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Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy
The perception of scents and fragrances plays an important role for the sensual experience and thus for health. For many years there are aromatic essences on the market, with which a fragrant atmosphere can be conjured in the own four walls. But there is more to it than sensory perceptions that can be absorbed through our nose. Fragrance essences have a positive effect on the autonomic nervous system. Can contribute to concentration or relaxation. Scented essences are used as remedies in naturopathy. It is not only a matter of pleasant smells. The inhalation of essential oils such as eucalyptus for colds. Inhalation of healing fragrances to alleviate illness was the original form of therapy in naturopathy. Over time, the therapeutic application of aromatherapy has become more and more refined.
Today it is known that the ingredients are also effective through the skin or as oral ingestion. For example, in vascular surgery or gynecology, fragrant agents find healing use. Essential oils stimulate and support the immune system, help in the fight against colds, muscle pain or skin problems. They also have a harmonizing and calming effect, d.h. they can help with sleep disorders or anxiety states.
The complex composition of essential oils, which often contain close to a hundred components, is one reason for their diverse effectiveness. Essential oils contain countless active ingredients that can also help against bacteria, fungi and even viruses. Essential oils can act like antibiotics. Unlike the treatment with antibiotics, no germ resistance develops, because even the same oils are always slightly different in composition.
One of the most important aspects of the use of essential oils is the fact that the oils enter and leave the body with great efficiency, without leaving toxins behind. Essential oils are found in many plants where they serve as hormones, regulators and catalysts. Today, there are more than 300 different essential oils used by professionals worldwide. Essential oils have a direct effect. Can be used for physical healing. They act on our cell membrane, modulate it and stimulate a series of effects there, which differ depending on which cell it is and how the membrane is constructed.
Limits and dangers
But there are also limits to their use. Expert handling of the mostly essential oils is necessary, because inappropriate use can lead to undesirable side effects. It is important in all therapeutic applications to seek the advice of professionals, e.g.B. from your pharmacist, is obtained. Essential oils are on the one hand highly concentrated active ingredients that act on the physique and psyche. Depending on the health and mental condition, they can influence the physique and psyche to a greater or lesser extent and, in the worst case, even impair them. This can be the case if either the "wrong" essential oil has been chosen, or if there is an application error.
Many aromatic substances are used by the layman according to the principle "much helps much" Too high a dosage. However, the risk of adverse effects and allergy is higher when essential oils are used in high concentrations or even undiluted. Unfortunately, fragrance lamps are often misused. They are left to burn all day, and essential oils are used in the highest concentration. The hoped-for beneficial effect fails to materialize, headaches can be the result. Also, allergy sufferers should use fragrances only for therapeutic purposes, better to avoid daily continuous aromatherapy.
Special attention should be paid to this
Essential oils should only be taken after recommendation by a pharmacist, doctor or special aromatherapist, who has detailed knowledge of all therapy-relevant and toxicological aspects of the respective essential oil.
With children, the use of essential oils – z.B. for colds – be very careful. Essential oils are very concentrated. Can even cause burns on delicate children's skin. In addition, it is difficult for parents to judge whether the essential oils and their scents are perceived as pleasant by their children. In addition, parents are not in a position to judge whether appearing skin redness does not indicate an allergy. In the case of very small children, the use of essential oils for rubbing should be avoided. There they achieve the opposite of what is positively effected in adults – coughing up is not facilitated, but disturbed.
Babies up to one year of age should be treated with essential oils only in exceptional cases, if possible. Your skin is still very permeable and sensitive. In addition, many essential oils dissolve solid mucus in the respiratory tract. Babies learn to cough up mucus only with increasing movements, so that too much mucus can cause serious respiratory problems. Cineole-containing oils such as eucalyptus, cheap "Tea Tree", Ravensara, Niaouli and even the quite mild Cajeput can become life-threatening, especially in case of unrecognized spastic respiratory diseases.
Also, mentholated (peppermint, field mint) essential oils pose a serious danger (cramp) to the respiratory tract, which is not yet very strong. An exception is the nurturing and cleansing rose oil, as well as a one percent mixture of sandalwood oil and tea tree oil in calendula oil for cradle cap. A one percent anti-flatulence blend of anise, fennel, coriander seed and caraway oil is also usually well tolerated and also has a stress-relieving effect. In case of doubt, however, the administration of teas or homeopathic remedies for the very young are a gentler treatment.
Quality and purity
Essential oils can be extracted from plants or chemically synthesized. In both cases, enormous differences in quality are possible. Aromatherapy prefers essential oils from controlled organic cultivation, wild growth, and from the wild. or conventional (residue-free) cultivation, which is particularly suitable for allergy sufferers. Any deviation from the natural living conditions of the plant changes the composition of the fragrant substance. Hundreds of kilograms of the plant material are often necessary for just one kilogram of essential oil. Therefore, genuine essential oils are not only precious, but also expensive. The designation "genuine essential oil" Does not offer any guarantee of purity or quality. However, the claim "100 percent pure essential oil" is correct.
It is important that the extraction process is gentle so as not to destroy the valuable components. There are 400 chemical compounds in rose oil alone. Essential oils must be used carefully. Should be stored in accordance with certain rules. Due to the influence of oxygen, light and heat, uncontrolled oxidation processes are otherwise set in motion, which reduce the quality of the oils. Therefore, storage in dark bottles is especially important. Experts review. Guarantee the purity of essential oils. Only tested and 100 percent pure essential oils are used for healing purposes. The production of preparations for medical purposes is in the hands of pharmaceutical specialists.
For medicines: For risks and side effects, read the package insert and consult your doctor or pharmacist. For veterinary medicines: For risks and side effects, read the package insert and consult your veterinarian or pharmacist. Only while stocks last. Errors excepted. All prices incl. VAT. * Savings potential compared to the manufacturer's recommended retail price (RRP) or the manufacturer's non-binding notification of pharmacy retail price (RRP) to the Informationsstelle fur Arzneispezialitaten (IFA GmbH) / only for over-the-counter products except books. UVP = manufacturer's recommended retail price (MSRP). AVP = pharmacy retail price (AVP). The AVP is not a recommended retail price of the manufacturers. The AVP is a price for over-the-counter medicines set by the pharmacies themselves, which corresponds to the obligatory pharmaceutical dispensing price for pharmacies, at which a pharmacy in certain cases settles the product with the statutory health insurance. In contrast to the AVP, the common UVP is a recommendation of the manufacturers.