Exploring unusual essential oils Aromatherapy helps improve

Journal of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists

Volume 14 Number 2 Autumn 2015

In Essence

Exploring unusual essential oils

Aromatherapy helps improve quality of life

Good practice in palliative care

How aromatic compounds work

on the body

2 In Essence Vol. 14 No. 2 — Autumn 2015

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In Essence Vol. 14 No. 2 — Autumn 2015 3

Editor Pat Herbert

Editorial Board Sue Charles, Sue Jenkins

Scientific Adviser Bob Harris

Guidance for authors

In Essence welcomes editorial contributions which can be short items (news, letters, reviews) of 100–300 words or feature articles or case studies of 1000–3000 words.

Contributions can be sent by email to the following address: [email protected] or typed clearly on A4 paper, double–spaced, and sent to the IFPA office (address below).

Technical details

Advertisement artwork: Please ensure that all display advertisement artwork is supplied as CMYK PDFs or JPEGS at 300dpi. If you are unable to supply artwork in these formats please note that the IFPA offers a design and layout service (fee payable) – please contact the IFPA office for details.

Illustrations and Photographs: If illustrations are to be used from previously published material, the author must seek permission to reproduce from the original publishers and authors. Photographs to accompany an article should be sent by email as a colour JPEG or TIFF file. If scanning from an original image or photograph, please use the following settings: 300dpi, colour, 100% size.

The contents of this journal are the copyright of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA) but do not necessarily represent its views.

The information provided by advertisers or included in inserts in In Essence is the sole responsibility of the advertisers and, while accepted in good faith by IFPA and the Editorial Board, is not endorsed by, and does not necessarily represent, IFPA opinion.

Contacts

EditorialTel: 01825 [email protected]

AdvertisingTel: 01455 [email protected]

Design and online editionRiverhead Publishing [email protected] www.riverhead.co.uk

In Essence is published by the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), IFPA House, 82 Ashby Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE10 1SN, United Kingdom. Tel: 01455 637987 Fax: 01455 [email protected] www.ifparoma.org

In one of his sermons the Elizabethan poet and cleric John Donne commented that “in Heaven it is always autumn” because God’s mercies are “ever in maturity”. So perhaps we should look upon this sombre season not as one of

sadness and endings but of ripeness and fruition. We hope you find much to enjoy in the mellow maturity of this au-tumn season and its vibrant colour and soft light.

When In Essence changed to an online journal some two years ago we know that many of you, for a variety of reasons,

were not happy with the change. So we are delighted that the IFPA Council has decided to return to a printed version and we hope you enjoy receiving your hard copy journal once again.

We open this edition with an article by Lora Cantele who helped set up a pilot programme for children with life-limiting illnesses in a children’s home in Illinois, USA (page 9). She explains how she uses aromatherapy for the children’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs and to improve their quality of life.

On page 17 Jacqueline Von Kaenel shares her experience of 12 years’ work-ing in palliative and end of life care and, for therapists new to this area of work, she highlights the major lessons she has learnt about working both with patients and with their families.

Over our past two issues we have featured articles by Hannah Boot focusing on whether aromatherapy can help people with rheumatoid arthritis. In the third and concluding article she draws together what she learned from her research and highlights potential areas for future study.

In your practice do you stick to a small selection of essential oils that you know well? On page 20 Sue Jenkins challenges you to try some oils you may not have considered before and highlights their characteristics, properties, and uses.

On page 26 Ray Gransby, in his regular feature on legislation affecting aromatherapy, highlights a regulation that is often ignored by aromatherapists and explains why it is important. Ray’s articles in each edition since Winter 2013 are an excellent reference resource if you need to update yourself on regulations affecting your practice.

Also in this edition we have a report by Anita James on Robert Tisserand’s London seminar held earlier this year (page 24). The two-day event at the Univer-sity of Westminster focused on essential oil chemistry and pharmacology, high-lighting the actions of aromatic compounds in the body.

Editor’s letterAutumn 2015

Pat Herbert Editor

Jacqueline Von Kaenel, formerly a nurse, has been an aromatherapy practitioner for 12 years,

working extensively in palliative and end-of-life care. In her article she shares her experience of working with patients and their families in a palliative care unit, highlighting seven points for effective practice in this area of work.

Lora Cantele, a registered aromatherapist in the United States, works in both private

practice and in paediatric hospice and palliative care. In this issue she gives a fascinating account of how aromatherapy is helping to improve the quality of life of children with life-limiting illnesses in an Illinois Children’s Home.

Anita James is an aromatherapist and holistic practitioner who runs an established

practice and an IFPA-accredited school in Derbyshire. She has served several terms of office on the IFPA Council. In this edition she reports on what she learned at Robert Tisserand’s stimulating seminar held in London this summer.


