Cosmetic and Spa therapies, which focus on beauty and wellness treatments, comprise one of the fastest growing segments of the aromatherapy trade worldwide.The primary focus of those in the the Wellness industry is to help people make ‘healthy lifestyle choices’. People worldwide have finally begun to recognize the importance of maintaining wellness for body, mind, spirit and emotions. Not only that, but people are actually taking action and seeking out wellness solutions for themselves and their families. The global Wellness industry now amounts to more than 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars annually. The beauty and anti-aging segment of the Wellness industry is seeing the largest amount of growth worldwide followed by healthy eating, weight loss, fitness, alternative medicine and the spa...

Aromatherapy Massage is one of the most popular specializations in the field of aromatherapy. Up to 60 million adult Americans had a massage last year. There are approximately 500 thousand massage therapists in the U.S. alone most of whom practice aromatherapy massage. If you specialize in aromatherapy massage here are my top 3 picks for best essential oils for aromatherapy massage and why! Click on each essential oil to find out more about each. Any cautions are listed below. Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana) - Scent is warm, sweet, herbal and spicy. Promotes deep relaxation May be helpful for relieving panic attacks and emotional exhaustion Helpful for releasing long held mental and emotional tension Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) - Scent is fresh, sweet,...

Like medicine with its areas of specialization aromatherapy, too, is becoming known for different areas of practice and specialization.Here are just a few areas of aromatherapy specialization currently practiced. Cosmetic and Spa Aromatherapy These are therapies that use essential oils for the skin, body, face and hair. This area of the aromatherapy industry is seeing incredible growth with the development of many cosmetic and spa products. These products are developed and used for a wide variety of beauty and wellness effects such as cleansing, toning and moisturizing. An especial area of focus in the cosmetic and spa branch of aromatherapy is healthy skin. Aromatic oils have been used since ancient times for beautification and healing. The Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, who...

Aroma therapy has been used since the earliest days of man on planet earth. The earliest aromatherapists were probably the tribal shamans who used plant aromatics to heal the sick of their tribe. Evidence of this can be seen in the drawings found on the walls of caves depicting plant aromatics being used to heal the sick. From the drawings it looks as though plant aromatics were used in many, if not all, of man’s most important ritual celebrations like birth, puberty, marriage and death. I believe that this early subconscious memory of 'healing with plants' is one of the primary reasons that aromatherapy is gaining global popularity at such a rapid pace today. It is because of the powerful...

What’s Trending in Health - Signs of TransformationI was really surprised to see that one of the leading trends in healthcare cited in Stanford’s Health Trends Report was,“Encouraging patients to take an active role in their own care and to adopt healthier lifestyles.”Is this a sign of things to come? Is the growing DIY revolution possibly taking root in the traditional medical model of healthcare? In my own clinical practice the response and recovery rate of my clients is significantly higher, at 80% or more, for those who are actively engaged in their own care. Can a patient’s “active role” in care be seen as a major turning point for our drug driven traditional model of healthcare in the US?...