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Understanding Essential Oils: 3 major ways of healing you should know

Essential oils are efficient in treating several ailments in the human body. They are very different from vegetable or fatty oils and are non-greasy, anti-microbial, transport oxygen, and do not clog the skin pores. Essential oils work in a specific way to cure illnesses. This is because they are highly complex substances which are mosaics of hundreds of natural chemicals.

Essential oils and the human body: Any average essential oil may contain about 80 to 400 known chemical constituents that combine together to have a therapeutic effect on the body. These are natural chemicals that are useful in protecting plants from several environmental attacks. By supplying essential oils to the body, you can protect it from bacterial and viral infections, and deliver proper oxygen and nutrients to cells.  Since carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are common to both plants and humans, these plant oils also digest toxic waste in the body. They also have a lipid-soluble structure that makes them compatible with human body.

Historical methods of healing through Essential Oils: Essential oils were historically used in three different methods called the French, the German and the English methods. The English method dilutes drops of essential oils in vegetable oil and uses the mixture in massages, body relaxation techniques etc. The French follow the oral method of healing. They swallow therapeutic essential oils internally for quick healing effects. Many French practitioners believed that essential oils were extremely useful when  taken orally. The Germans recommended the inhalation of oils and engaged in aromatherapy. This has been scientifically proved to be a good method as the aromatic compounds of the oils have a strong effect on the brain, especially the hormone center of the body (hypothalamus) and the seat of emotions or the limbic region.

Major ways of healing: Three major healing methods are practiced in aromatherapy to  bring about the therapeutic effects of essential oils. Though there are several other methods to bring cure, these are the most common methods that are known to every aromatherapy practitioner.

1. Pharmacological: In the pharmacological method, essential oils enter the blood stream through lungs. Candles, air fresheners, inhalers and room sprays are used in this treatment.  By controlling or reacting with different hormones and enzymes, the essential oils produce chemical changes in the body.

2. Physiological:
In the physiological method, essential oils are made to enter the body through skin. With products such as lotions or massage oils, essential oils are absorbed through the skin in order to treat ailments. When applied to the affected area, they cause human body systems to become sedated, energized and stimulated. This method works especially well with physical ailments related to muscles, body pain, headaches, injuries and wounds.

3. Psychological:
Psychological way is through the brain. Like the German method, this way is  through  inhalation. By inhaling an essential oil, you can have a strong impact on the brain and the hormonal system of the body. This method is often said to bring peace, happiness and feelings of sedation into an anxious and otherwise-restless body. By inhaling, you can also avoid oral intake and cure your conditions in a safe, natural and drug-free way.

Since aromatherapy does not interfere with any of the medications, its benefits are numerous. All the major ways of healing work to bring a calm and relaxing effect on the body. When the body is relaxed, the oils act on the enzymes and hormones, curing the ailment for which they are used.