AT HOME HEALING

AROMATHERAPY

When you walk into a grocery store or past a bakery, the scents of the cookies and cakes are probably going to make you hungry and they will often make you feel happy.

This is just a simple example of what aromatherapy is.

Developed over the years, beginning with the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, aromatherapy takes into consideration one of our primary senses – smell – and uses it to affect other parts of our lives and health.

Aromatherapy is thought to help with these conditions:

• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Pain
• Infections
• Nausea

The principle behind aromatherapy is that the use of smells helps to 'communicate' with the brain's various regions.  When you stimulate these regions, it can cause your body to respond in different ways.

Aromatherapy can also work when the essential oils are applied directly to certain parts of your body to affect the body in various ways.

The brain controls everything that happens in your body, so when you affect the brain, you affect the body – to put it more simply.  And while there are those who believe that aromatherapy is baseless, the growing number of aromatherapy products on the market begs to differ.

There are a variety of things that go into the aromatherapy treatments for a patient:

• Essential oils  naturally derived from plants, herbs and flowers

• Carrier oils  essential oils need to be placed into carrier oils (almond, grapeseed, etc.) in order to dilute them so that they can't hurt the skin

Oils may also contain the actual pieces of the herbs and flowers for decoration or to add to the long term concentration of the preparation.

You might use aromatherapy solutions in a number of manners:

• Concentrated essential oils  These would be oils that are not directly applied to the skin, but rather are used in an oil burner or applied to another material to be smelled.

• Diffusion  You might find essential oils in an atomizer or an aerosol canister that can be sprayed into a room or onto clothing for enjoyment.

• Topical  Other essential oils can be applied directly to the skin to help with infection or rashes. (This is very rare so never apply undiluted essential oil to the skin unless you know this is safe.  Safe for direct skin application are very few oils only such as lavender, chamomile and tea tree – but never on broken skin)

• Candles and incense  By lighting a candle or a stick of incense that has been scented with a particular oil, you can spread the healing effects around a larger area.

Aromatherapy is a very convenient form of alternative medicine because anyone can use it at any time.  While there are aromatherapy professionals who are trained in making specific preparations for clients and who also can advise clients as to what oils to use, at home use is still the most popular choice.

Applying essential oils to your pulse points will help to radiate the scents in your environment while spraying your clothing or a piece of fabric with an essential oil allows you to have an item to sniff whenever you feel the therapeutic preparation is necessary.

You can use aromatherapy in a variety of ways:

• During a headache or other pain
• To prevent stress and anxiety
• As a topical ointment to prevent infection after you've been cut

Here are some of the most popular aromatherapy essential oils:

• Lavender  works well for anxiety and stress relief

• Rose  helps enhance mood and romantic feelings

• Clove  works on the skin to help prevent pain

• Tea tree  works as an antiseptic, can also help reduce acne as it is anti-bacterial

• Basil  works for depression

• Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang  aphrodisiacs

• Eucalyptus  works for colds and upper respiratory infections; boosts energy levels

• Mint  energizing

• Yarrow  joint pain

But there are plenty of other oils you can use as well.  It might help to find a book that described the various uses of particular essential oils to help guide you to the ones which are right for you.

Aromatherapy has a number of benefits:

• No side effects
• The more you use, the better
• Can be used to prevent or to treat
• Can be used by all ages
• Even works on animals

It will also help you to know that aromatherapy items can be made from things you already own.  Try adding a few drops of essential oil to your favorite body lotion, for example.  Or you might want to soak in a tub with a few drops of essential oils.

LIGHT THERAPY

If you put a plant next to a window, you will notice something interesting.  As the plant grows, it will grow toward the light instead of away from it.  Also known as phototropism, this phenomenon seems to work for humans too – in a different way.

Light therapy is an alternative therapy that focuses on the idea that exposure to certain wavelengths of light can affect the body in numerous ways.

For example, when you are out in the sun for too long without protection, you will get burned by harmful UV rays.  If this happens too often, you might be damaging your skin at a cellular level and wind up with skin cancer.

On the healing side of light therapy, exposing the body to particular lights can help to:

• Boost mood
• Clear up acne
• Enhance the immune system
• Help moods
• Increase wound healing speeds
• Reduce skin rash severity
• Minimize jet lag
• Lower the risk of cancer

Since light is what helps everything else grow on the Earth, it only seems natural that we would get some sort of healing from it too.

When your skin is exposed to light, the body is able to produce Vitamin D, for example.  Without that sun exposure, we need to take Vitamin D into ourselves through our diet.  Just fifteen minutes of sunlight (without sunscreen) each day will give your body the proper levels it needs.

If you have troubles adapting to the change of seasons, you might be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  By undergoing light therapy, you can boost your moods and have more energy.

To practice light therapy on your own, you will need to look for special lights that mimic the rays of the sun.  You can find these lights at specialty health retailers or also at your local art supply stores (as these make great lights for painters and other visual media artists).

You can also buy more natural light bulbs which help to mimic the effect of the sun.

Look for lights that advertise 'full spectrum' in order to get the lights you need for the most benefits to your health.

You can also head to a doctor's office to be exposed to red, blue, and even UV light if it's recommended.  But sometimes, just pulling open the shades and the blinds once in a while is all your body needs to feel better.

OTHER NATURAL HEALING AIDS

If you want to practice alternative medicine at home, you have a few other options as well:

• Visualization  By taking some time each day to visualize your body in good health, you can increase the chances that your body will remain in good health.  Start by picturing your body without any sickness or disease and then continue to visualize yourself living each day with lots of energy.  When you are sick, focus on visualizing your body getting better.

• Detoxification  There are some who believe that giving your body a rest from time to time can help it repair damage and disease more easily.  By taking a day each month (with your doctor's permission) to fast, either by drinking only juice for a day or just water, your digestive system can work on any remaining food that is trapped in your intestine and start to be more balanced.

• Feng Shui  By learning how energy moves through your environment, you can begin to change your home into a healing space instead of a space which causes you to grow sicker.  Remove excess clutter from your home as well as anything that might be dead or dying as this cultivates energy of death and disease.