3 Editor’s letter WelcometoourAutumnissue

5 News IncludingmessagefromIFPACouncilChair

8 Meeting members WelcometoanewgroupestablishedintheIsleofMan

9 Improving quality of life for children with life-limiting illnesses

HowLoraCanteleusesaromatherapyforarangeofphysicalandpsychologicalneeds

13 Rheumatoid arthritis: Can aromatherapy help? HannahBootanalyseshercasestudyresults,highlightingareasforfutureresearch

16 Research notes 17 Lessons learned in palliative care JacquelineVonKaenelsharesherexperienceofworkingwitharomatherapyin palliativeandendoflifecare

20 Extending your essential oil repertoire SueJenkinschallengesyoutoexploresomemoreunusualoils

24 The therapeutic foundations of essential oils AnitaJamesreportsonaninspiringandmotivatingseminar

26 Getting to grips with regulations Stayuptodatewiththerules,advisesRayGransby

27 Information sources online 28 Memories of Veronica Sibley Rememberingamuch-lovedaromatherapist,teacherandfriend

30 News in brief 30 News from the CNHC TopicalissuesfromtheComplementaryandNaturalHealthcareCouncil

31 Bookshelf AnitaJamesisinspiredbyabeautifulnewbookonhydrolats

32 List of IFPA–accredited schools 34 Continuing Professional Development 37 Events

Con

tent

sCover photograph: Helianthus annuusC. Deprez-Price - www.riverhead.co.uk

Journal of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists

Volume 14 Number 2 Autumn 2015

In Essence

Exploring unusual essential oils

Aromatherapy helps improve quality of life

Good practice in palliative care

How aromatic compounds

work on the body

Passion flower essential oil helps children in extreme stress – see page 9

Robert Tisserand makes a welcome return to London – see page 24


NEWS

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

A warm welcome to this Autumn

edition of In Es-sence which, by popular request, you are reading in

hard copy. Many members have con-tacted the IFPA Council over the past two years requesting the return of a printed edition and we are delighted that we have finally been able to make it happen.

I hope this summer has been a good one for you all and that you found time to relax and enjoy some sunny days. For all of us on Council the summer has been a busy time as we have been working hard on the reorganisation of our Federation. We have made some progress, such as re-introducing a printed In Essence, and we will shortly be launching the new website. We are also currently working with, and learning from, a consultant with experience of working with charities on reorganisation and governance.

We know there is considerable work ahead to fulfil the promises we made at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) but all Council members feel very positive and upbeat about the encouraging start we have made. In an article in The New York Times in 1958 Alfred W Perlman wrote: “After you've done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After

five years, look at it with suspicion. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over.”

On Council we certainly do not plan to ‘throw it away’ and ‘start over’ but it has been recognised for some time that some aspects of the IFPA’s or-ganisation and management need to be updated and made more effective.

I would like to thank you for your support since I took over as Acting Chair in September, and for your confidence in confirming me in the post at the 2015 AGM. It has been a privilege to serve as Chair during this time of transition. However, as I know you appreciate, the role of Chair is a demanding one and I regret that, for personal and business reasons, I am unable at present to continue in this role and to give it the commitment it requires. I am therefore handing over to our Vice Chair Florance Notarius who I know will continue the good work we have begun.

You will be receiving news of Federation developments, both in the e-newsletter and in this journal, as they unfold over the coming months. Rest assured that all Council’s decisions will be made in the best interests of the IFPA and its members and with the aim of consolidating the Federa-tion’s reputation and role in the world of aromatherapy, both at home and abroad. So do watch this space!

IFPACouncilChair: Florance Notarius

Secretary: Jane Rothery

Treasurer: Sarah Beart

Liz Bailey

Jeni Broughton

Louise Carta

Dave Jackson

Emily Song

Advisor to the Council: Sue Charles

Sue CharlesChair, IFPA Council

As Sue Charles explains in her letter (opposite) she is currently unable to continue in the demanding role of IFPA Council Chair due to personal and business commitments. Florance Notarius, previously Vice Chair, has taken on the role.

Florance said: “On behalf of the IFPA Council, I would like to thank Sue for her tremendous contribution, both to the Federation and to the Council, over many years. Her loyalty and commitment have been exem-plary, especially her dedication to the role of Conference Chair, and latterly, to the role of Chair.

“We are pleased to report that Sue will continue to be involved with the IFPA, serving as an Advisor to the IFPA Council, and we plan to mark her outstanding service to the Federation with a Fellowship award at an IFPA event in the near future.

“Since the 2015 Annual General Meeting in May, the Council has been considering how best to protect the IFPA’s role, and its representation in the world of professional aromatherapy and complementary healthcare, in the years ahead. This will inevitably mean changes to the IFPA’s structure and management. I hope you will support us as we work to bring the Federation of the future to fruition, both nation-ally and internationally.”

Newdirections

A recent clinical trial aimed to evalu-ate whether lavender aromatherapy could relieve sternotomy pain after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Fifty patients who had undergone surgery were randomly divided into two equal groups.

The case group received two drops of two per cent lavender oil

every 15 minutes with supplemental oxygen; the control group received only supplemental oxygen. The results indicated that aromatherapy can be effective in postoperative pain reduction and is less expensive than sedative drugs. Free access to the full article at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26261829

Lavenderessentialoilhelpsrelieveintensityofpost-operativepain


NEWS

The Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) is work-ing with the Professional Standards Authority to create an online hub of information for commissioners, employers and referrers of services. It will showcase practitioners on ac-credited registers who deliver health and care services.

The CNHC is looking for exam-ples from CNHC registrants that can be presented as case studies in the following areas:• You deliver your CNHC-registered

therapy/discipline within NHS or care services, GP practices, in edu-cational or social service settings, or receive referrals in these areas

• You work with clients in the con-text of a voluntary or community service. For example, if you work or volunteer at a local hospice, mental health service (eg Mind), dementia or other local community service.

• You have case studies of individual

treatments with clients that you think could be of relevance to com-missioners and employers. These might be treatments provided to clients with long-term conditions where you are working alongside their existing treatment plan, or where your work has had an impact on people with conditions such as obesity, depression and anxiety, dementia or pain.

