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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 through
stimulation of 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. There are about 150 essential
oils. Most of these oils have antiseptic properties; some are antiviral,
anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, antidepressant and expectorant.
Other properties of the essential oils which are taken advantage
of in aromatherapy are their stimulation, relaxation, digestion
improvement, and diuretic properties. To get the maximum benefit
from essential oils, it should be made from natural, pure raw materials.
Synthetically made oils do not work.
Aromatherapy is one of the fastest growing fields
in alternative medicine. It is widely used at home, clinics and
hospitals for a variety of applications such as pain relief for
women in labor pain, relieving pain caused by the side effects of
the chemotherapy undergone by the cancer patients, and rehabilitation
of cardiac patients.
Aromatherapy is already slowly getting into the mainstream.
In Japan, engineers are incorporating aroma systems into new buildings.
In one such application, the scent of lavender and rosemary is pumped
into the customer area to calm down the waiting customers, while
the perfumes from lemon and eucalyptus are used in the bank teller
counters to keep the staff alert.
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