Aromatherapy is more than just purple candles and bath salts for fragrancing a room or the body. It can include these things, but aromatherapy is therapy. It is the therapeutic use of essential oils for healing.”

So states Helen Lutz, RN, LMT. Helen has been involved in the work of healing for years, first as a nurse, then as a massage therapist, and now as she incorporates other forms of complementary healing into her practice.

To distinguish aromatherapy as a form of healing from casual use of that word, it is helpful to understand the history of essential oils and what makes some oils “therapeutic” and others limited in healing power.

Essential oils were mankind’s first medicines. The ancient Egyptians used oils for healing diseases, skin and hair care, embalming, and in religious rituals and ceremonies. There are 188 references to oils in the Bible.

Essential oils are the life force of the plant, the energy that delivers the nutrients into every cell of the body. Just as studies are beginning to confirm the centrality of nutrition to one’s health and well-being, so science is now rediscovering the incredible healing power of essential oils, which are highly concentrated plant constituents.

Helen explains: “They possess strong medicinal qualities – some relax, rejuvenate, sedate, balance, invigorate, uplift and even enhance mental functions. Their healing properties may be anti-infectious, anti-fungal, mucolytic, decongesting, analgesic and on and on. Essential oils are not addictive because the body processes them and eliminates them quickly, leaving no toxins behind.... Oils have many chemical properties and can be used for a wide variety of therapeutic uses.”

Many “aromatherapy” products available are not of a “therapeutic” grade, since they are artificially manipulated by adding synthetic components or diluting the oil. This grade of oil is used for fragrance or flavor, but not for therapeutic use. As Helen stresses, “Buying therapeutic grade, unadulterated oils is important to the effectiveness of their use.”

Audrey, “a 40 year old overachiever in the middle of a career change”, had been a massage therapy client of Helen for several years. She was open to try aromatherapy when stress in her life increased and she was suffering from serious digestive and anxiety related issues. “My experience with traditional doctors and tests was frustrating as they could not find anything clinically wrong that was causing the symptoms I was experiencing.” (abdominal pain, bloating and anxiety) Her anxiety had escalated and she found it difficult to get in the car and drive, go to the store and deal with her family. She was very moody and prone to crying.“I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown.”

Helen, using therapeutic grade oils, assessed Audrey’s symptoms and developed a cream (a blend of 4 oils with antispasmodic, soothing, antidepressant, analgesic properties) to ease her abdominal pain and bloating. She was instructed to use it at least twice a day – and as needed for cramps or bloating, by applying a small amount directly to her abdomen.

When Audrey returned 2 weeks later she reported that the cream definitely was starting to work, but that she felt she needed to do something else as well. She changed her diet, eliminating dairy products, which also seemed to help. She had been undergoing tests through her PCP and her surgeon suggested that she have her gall bladder removed. She opted to delay the surgery and work more with the oils and diet. (to date, she has not had the surgery). She was also doing other things for herself, including talk therapy with a psychotherapist and learning to give priority to her own needs by maintaining balance between work and personal time.

Her symptoms improved for 3 or 4 months until she had an acute panic attack. A “worrystone” blend of oils was made to keep in a bottle in her pocket. (The healing frequency/ vibration of the oils can be transmitted even if one doesn’t actually apply the oils to the skin.) Weekly aromatherapy massage visits supported her during that high stress month (she was completing a college program of study). Currently she has made a career change and continues to come for aromatherapy massage on a maintenance basis.

Helen describes the journey with Audrey, saying “She is a wonderful example of a person who takes responsibility for her health. She is willing to try different avenues of treatment and to make decisions by following her inner guidance. I feel privileged to be on her team of facilitators for her self-healing journey.”

Audrey’s words to anyone who is considering aromatherapy or other holistic health treatment: “Keep trying. The first one might not be right for you, and you have to keep experiencing and experimenting until you find a combination that works for you. Don’t give up. I know people who have gone through ten doctors before finding one who really worked with them. Be persistent. Also, listen and trust your instincts.”