The case study must demonstrate outcomes measured through evalua-tion, for example by use of Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP), Patient Reported Out-come Measures (PROMs) or similar.

If you think your work might be suitable to be presented as a case study please email [email protected] with the subject line ‘CNHC Case Studies’, providing a brief overview of your service or individual case study (removing any client names) and why you think it is relevant.

Callforpractitionercasestudies

The IFPA Council and many members who knew her were greatly saddened to hear of the recent death of Teddy Fearnhamm after a long illness. Sue Charles, a close friend, remembers: “Teddy trained with Pierre Fran-chomme and, for many years, ran the English Société l'Institut Pierre Franchomme.

“She was a well-known and much valued and respected figure in the aromatherapy world. Teddy was also highly influential in the develop-ment of the aromatherapy profes-sion in the UK. A very lovely, polite and gracious lady, she always had a radiant smile on her face, no matter what was going on in her life.

“Teddy will be sadly missed by her many friends and colleagues throughout the wider world of aromatherapy. She will be especially missed by me because she was such a good friend. Our thoughts and hearts go out to her family at this very sad and difficult time.”

Farewellandthankyou

The Complementary & Natural Health-care Council advise that practitioners wishing to develop or enhance their re-search skills may be interested in a new online Masters degree in Advanced Complementary Medicine (research and practice) developed by the North-ern College of Acupuncture, York.

The part-time programme, which is quality-assured by Middlesex University, is open to complemen-tary therapists with a first degree or equivalent (support will be given to practitioners without a first degree to assess equivalence).

The next programme for this new MSc starts in September 2015. To find out more visit www.chinese-medicine.co.uk and search on ‘Practitioner courses’.

NewMScinAdvancedComplementaryMedicine

A summary of information for health professionals about the use of aromath-erapy and essential oils in the treat-ment of people with cancer is avail-able online. It is published by the PDQ Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board, USA.

The PDQ Cancer Information Sum-mary, which is intended as a resource to inform and assist clinicians caring for cancer patients, provides comprehensive, peer-reviewed, evidence-based informa-tion. PDQ (Physician Data Query) is the

US National Cancer Institute’s compre-hensive source of cancer information.

The summary, which is regu-larly reviewed and updated, does not provide formal guidelines or recom-mendations for making health care decisions. It reflects an independent review of the literature and does not represent a policy statement of the US National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health. You can access the full text free at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26389313

Aromatherapyincancercare

EssentialoilsformenopauseA recent study looked at the use of self-prescribed complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for menopause-related symptoms. The study, carried out at the Fac-ulty of Health, University of Tech-nology Sydney, Australia, looked at use of vitamins/minerals, yoga/meditation, herbal medicines,

aromatherapy oils, and Chinese medicines.

The results showed that aroma-therapy oils were more likely to be used by menopausal women experi-encing night sweats and by women with hysterectomy experiencing anxiety. See www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26365446


NEWS

Many studies have shown that es-sential oils exhibit a large spectrum of biological activities in vitro and they could have potential for alternative treatments, say researchers at the Uni-versità degli Studi di Sassari in Italy.

They recently studied the chemi-cal composition, cytotoxicity, anti-microbial and antifungal activity of 36 essential oils, first analysing their phytochemical and cytotoxic charac-teristics, then evaluating the antimi-crobial activity of the less-toxic oils on Gram-positive, Gram-negative and fungi strains.

The results showed low cytotox-icity in seven essential oils and good activity against Gram-negative and Candida spp. strains.

The researchers say that, based on their results, essential oils could be pro-posed as a novel group of therapeutic agents. They conclude that further experiments are necessary to confirm their pharmacological effectiveness, and to determine potential toxic ef-fects and the mechanism of their activ-ity in in vivo models. See www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pubmed/26214364

Potentialofessentialoilsastherapeuticagents

EssentialoilcoursesatTheRoyalMarsdenHospital

The Royal Marsden Hospital has recently an-nounced its 2016 pro-gramme of courses on essential oils for com-plementary

therapists. It will be led by Rhian-non Lewis of Essential Oil Resource Consultants, well known for their Advanced Clinical Aromatherapy teaching programme. A comprehen-sive booklet outlining all the course content is included and certificates of attendance will be issued. • 25 January Essential Oils Update

day: For aromatherapists who have previously attended the two-day Introductory Course in Essential Oils. (You are not eligible to at-tend this event unless you have completed the two-day course in a previous year.) The day will focus on changes therapists have imple-mented in their practice as a result of attending the two-day course. There will also be opportunities to network and share knowledge and to learn about new develop-ments in this field of treatment. Cost: £125 per delegate (£100 early bird rate if you book before 30 September 2015). Details at: www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/essupdate

• 26 January Essential Oils Mas-ter Class - Advanced formulation skills for cancer care: maximising therapeutic effectiveness in clinical aromatherapy. This masterclass will take a practical, problem-solving approach to using clinical aromath-erapy interventions for key chal-lenges faced by cancer patients. It aims to extend therapists’ existing experience, knowledge and skills so that they can confidently combine research findings and essential oil chemistry with a holistic approach in order to formulate safe, person-alised and effective remedies.

The day is divided into two sessions, the first focusing on ad-vanced blending theory, illustrated with case examples, the second on practical formulation development. Different blending and treatment strategies, along with formulation concepts, will be used to maximise therapeutic effectiveness. Although the course focuses particularly on challenges encountered in cancer and palliative care, the key con-cepts can be extended to aroma-therapists working in all clinical environments.

