Essential oils healing course at The Commons
Long ago people turned to nature to heal disease and pain. Organic plants with all their natural biochemical properties were ingested, made into skin-absorbed poultices and oils, or inhaled through smoking or steaming. These practices were delivered by knowledgeable, caring members of one’s community or by the patient to bring about painless healing of the body, mind and spirit.
Essential oils from plants were used by all the great ancient civilizations of the world. The modern science of essential oils use was founded by the French chemist Gattefosse in 1928 following successful wound treatment using them during World War 1.
Today, there is considerable worldwide scientific research into the efficacy of essential oils for medicinal use. There is also a resurgence in natural healing practices with interest in learning how to use them. People find that a pill is often not enough to affect healing. Essential oils have antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, fungicidal, wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, and analgesic properties plus other biomedical effects according to many studies. Tumors, nausea, pain, premenstrual syndrome, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression, to name a few, can be addressed successfully using essential oils.
How does essential oil therapy work? The permeable skin allows for absorption into the blood and bodily tissues of the biochemical properties, especially after the area of application is massaged or heated. During inhalation, the olfactory organs transport the biochemical properties to the limbic system of the brain and to the lungs. Positive changes result in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormonal balance that are controlled by the brain’s limbic system. The lungs allow transport into the other bodily systems and pathways. Ingestion, the third delivery system, is not common in the U.S, but essential oils can be administered orally by specially trained pharmacists and physicians in France.
Beginning on Tuesday, Sept, 17 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and continuing for six consecutive weekly sessions, residents of greater Piscataquis County will have the opportunity to learn about essential oils from Marcia Walden, BSN, RN, and one of three registered aroma therapists in Maine. Walden is well-known throughout the region as a home-health and hospice nurse associated with Community Health and Counseling. She shares her essential oil healing expertise with her patients in her clinical work. Her passion for helping others and for essential oil usage extends to her personal consultations for healing with essential oils at her Eden Hill Essentials in Greenville.
The fee for the course is $40. If you would like to learn about essential oils, please call Tara Smith, executive director of The Commons at Central Hall, at 343-3018 or write to her at info@centralhallcommons.org for information and registration.