There are many essential oils that can be extracted from plants flowers, roots and herbs. Many of them are therapeutic and can be used to promote healing in patients. They can be used for massage but should be used by professionals as when used incorrectly can harm and burn the skin. These oils can be mixed with massage oils and used to enhance the massage therapy experience. An example of this is lavender, which can help to relax the patient.
These oils should always be diluted when used on the skin as they can have toxic effects if used incorrectly. Here are some common plants that can be used as essential oils for massage therapy.
Chamomile: has long been used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes but can also be used for massage therapy. Its oil has a calming effect, which will in turn help the patient to relax and make massage therapy more effective.
Grapefruit oil: will also act as a calming agent
Juniper: relaxes muscles
Lavender: has a calming effect, be careful not to overuse, as it will then become a stimulant.
Peppermint: is refreshing oil with a clean stimulating smell. It is good for many things including painful muscle relief.
Rosemary: relieves pain, headache and promotes circulation. The oil can be used as a stimulant. These are just a few of the many oils that can be used with massage therapy. They are often used in blends.
Chamomile, geranium and grapefruit: This has a soothing effect. This will help the patient relax their muscles and make the massage therapy, more effective.
Chamomile, lavender and grapefruit: Relieves pain, anxiety. This will help to relieve stress. This is very useful for massage therapy when you need to relieve tension and relax.
Grapefruit, juniper and rosemary: Stimulates circulation and digestion; relieves jetlag. This acts as a stimulant.
Lavender, rosemary and juniper: This is used for pain relief and detoxification and can be used after sports massage. It is useful for after event massage therapy.
Peppermint, rosemary and geranium: This oil relieves pain and strengthens muscles. This is good for massage therapy when it is used for healing injuries.
As you can see there are many essential oils that can be used for massage therapy, to relax and stimulate the patient. They help to enhance the therapy experience and make the massage more effective. So when you next try a massage take pleasure in the extra enjoyment of using these essential oils and benefit from the added therapy of Aromatherapy.
If you are in good health, you're balanced. If you are sick, you've lost some balance, temporarily I hope.
Hang with me here.
Picture yourself swinging between Yang and Yin over a precipice. When you stop swinging you see a ledge. You stand on it, safely.
Now, if you're unfamiliar with Eastern medicine, consider the Aristotelian Mean. Aristotle advocated following a path between two extremes. If you swing too far in either direction you are apt to get sick.
Since I have skimmed the surface of Eastern Philosophy, Aristotle, Stephen Hawkings' string theory, brain research, religions, meditation, and Western medical science, I am no authority, but I can show you how they relate to good health.
First, Yang refers to the masculine, left-brained energy in everyone and Yin the right-brained, feminine energy. When these two are out of balance, things go awry. Acupuncture is the medical practice of releasing blocked flow of energy to regain balance and good health. Obviously, it works.
String theory, I think, says everything in the universe consists of strings of energy. Nothing is solid. (Phew, wish I could understand physics!)
Brain research shows three major parts to the human brain: reptile, limbic, and neo-cortex. We use our reptile brain whenever we feel our survival threatened. (Explains continual warfare.) The limbic system, our midbrain or early mammalian brain, stores our emotions. We use the neo-cortex for thinking, forward planning and problem solving. All three brains are interdependent and function together. The neo-cortex houses the right and left brain. When either of these is too far out of balance we suffer.
You may know, slightly, an accountant or computer programmer who is so left-brained he is practically a hermit. Or you may know an artist who is so right-brained he forgets to pay his rent and is often in some kind of trouble.
I think most physicists use all three brains in balance. I may be wrong.
Experiments with meditation have shown some amazing results. Dr. Richard Davidson of the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior studied the brain waves of some Tibetan Buddhist monks, including the Dalai Lama. He found unusually high amounts of gamma brain waves?brain waves that increase compassion for others.
Compassion comes out of good balance and good health.
Bill Harris, Director of Centerpointe, created a sound track designed to create the same brain waves experienced by the Buddhist monks. I have benefited from Centerpointe's sound tracks. They put my left and right brains in balance and kicked out my shy bone by broadcasting my words subliminally into each ear at different rates of speed.
Learning Strategies, Inc. has a program called Spring Forest QiGong that teaches you how to heal yourself whenever you get sick. Guess how?balancing energy! I recommend the book, "Born a Healer" by Chunyi Lin.
Finally, there's nothing like Western medicine when you tear a meniscus or get a concussion, among other off-balance things.
In our Western World fear hovers below the surface. The more money and power we have, the more fear. We are not openly afraid. It shows up as anxiety in our dreams and in our bodies.
Anxiety is catching, like bird flu. I spent a lifetime hunching up my shoulders, anxiously expecting to be yelled at for something I did wrong. My shoulders finally gave out. I had them replaced. Now they set off security alarms. Sweet revenge?
Since you have read this far, you will be fascinated by "Does Mind-Over-Body Healing Work?" It's an article by an African professor of Western Medicine that begins, "Life is energy, and all living beings are energy beings."
Google the title. You may be surprised by his thesis.
Both Zach Thompson & Evelyn Cole are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Zach Thompson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Business Loans, Nutrition and Tax Software. Zach Thompson is a Glyconutrients Representative. His clients range from actresses to pro athletes. You can get a free Glyconutrients consultation by visiting