Due to the programme’s in-tensity and structure this event is strictly limited to 20 delegates Cost: £160 per delegate. Details at: www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/essmasterclass

27-28 January Essential Oils Two-Day Introductory Course: This course, which aims to improve aromatic interventions for people with cancer, is for aromatherapists already working with essential oils in a cancer care environment. Due to the course structure, it is not possible to book a single day. Cost: £230 per delegate (£200 early bird rate if booked by 30 September 2015). Details at: www.royal-marsden.nhs.uk/essintro

• 29 January Essential Oils for Rest, Recovery and Repair in Cancer and Palliative Care: This class is de-signed for aromatherapists work-ing in cancer care, palliative care and other clinical settings who are looking to improve efficiency when working with patients who have sleep disturbance and/or fatigue related to their personal journey with a potentially life-limiting dis-ease, its treatment and its impact on the body and mind. Cost: £125 per delegate (£100 early bird rate if booked by 30 September 2015). Details at: www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/essrest

To book any of the courses listed above go to www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/studydays, phone 020 7808 2921 or email [email protected].

MentoringandclinicalsupervisionAt the IFPA 2015 Annual General Meeting in May several members expressed their willingness to offer mentoring and clinical supervision to aromatherapy students and newly qualified therapists. Following on from this the IFPA Council would like to compile a register of experienced therapists, to appear on the website, in the newsletter and in In Essence.

If you are able to offer your time to help provide this service (support can be given by email, telephone or face-to-face) and would like to be included in the register, please email [email protected]

Around the regionsA new IFPA group in the Isle of Man has made a very successful and positive start

The IFPA Council is always delighted to hear about new regional groups starting up so we are very pleased to be able

to bring you news of a group recently established in the Isle of Man. Group co-ordinator Liz Bailey takes up the story and explains the impetus for the new group (pictured):

“We are fortunate to have four registered IFPA aromatherapists on this small island. The Isle of Man has a land-mass measuring only 33 by 15 miles.

“However, its position in the mid-dle of the Irish Sea can be challenging for those of us who are in need of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and further training. A combi-nation of bad weather, which can limit travel, and the cost of getting on and off the island has made accumulating CPD points stressful.

“So, over the last year we have been meeting on a regular basis as a source of therapist support and to meet the need to counter the sense of isolation which can happen to any of us when we are working alone. When the IFPA took another look at its CPD

requirements and allowed regional meetings to qualify for two CPD points per gathering, it prompted us to step forward and register the group.

“And what a positive experience it has been! We had our first regional group meeting on 24 May this year and we invited a guest speaker. Our speaker was a registered five element acupuncturist who spoke about her work and approach to treatment.

Wealth of experience“We shared experiences and gained insight regarding a holistic approach to the client, on an emotional, physi-cal and energetic level. We identified the volume of knowledge that we have within the group and the possi-bilities for CPD as a result of sharing it.

“Most importantly, we expressed a desire to have fun together in a learning capacity, to counterbalance the serious work we end up being involved with on occasions.

“The outcome of our formation is that our guest asked to join with us for all future meetings as she too was looking for therapist support, CPD and a sense of breaking profes-sional isolation. Other therapists have now heard of us and have joined in on our subsequent meeting in July, and a presentation in August on the Bach Flower remedies. We seem to have struck a chord with this island’s therapist community!

“I have no doubt that Regional Groups are a tremendous way for the IFPA to become more integrated with its membership and to give a vibrancy to its existence. It has enabled us here on the Isle of Man to feel more in contact with ongoing learning and a part of something bigger than just ourselves.”

If you would like to know more about the new Isle of Man group con-tact Liz Bailey via [email protected].

MEETING MEMBERS


GROUP NAME / LOCATION ORGANISER TELEPHONE EMAIL ADDRESS

Aberdeen Group Beverley Skinner 01779 821051/07726 531498 [email protected]

AromaForum, Stockport, Cheshire Justine Jackson 0161 439 7453/07974 207033 [email protected]

Aroma Network, Watford, Herts Jayashree Kothari - [email protected]

Bucks, Beds & Northants Regional Group Helen Nagle-Smith 01908 312221/07966 248859 [email protected]

Complementary Therapies Network, Northern Ireland Helen McIntyre 02838 38310065 [email protected]

Central Regional IFPA Group, Midlands Cheryl Smith 0121 378 4487 [email protected]

Chinese Aromatherapists in UK X Song 07738 704701 [email protected]

Fragrant Grapevine, Edinburgh Carolyn Hood 0131 447 4862 [email protected]

Hebden Bridge/Calderdale Group, West Yorkshire Clare Whitworth 07790 761702 [email protected]

Hong Kong Regional Group, Hong Kong Annie Lee (00) 9626 9567 [email protected]

Isle of Man, Regional Group Elizabeth Bailey 07624 380380 [email protected]

Japan Group, Japan Miki Hayashi - [email protected]

One Tree, Buckinghamshire Liz O'Neill 07946 638151 [email protected]

Sakura Kai, Tokyo Miki Hayashi (0081) 035498 5128 [email protected]

Saturday Aromatherapy Club, Hinckley, Leicestershire Penny Price 01455 251020 [email protected]

Shanghai Group, Shanghai Jia Lui 86189 3008 9105 [email protected]

South London Aromatherapy Network Louise Abbott-Little 07957 192265 [email protected]

Sussex Regional Group, Burgess Hill Wendy McCallum 01444 443876 [email protected]

West London Aromatherapy Network, Twickenham Yvonne Humphries 07719 096314 [email protected]

West Yorkshire Aromatherapy Group, Bradford Liane Sara-Gray 07766 655279 [email protected]

TBA, Ballyhearne, Eire Noelene Cashin Cafolla (0353) 094903 0950


Improving quality of life for children with life-limiting illnessesFive years ago Lora Cantele helped set up a programme providing complementary therapies to children with life-limiting illnesses. She explains how she uses aromatherapy for a range of physical and psychological needs

Hospice care in the United States has expanded over the years to include the use of massage, pet therapy, Reiki,

and music therapy. Aromatherapy is used more widely in hospices in the UK than in the USA.

