tony believed that the IFRA started to put the interests of its composite career toxicologists over and above its function of a balanced safety policy-making unit for the fragrance industry based on the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials' (RIFM) research. The other point is that IFRA's large budget allows it to carry out a certain amount of research on essential oil toxicology and their findings and policies greatly influence safety legislators and officials throughout the world. Unfortunately there is no similarly-financed independent organization able to monitor or carry out counter-research where needed.

I have been involved with aromatherapy (AT) for over 25 years. I have seen many things come and go but I have been surprised by the tenacity and staying power of the IFRA with their current agenda. I expected them to go away after a while and leave the natural products/fragrance world alone but they haven't. Melissa (Melissa officinalis) essential oil is their latest victim on their "hit list" of essential oils to destroy.

Effect on the Entire Aromatherapy Community

In my opinion, the IFRA is smart in that they are going after the perfume/fragrance community first. This community has the most to lose from the ban on using certain essential oils (eos) along with other natural products. For this article, I will be in reference to only a few of the essential oils on the IFRA's "hit list" such as Rose, Melissa, Oak Moss, Bergamot, etc. By going after the community that has the most to lose, the IFRA will cause the biggest and harshest impact. With the removal of certain essential oils that have been used safely for centuries in the perfume/fragrance industry, the IFRA will cause it's biggest ripple effect in the supply chain yet. This ripple effect will trickle down to you and me when certain essential oils become unavailable for us to use in our AT businesses. If the perfume/fragrance industry decides to comply and bow down to the IFRA, then the IFRA will have successfully killed the perfumery/fragrance industry as we know it today. This, in turn, will create a vacuum in the demand for certain essential oils. Growers will quit growing certain herbs and flowers for the manufacturers to manufacture into essential oils and the suppliers then will be unable to purchase the essential oils for resale to the perfume/fragrance industry. That in turn, can put us all out of business, folks. No products, no industry. No money. You will have to find another job to earn your living. I, for one, don't want to do this. I have been an aromatherapist for too many years now to want to change professions. What about you? Are you willing to be forced into changing professions? I hope not.

What We Can Do

What can we do about this? Become pro-active. Support Tony Burfield and CropWatch, which monitor IFRA continuously. Write your congressman and senator. Tell them how you feel about the possibility of an EU organization putting you out of a job. Don't sit on your laurels and wait for someone else to do something. Become pro-active NOW and before it is too late. Take Action. Research. Read. This is your business. Do you want to LOSE IT? I think NOT! I am already Pro-Active but I am only one person. Come and join me in saving our Aromatherapy community. I can't do this alone and neither can NAHA nor any other aromatherapy organization. It will take all of us joining together to make a difference.

To learn more about the original announcement on the Unfair Treatment of Melissa Oil visit www.cropwatch.org. To learn more about Tony Burfield, click here.

Cropwatch Disclaimer
Cropwatch has presented information and formed opinions from what has been believed to be current and reliable sources. The data is supplied without warranty, expressed or implied, regarding the potential use of any materials described in these opinions. It is the users responsibility to determine the safe conditions for use of these materials, and to assume liability for loss, injury, damage of expense arising from their improper use.

Image © http://www.flickr.com/photos/cozymemories/3625573663

ACHS raises lavender awareness by sponsoring educational events

The American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) will host two educational events in July to raise awareness about the benefits of growing lavender and its applications.

Lavender Distillation on Sunday, July 12, 2009, will take place at Sherwood Lavender Farm, owned by ACHS Senior Vice President Erika Yigzaw. Participants will learn about the benefits of lavender for small agriculture and its many by-products. Master Distiller Robert Seidel from The Essential Oil Company and ACHS President Dorene Petersen will also lead a class about lavender distillation, including an introduction to essential oil and aromatherapy, the art and science of using volatile plant oils to promote health and relaxation. Lavender Distillation runs 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Call (503) 244-0726 for directions.

U-Pick Lavender on Friday, July 17, 2009, is an opportunity for the community to explore the ACHS Botanical Teaching Garden and to learn more about urban gardens. Visitors will also learn about the properties and holistic health applications of lavender while they harvest fresh lavender from the Garden ($6 per lavender bunch or 2 bunches for $10). U-Pick Lavender runs 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the ACHS campus in John’s Landing, 5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland.

The Lavender Distillation at Sherwood Lavender Farm on July 12 has a materials fee of $35. U-Pick Lavender on July 17 is free to attend. Both events require RSVP. Call (503) 244-0726 or email admissions@achs.edu to reserve your space.

For a complete list of community education events sponsored by ACHS, visit ww.achs.edu and click on Community Wellness Classes. The American College of Healthcare Sciences is the only DETC accredited, fully online college offering degrees, professional diplomas, and career-training certificates in Complementary Alternative Medicine.

Obama sees alternative medicine as a practical avenue for prevention

During an April 29 Town Hall meeting in Arnold, MO, President Barack Obama said, "We should do what works," expressing his openness to including complementary alternative medicine (CAM) in the U.S. healthcare system.

Obama went on to say, “I think it is pretty well documented through scientific studies that acupuncture, for example, can be very helpful in relieving certain things like migraines and other ailments—or at least as effective as more intrusive interventions.”

According to a press release on the Nutraceuticals World website, "The response followed a question posed by a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist, who asked the president how alternative medicine would fit into his new healthcare system."

The press release goes on to say:

"'I think one basic principle that we know is that the more we do on the prevention side, the more we can obtain serious savings down the road,” he added after commenting directly on acupuncture. President Obama also stressed the importance of changing the current logic of the healthcare system, which focuses only on reducing costs in the near-term.

“Reimbursement for healthcare provided by CAM practitioners not only would support the health of the public,” said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, MD, “it represents a significant opportunity for products used and prescribed by CAM practitioners and a major step forward in the development of an innovative and wellness-based healthcare system.'"

To read the original press release on the Nutraceuticals World website, click here.

Do-it-Yourself Skin Care a Must, Recipes for Health

Our bodies are comprised of up to 70% water. But, we still need to moisturize daily. Why? Moisturizing keeps water in our skin, and a good, natural moisturizer will also shield your skin from environmental irritants like dust, toxins, and winter weather.

To help keep water in, our bodies produce a natural moisturizer called sebum. But sebum is no longer enough. Most people don’t drink enough water, eat properly, or avoid pollution enough to not need an additional moisturizer.

Remember, even the best or most expensive moisturizers will fall short if you don’t drink enough water. Our skin draws moisture from our bodies, and without it, the skin dries, shrinks, and wrinkles with age. Water also flushes toxins from the system, which results in healthier body systems, and hydrates, which helps with concentration and stress relief.

CLICK HERE for more do-it-yourself natural skin care. Download the ACHS Holiday Recipe Book for personal use or include with your holistic health gifts this holiday season.

To make Body Moisture Oil:

Mix 90 ml of sweet almond oil and 5 ml of jojoba oil. Then add about 20 drops of your favorite essential oils. We suggest:

Pain Free Oil
Essential Oil of Lavender 10 drops
Essential Oil of Rosemary 8 drops
Essential Oil of Peppermint 4 drops
Essential Oil of Ginger 4 drops
Essential Oil of Black pepper 4 drops

Muscle Toner
Essential Oil of Grapefruit 8 drops
Essential Oil of Ginger 4 drops
Essential Oil of Lemon 3 drops
Essential Oil of Cypress 3 drops
Essential Oil of Juniper 2 drops

To print the Body Moisture Oil recipes CLICK HERE.

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