Sunday, May 1, 2011

What Are The Benefits Of An Aromatherapy Massage With Essential Oils?

Massage in Frankfurt, GermanyImage via Wikipedia

Aromatherapy massage with essential oils, which combines herbal infusions with Swedish massage, doubles the pleasure of a regular session and may contribute an added dimension to its benefits. Whether a pleasant experience is the main idea, or the therapist is providing therapeutic help, adding fragrant lotions can enhance the treatment.

The study of aromatherapy comes down to us from ancient times. The theory is that certain fragrances have profound influences on mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being and balance, and that this balance is essential for physical health. What we call herbs are merely plants rich in vitamins and minerals, which have been used for centuries for their mysterious healing powers. Extracts distilled from them have long been known to concentrate the health benefits.

Herbs are simply vitamin rich plants - trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses - that have been used for their healing properties since before recorded history. The idea that the sense of smell, one of the five main senses, can contribute to emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical healing is not new. However, in recent years interest in this form of therapy has grown, and today many practitioners combine it with other forms of treatment.

Fragrant oil is used to calm and excite, to soothe and to energize, to increase alertness and to promote sleep, to purify and cleanse and disinfect. Experts in the field of aromatherapy blend various extracts to achieve the effect they need, while they study the vital properties of many plants.

It is easy to see why using different plant extracts works well in muscle and soft tissue manipulation. If you have sore muscles from stress and nervous tension, try lavender. If you are trying to increase circulation to speed healing, use a vibrant mint. To boost the immune system, try the pungent rosemary herb. Combining the healing touch of a trained therapist and the correctly blended essence of healing plants is as old as recorded history.

Therapists know that a relaxing session is made more so with the scent of lavender, that mints help cleanse and rejuvenate, that chamomile promotes rest and is great for the skin. Aromas can add to the ambiance just as do the carefully chosen music, the subdued lighting, and the comfortable table. Massage is an age-old form of non-invasive therapy, and so is the use of fragrances. It makes sense to combine these two arts in any holistic approach to well-being. Just as human touch has its peculiar magic, so do the plants that share our world. Even conventional western medicine has come to value the contributions of these ancient techniques.

Check online for a wealth of information on the benefits of adding aromatherapy to any massage experience. It is usually combined with Swedish techniques, and the essential substances are added to carrier oils, of which there are many. Choosing pure and organically grown products is a good idea, since they will be rubbed into your skin and inhaled into your lungs. You may buy your own brand of oil if you have a therapist whose work you like but who does not use organic rubs. You can even blend your own, which is time consuming and painstaking but rewarding.

While increasing the pleasure, the scented rubs contribute pain relieving, muscle toning, and emotion balancing benefits of their own to the treatment. If you have never tried aromatherapy massage with essential oils, a great treat is in store for you.

Flower essences, in addition to essential oils, are magificent botanical medicines. For more of both, visit www.anandaapothecary.com browse the extensive library and product selection.
 
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