The focus of aromatherapy in hos-pice care is to provide pain management

and comfort for those with terminal illnesses. It is not used so often for those who are dealing with life-limiting ill-nesses in palliative care.

Aromatherapy plays an important role in helping relaxation, alleviating stress and anxiety, and giving emotional support. Used in a palliative setting, it provides relaxation and comfort and improves quality of life.

Hope's Circle of Friends has developed a pilot pro-gramme to provide complementary therapies to children with life-limiting illnesses at the Marklund Children's Home, in Bloomingdale, Illinois.

In 2010, Hope's Circle of Friends contacted me to enhance their existing programme at the Marklund Chil-dren’s Home with the use of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is used in a holistic manner to provide comfort and relief for a variety of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of the children and to improve quality of life.

Qualification criteria In order to qualify for the study, the participants in the programme had to meet the following criteria:• The child had to be significantly medically-fragile• Aged between three and 15 years • Possess at least two significant symptoms that cause

‘distress’ (ie pain, seizures, contractures, gastrointestinal maladies, chronic/acute wound care needs, respiratory distress/frequent infections)

• Marklund Children's Home had the family/state approval for pilot study admission

Diagnosis The diagnosis of each child varied. Severe Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) was common to most of the children in the programme. Other diagnosed conditions included: birth trauma/anoxia, brain malformations, chronic airway obstruction with co-morbidities, congenital hydrocephalus, lumbar spina bifida, sub-acute sclerosing panencephalitis, lethal chromosomal abnormalities, and Cerebro-Oculo-Facio-Skeletal Syndrome (COFS).

Aims of the programmeThe main goal of the programme was to increase the qual-ity of life for the children in the study by using new and existing tools to document measurable outcomes. Other aims were to:• provide an increase in staff education and satisfaction

and to enhance retention of employees• show the cost-effectiveness of palliative care and sus-

tainability of the programme• decrease the use of medication• make the programme replicable in other settings• stimulate parent involvement and support • provide a research report/articles to be published on

pertinent study aspectsThe aromatherapy goals were to reduce agitation

and pain, improve physical issues where possible, and to improve the emotional state of the children.

Determining when to use aromatherapy Each child's case was reviewed and assessed individually. Considerations included: medication changes, doctor visits, hospital stays, changes in physical therapy, child's emo-tional state, current challenges, current successes, medical


interventions, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) interventions, the child's ability to meet individual-ised goals in Physical Therapy (PT), and motor skills.

Aromatherapy was used to ease issues where it was reported to have been successful in previous studies ie relieving stress, physical issues and wound care. It was also considered when the staff was at a loss and willing to try anything that had the potential to help.

Interdisciplinary teamThe Interdisciplinary Team comprised Marklund staff nurses, physical therapist, paediatric neurologist, massage therapist, facility administrator, specialists (as necessary), and professionals from Hope’s Friends including pro-gramme principal, hospice and palliative care nurses, medi-cal advisor, social worker, aromatherapist and chaplain.

The Interdisciplinary Team would meet two to three times monthly to discuss each child’s case and progress. The paediatric Neurologist came in every two to three months to do a spasticity test on the children and the DisDAT (Dis-ability Distress Assessment) tool was used to assess distress.

Through caregiver descriptions, a unique communica-tion level could be assessed, further defining ‘distress’ or ‘contentment’. The DisDAT tool (www.disdat.co.uk) was particularly successful because it was designed primarily for those who are nonverbal and cognitively impaired. While it is not a scoring tool, it assisted the team in noting the instinctive assessments of those who know the chil-dren best. Once distress was identified, the team could intervene with clinical decisions (medication, massage or aromatherapy) to improve the child’s condition.

Additional information regarding the child’s emo-

tional state, sleep patterns, challenges and successes were also discussed.

Introducing aromatherapyThe existing programme included a weekly massage, using an unscented massage lotion. Some children received a back massage, while for others it was their hands and arms, depending on the child and his/her condition. Aromath-erapy was initially introduced through massage.

Each child had a blend created specifically for their needs. Eight drops of the blend were used in 50ml un-scented massage lotion. The massage therapist reported that the massages were 50 per cent more effective when essential oils were added to the unscented massage lotion. Due to the increased effectiveness of the addition of the essential oils, the children received daily aromatherapy hand massages at school and aromatherapy lotion was ap-plied again after bath.

The childrenEach child had his/her own essential oil blend or synergy, to be used in different preparations as appropriate.

Each had a massage lotion for their weekly massage, a lotion at school for hand massages, a lotion for after-bath use, and an inhaler (kept in a pouch on the back of their wheelchair) for easy access to be used when needed.

