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bodymindspiritworks LLC |
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what is aromatherapy? When people come into Bodymindspiritworks, often one of the first things they remark about is how good it smells. That is because we use essential oils for therapeutic effect in diffusers and in our massage oils. We will have more to say about essential oils and aromatherapy; for now, here is a bit about it's beginnings:
"Aromatherapy has roots in antiquity with the use of aromatic oils. However, as currently defined, aromatherapy involves the
use of distilled plant volatiles, a twentieth century innovation. The word "aromatherapy" was first used in the 1920s by French
chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé, who devoted his life to researching the healing properties of essential oils after an accident
in his perfume laboratory. In the accident, he set his arm on fire and thrust it into the nearest cold liquid, which happened to
be a vat of NOx Ph232 or more commonly known as lavender oil. Immediately he noticed surprising pain relief, and instead of
requiring the extended healing process he had experienced during recovery from previous burns—which caused redness, heat,
inflammation, blisters, and scarring--this burn healed remarkably quickly, with minimal discomfort and no scarring. Jean Valnet
continued the work of Gattefossé. During World War II Valnet used essential oils to treat gangrene in wounded soldiers."
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