Making Scents of Aromatherapy

Imagine this: a bubble bath that improves your memory. A kitchen cleaner that wards off nausea and energizes you. A scented handkerchief that calms your jangled nerves.
Learn the uses, healing properties and how-tos of using aromatherapy to heal and get stress out of your life, courtesy of one of the world's best known cancer centers.
Usually, people from throughout the world come for treatment to Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the country's top hospitals for cancer care.
So you probably wouldn't associate something alternative like aromatherapy with a internationally known cancer facility, especially when the world is so filled with skeptics.
But don't tell that to Cherie Perez, a research nurse in M.D. Anderson's Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, who teaches a monthly aromatherapy class to answer those questions for cancer patients and their caregivers.
Perez's classes are offered free of charge through M. D. Anderson's Place of Wellness, a center within the institution that focuses on helping patients and caregivers deal with the non-medical issues of living with cancer.
It is the first complementary therapy facility built on the campus of a comprehensive cancer center.
Perez first became involved with aromatherapy to help relieve pain and discomfort caused by her fibromyalgia, a condition that affects the muscles surrounding joints.
And she can thank Ren-Maurice Gattefoss.
Going mainstream
Gattefoss, a French chemist, coined the word "aromatherapy" in 1920 after he accidentally lit his arm on fire and thrust it into a nearby vat of lavender oil to extinguish the flames. The burn healed quickly without a scar.
Even today, aromatherapy is incorporated into mainstream medicine in France, where some oils used in the practice are regulated by prescription drugs and administered only by doctors.
In America, scan the shelves of the local bath and body stores and you're sure to find products labeled for aromatherapy.
Perez says aromatherapy has many uses, ranging from managing anxiety and nausea to helping with sleep, general relaxation, memory and attention, can benefit from the practice.
For example, the oils used in aromatherapy may not directly stimulate the immune system, but they can complement cancer treatment by boosting the system's ability to fight off infections.
According to Perez, here are five of the most popular oils:
• Lavender - First used as perfume by ancient Egyptians 2,500 years ago, lavender is now used to treat insomnia, migraines and provide stress relief.
• Rosemary - This fragrant plant relieves muscle pain, low blood pressure and cold feet and hands.
• Spearmint - The oil from spearmint aids digestion and eases nausea and vomiting.
• Masculine scents - Scents such as bay laurel and ylang-ylang appeal to men for their deep scent. They also treat skin rashes, rheumatism and stomach ailments.
You can apply lavender, ylang ylang and sandalwood directly to your skin. However, other oils are too concentrated, so you must dilute them in massage oils, bath soaps and lotions, Perez says.
Most typically, Perez advises putting a few drops of an oil, or a combination of oils, onto a handkerchief and fan yourself "like Scarlett O'Hara."
Furthemore, to ensure you're not getting rooked, Perez offers these tips for buying oils:
• Shop for oils in specialty stores staffed by salespeople with aromatherapy training, because essential oils in some bath or general stores may be of questionable quality;• Look for quality oils that are light and heat sensitive, and will be in a blue or brown light protective glass;
• Read the labels on the bottles to learn the common and botanical name for the oil;
• Steer clear of concentrated oils with rubber eyedroppers since the oils react with the rubber causing it to break down and contaminate the oil.
Who should, or shouldn't, use oils?
Widely sold in health food stores and beauty chain stores, essential oils do have chemical properties that can affect the brain and enter the bloodstream.
For some people, that could prove toxic when combined with common cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Perez says essential oils, like many medicines, can increase your sensitivity to the sun, so use them with caution. Always discuss with your doctor using aromatherapy oils to complement a medical condition.
In addition:
• People with high blood pressure should avoid hyssop, rosemary, sage and thyme, while diabetics should avoid angelica oil.
• Women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid star anise, basil, juniper oils, to name a few, that can stimulate the uterus. In the first trimester, they also should use peppermint, rose and rosemary with caution.
• Pediatric patients can use aromatherapy essential oils in very low concentrations.
For more information
• M.D. Anderson Cancer Center• National Cancer Institute• National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy• U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSource: University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
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Last Updated ( Friday, 25 August 2006 )