Many of the children had a guarded posture due to their condition. Muscle contractures were common among the children as they would hold their arms tight to their chests with fists tucked under their chins and their heads down. Essential oils were blended and diluted in lotion and massaged onto the arms and hands of the children

Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) essential oil was used primarily for children exhibiting extreme stress

Photograph: E.nielsen - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Passiflora_incarnata_flower_and_bud.jpg


to provide relaxation to the muscles.

Within two weeks, the children were observed low-ering their arms more after an aromatherapy massage and were more responsive to stimulation. They also showed more interaction - some with increased eye contact - and the ability to signal with body language and facial grimaces.

Anxiety was a common issue among the children. Es-sential oil blends were used in massage lotions and hand lotions for their weekly mas-sages and daily hand mas-sages. For some children, this protocol was enhanced with the addition of a blend used in a roll-on applicator. The essential oil blend (12 drops) would be added to seven ml of carrier oil.

Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata L.) was used pri-marily for children exhibiting extreme stress (Price L 2008). The blend would be applied to the clavicle twice daily. Using the essential oil lotions we saw less crying and more periods of happy wakefulness.

Often a child's anxiety would lead to an irregular sleep pattern. In these cases, a bedside diffuser would be used to diffuse a blend of essential oils into the air to aid relax-ation and facilitate restful sleep. Personal inhalers, such as aromasticks, would be used during the day in class to help to stimulate the child into a wakeful state.

Aromasticks were also employed as indicators for spe-cific activities. For example, if a child was very distracted at school a teacher might use an aromastick before a focused activity to gain the child's attention. Alternatively, an aromastick with a blend of Lavender (Lavandula angusti-folia) and Marjoram (Origanum majorana) might be used to indicate that bedtime was nearing and help to start the relaxation process to allow for sleep.

All but one child in the study had a tracheostomy tube and some complications arose from this. One child en-dured several tracheotomy revisions which resulted in the formation of keloids. The keloids were problematic since they inhibited proper drainage of her trachial secretions, which ultimately led to infection. The Marklund doctor used an injectable kenalog cream for treatment, which did not work. I prepared a cream to help soften the area and reduce the formation of keloids and scarring and to improve skin integrity.

A scar cream was created using Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and Myrrh for its analgesic properties. All oils are traditionally known

to be cell-regenerative for skin and healing for scars. The essential oils were added to a plain white crème base. I added extra Rosehip (Rosa mosqueta) oil to help heal the skin. Research in Chile shows Rosehip oil to be a tissue regenerator for scar damage and stretch marks (Moreno Gimenez J C et al 1990). The crème was not used while the wound was open and draining.

The scar cream was used for another child with a high anxiety level. Due to his anxiety, he had a tendency to rub his hand on the bedclothes vigorously, creating a friction wound. With the use of this scar crème, the wound turned a nice pink within three weeks and had good skin integrity with a normal colour within four weeks.

A young man who suffers muscle spasms and involun-tary head movements would frequently move the sterile dressings from around his tracheostomy. The skin around the tube site was wet and yeasty. The skin was inflamed. There was a similar issue around the G-tube site.

I made a blend with Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis), Rose otto (Rosa damascena), Sandalwood (Santa-lum austrocaledonicum) and Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara) in a base of Rose (Rosa damascena) hydrolat. These oils are traditionally known for their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and skin conditioning properties.

I chose Rose hydrolat as the base for its antifungal, bactericidal and anti-infectious properties (Price L and Price S 2004) - six drops of the blend in one ounce of the hydrolat. The area would then be covered by a dry sterile bandage. The toner was used as a trial over the area sur-rounding the G-tube. This was very successful in relieving the inflammation and repairing the skin and the area cleared up in a couple of days.

Tea tree essential oil was successfully used in a blend to treat ringworm

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Due to this success, the Marklund doctor gave consent for its use around the tracheostomy tube site to reduce the proliferation of yeast and bacteria. After cleansing and toning with the hydrolat preparation, a barrier cream was applied and the site covered with a non-medicated pad.

A few of the children suffered from respiratory distress and frequent seizures. Blends were created for each child's individual needs and aroma preferences. Of these children, most exhibited a decrease in seizures and respiratory dis-tress within six months of aromatherapy use.

A few of the girls suffered from Pre-Menstrual Syn-drome (PMS) symptoms of back ache, pain and cramping. Due to their illnesses, it was difficult for them to express their pain and discomfort in ways other than crying aloud. For these girls I prepared a blend of co-distilled Rose and Geranium (Rosa damascena and Pelargonium graveolens), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Mandarin (Citrus reticu-lata), and Sweet almond (Prunus amygdalus var. dulcus) oil in a roll-on bottle. The nurses would apply the blend to the young girl's lower back and abdomen when they ap-peared to be suffering in their menstrual cycle.

Recurring tinea (ringworm) was an issue for one of the boys on the unit. He was five years old and had experienced ringworm since the age of three. I created a bath gel using essential oils of Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), Sandalwood (Santalum austrocaledonicum), Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) and Palmarosa (Cymbo-pogon martinii (Price & Price 2004; Pissri F, Bertoli A et al 2009; Maddocks-Jennings W, Wilkinson J M, Shillington D, Cavanaugh D H 2005; Harris, R IJA 2002; DiSalvo A www-pathmicro.med.sc.edu)

After the ringworm appeared to be visually gone, they continued to use the bath gel for an additional two months. This protocol was especially successful! Despite the study ending in February 2010, the facility continues to purchase and use the ringworm bath gel and have had very little incidence of ringworm at the facility.

