Wednesday, 14.02.2007
Aromatherapy courses

Interest in alternative therapies is at an all time high in Ireland at the moment, with aromatherapy one of the most popular nightcourse options of all. Here's a basic introduction to the subject, as well as a look at the different types of courses available…

Aromatherapy is a form of complementary and alternative medicine, which uses 'essential' plant oils and other aromatic plant extracts to affect a person's mood or health. The idea of aromatherapy is based around the absorption of minute quantities of these oils through the skin, or by breathing in their aroma.

Essential oils are, well, essential to aromatherapy. Real aromatherapists accept no substitutes - no candles, incense sticks, 'fragranced' or 'perfumed' oils will do. The essential oils are extracted from certain varieties of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses and flowers. Essential means essence - i.e. very concentrated. Apparently it takes 2,000kg of rose petals to make 1kg of rose oil and 4 tonnes of orange blossom to produce 1kg of neroli, so when they say concentrated, they mean concentrated.

Different essential oils, and different combinations and mixtures, will obviously have different effects. Each oil has been given its own unique properties and oils can be used separately or combined for use in a variety of ways for massage into the skin, inhalation, baths, compress and skin preparations. Some of the more common oils used include basil (sharpens concentration, relieves headaches), black pepper (helps circulation), lavender, tea tree and sandalwood (anti-septic), clove (painkiller) and jasmine and sandalwood (aphrodisiac).

It is thought that aromatherapy began at least 6,000 years ago with the Egyptians. They used essential oils for medicinal purposes, for massage and to preserve the flesh of mummies. The ancient Indians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans were all aromatherapy fans and even Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, is said to have used aromatherapy baths and scented massage in his treatments.

You then have to skip forward a few centuries to the 1920s and French chemist, Rene Maurice Gattefosse. Rene was investigating the therapeutic use of essential oils, and was so impressed at how well his burned hand had healed after he dipped it in lavender oil that he coined the term 'aromatherapy'. Other big cheeses in the popularisation of the discipline include French World War II army surgeon, Dr. Jean Valnet, and Madame Marguerite Maury, who wrote a book on the subject called 'The Secret of Life and Youth', while setting up aromatherapy clinics in Paris, Switzerland and Britain.

Scientific research on the cause and effect of aromatherapy is limited, and most people prefer to go to conventional doctors and hospitals for serious ailments and injuries. The benefits of aromatherapy, like most complementary medicines, are more along the lines of relaxation, pain relief, stimulating the immune system, lowering stress levels etc, than fixing up a broken leg or curing a bout of malaria. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many Irish people find benefit in visiting their local aromatherapist when they are feeling under the weather.

There are plenty of different course options available to people interested in learning more about aromatherapy. Some courses are professional type programmes, which provide recognised qualifications for candidates interested in aromatherapy as a career, while others are less intensive introductory courses designed with the interested lay-person in mind.

Depending on their intensity and function aromatherapy nightcourses will generally cover topics such as the development and history of the discipline, the different affects each oil has, how to store and prepare the oils, and how to apply and administer the oils in treatment procedures.

More professional courses will also include some basic chemistry and biology classes, a look at Irish government legislation relevant to aromatherapy treatments, and practical tuition in extracting the essential oil from its sources. ITEC are a UK based awarding body whose qualifications are recognised by employers and the UK Department of Education, and who oversee the aromatherapy qualifications given by many Irish further education and other colleges.

So whether you are interested in pursuing a career in the aromatherapy business, or if you just think that your life could do with being a little more fragrant, then wake up and smell the coffee/juniper/rosemary and consider an aromatherapy nightcourse. It's good for what ails you.

 

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