Pain was an issue for many of the children for a va-riety of reasons. Some had pain derived from the muscle contractures in their hands. The staff were concerned with hygiene since it had become difficult to open the children’s hands to clean them. Their hands were mal-odorous as it was difficult to get into the folds and creases of their palm.

Aromatherapy use for Parkinson's studies were reviewed for possible solutions and an aromatherapy hand lotion was created specific to each individual (Price S and Price L 2004). When the lotion was used with a hand massage, the children could open their hands and the staff could wash them. With frequent use, it became easier and less painful for the children to open their hands, and they were able to hold them open for longer periods of time.

Another child had tight hamstrings and needed surgery to release his tendons. A blend of essential oils, blended into a lotion, was created for the pain. The lotion was massaged on his legs prior to and after his physical therapy appointments and any time he was in pain. The therapist indicated a greater range of motion when the lotion was used.

Lora Cantele is a Registered Aromatherapist (RA), Swiss Reflex Therapist, and author of The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Every-day Wellness. As a clinical aromatherapist, she works in both private practice and in paediatric hospice and palliative care.

As a former president of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists, Lora worked to improve the stand-ards of aromatherapy education and to foster aroma-therapy education in the USA through the program-ming of international conferences and cooperative alliances with other aromatherapy organisations around the world. She is editor and publisher of the peer-reviewed International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapy (IJPHA). You can contact Lora via [email protected]. More information at www.enhancements.abmp.com

ConclusionThis pilot programme has helped bring paediatric hospice and palliative care to institutionalised children at the Marklund Children’s Home in Bloomingdale, Illinois. The project has made a tremendous impact on the quality of life of the children involved; improved staff satisfaction and training; incurred favourable family satisfaction; and captured measurable outcomes that underscore the need for programme replication. Other key successes are the potential for published findings – the first of their kind in peer-reviewed literature-and programme sustainability.

AfterwardsOverall, the children who participated in the study were found to have experienced an increased quality of life as exhibited through the following behaviours:• Decreased crying episodes (22%)• Increased relaxation (35%)• Decreased periods of anxiety (52%)• Increased range of motion (28%)• Enhanced periods of wakefulness (23%)

For more information on the Marklund Children’s Home, and to see some of the children who participated in the study, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VahNUqFs4x8&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvRGBUQfU94&feature=player_embedded#!

ReferencesDisDAT [homepage on the internet]. Northumberland, UK. Information and tools avail-able from: http://www.disdat.co.uk. Accessed 12.8.2015Price L (2008) ‘Macerated oils - Passion Flower’. In: Carrier Oils For Aromatherapy and Massage. Section 2B pp.239-241. Riverhead Publishing, Warwickshire, EnglandMoreno Gimenez J C et al (1990) ‘Treatment of skin ulcer using oil of mosqueta rose’. Med Cutan Ibero Lat Am. 18 (1) pp63-6. Price L & Price S (2004) Understanding Hydrolats: The Specific Hydrosols for Aromath-erapy. p135. Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, London.Price S and Price L (2007) Aromatherapy for Health Professionals. 3rd ed. Churchill Living-stone/Elsevier, UK Tinea References: Price & Price ibid; Pissri F, Bertoli A et al (2009) ‘Antifungal activity of Tea Tree oil Melaleuca alternifolia against Trichophyton equinum’ Phytomedicine; Maddocks-Jennings J M, Wilkinson, Shillington D, Cavanagh H ‘A fresh look at manuka [Leptospermum scoparium ] and kanuka [Kunzea ericoides]essential oils from New Zealand’, International J. of Aromatherapy, Elsevier; Harris R ‘Progress with superficial mycosis using essential oils’, International J. of Aromatherapy 2002 vol. 12 no. 2; DiSalvo A Superficial Mycosis http://wwwpathmicro.med.sc.edu/mycology/mycology-4.htm


Rheumatoid arthritis: Can aromatherapy help?In this concluding part of her case study Hannah Boot analyses her results and what she learned from them, and suggests potential areas for future research

In the first part of this article (In Es-sence Vol.13 No. 4, Spring 2015) I described a literature review I carried out to discover whether aromathera-

py, Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and well-being had been previously investigated. In the second part (In Essence Vol.14 No. 1 Summer 2015) I shared my experi-ence of running a small-scale study to

discover whether aromatherapy can improve well-being in people with RA.

This concluding part focuses on a discussion of the results of my study and highlights areas where I feel that more research is needed.

DISCUSSION

The results were discussed for each participant individually, involving a comparison between measurement tools. This method was chosen because the questionnaire results for participants provided contrasting results.

Participant HHThis participant’s well-being decreased through the treatment and follow-up phases, in comparison with the baseline phase as shown from the WHO-5 and MYMOP2 results. When related to the research question these results suggested that aromatherapy had a negative effect on someone with RA.

HH mentioned early in the treatment phase that her RA symptoms were getting worse and she implied that the aromatherapy essential oils or the massage could be negatively affecting her symptoms.

No research was found suggesting that aromatherapy massage negatively affects people with RA. However, this raised the question of whether the effects on well-being were from the massage, the oils or a combination of both. Cooke and Ernst’s (2000) systematic review evalu-ated the use of aromatherapy for anxiety and well-being. They found five studies indicating that aromatherapy was better than the control (control being either no massage or massage without essential oils) at relieving anxiety or

promoting well-being. These results suggest that aroma-therapy massage is more successful at increasing well-being than massage alone.

The results also show that HH’s perception that the aromatherapy massage may have been affecting her negatively has not been borne out in any of the research included in the literature review.

Cooke and Ernst’s (2000) results were also confirmed by Kyle (2006). Kyle provided information on how aroma-therapy affected well-being-related conditions in those with a chronic illness. He found, when massaging indi-viduals in palliative care, that people who received either an aromatherapy massage or inhaled essential oils via an aroma stone, showed decreased levels of anxiety.

Massage alone also showed decreased levels of anxiety although the results were not as significant. This sug-gested that it was the aromatherapy aspect of the treat-ment that encouraged a greater sense of well-being. This research provided further indications that participant HH’s negative feelings were not related to the aromatherapy treatments.

HH’s negative feelings may have been the result of confounding variables such as her position and surround-ings when receiving the treatment. Her position and surroundings were affected because her lack of mobility prevented her from leaving her home and receiving the massages on a massage table.

Participant JAThere was no significant difference in this participant’s WHO-5 and MYMOP2 results. Therefore, in terms of the aim of the study (to identify if aromatherapy would pro-duce positive effects on well-being), this suggested a null result for this participant.

However, when looking at her MYMOP2 profile score an interesting observation was made: JA’s MYMOP2 profile improved throughout the study yet her well-being scores stayed rather consistent. This suggested that the aroma-therapy treatments could have been affecting her symp-toms positively, especially her pain.

The consistency in the participant’s well-being scores could have been due to the client’s answer to the well-


being question on the initial MYMOP2 form. Participant JA indicated an already “as good as it could be” feeling of well-being. This prevented any further increase in well-be-ing scores throughout the study. These results concur with Kim et al (2005) who showed no change between a control group and an experimental group in life satisfaction scores in those with arthritis using aromatherapy.

However, the pain scores decreased in the experimen-tal group by comparison with the control group. For JA’s follow-up scores both her WHO-5 and MYMOP2 showed a slight improvement in well-being by comparison with her initial scores during the baseline phase.

This suggested that the treatment effects may have taken longer to come into effect. It indicated a limitation of the study in that a longer baseline and follow-up period could have provided a wider range of values for the mean. This would have produced a more accurate depiction of the participant’s general well-being.

From client observations and comments, JA stated how much she had enjoyed the treatments and reported that they definitely helped her to feel happier and more re-laxed. This was also found by Evans (1995) who researched the effects of aromatherapy massage on cancer patients in palliative and terminal care.

Evans’s (1995) results showed that 87 per cent of participants felt that the treatments were calming/sooth-ing and relaxing. This showed that almost all participants received a positive benefit that related to a sense of well-being. For JA these results were only vocalised through conversation and not found through her questionnaires, and this may suggest a limitation of the study. Perhaps interviews with the participants may have provided them with the chance to express any well-being-related feelings and offer more insight into the effects of the aromathera-py treatments.

Brownfield’s (1998) study was the only previous re-search found that had interviewed participants. This was also the only study that produced positive effects for RA and well-being through aromatherapy specifically. This suggested that interviews allowed participants to describe their answers and provided further insight into their thoughts and feelings on the treatments.

Participant RMParticipant RM’s results showed little change in her WHO-5 scores and therefore, in relation to the research question, produced a null result. These results also concurred with those found by Kim et al (2005) who showed no change in life satisfaction scores between a control group and an experimental group using aromatherapy on people with arthritis.

Participant RM’s MYMOP2 scores were the only scores that showed an increase in well-being from the baseline phase through to the treatment phase. This suggested that the aromatherapy treatments could have helped improve RM’s symptoms such as pain, and her feeling of well-being.

Osborn et al (2001) surveyed the current practice of aromatherapy in the management of rheumatic symptoms and showed how clients had chosen pain as a symptom for treatment. This suggested that people with a rheumatic

condition were finding relief for their pain through aro-matherapy massage, which was reflected in RM’s results. Although RM’s scores for the follow-up phase showed her well-being to be worse than when she started the study, this could have been due to the flare-up she experienced after the aromatherapy treatments were finished, which affected her well-being. This is a common problem with RA as it can vary greatly day to day (NHS choices, 2008).

RM’s verbal responses to the treatments were limited; she did not express any negative opinions and seemed genuinely pleased with the sessions.

Participant MFAs shown from her WHO-5 results, participant MF showed a meaningful increase in well-being during the treat-ments into the follow-up phase. These results correlated with Brownfield’s (1998) interview and VAS scores which showed a positive change in well-being in people with RA given a course of aromatherapy treatments. When related to the research question participant MF was the only par-ticipant who showed a positive result.

Interestingly, this participant had the most severe case of RA through observation and symptoms, and had the lowest baseline scores. Severity of RA was not measured scientifically although, if it had been, it could have shown a factor affecting well-being.

A comparison of the WHO-5 and MYMOP2 results showed that they did not correlate. This was due to the MYMOP2 well-being and profile scores which increased through the treatment phase and then decreased at the follow-up. This showed a lower feeling of well-being while receiving the treatments.

Even though this did not correlate with the WHO-5 results it did relate to an answer MF gave on the MYMOP2 questionnaire. The question asked if there was any other factor that participants thought was important, such as a change they had made themselves or something happen-ing in their life that could have been affecting their RA. This excluded the treatment they were receiving as part of the study.

Participant MF answered this question with informa-tion on a negative life situation that affected well-being part way through the treatment phase. This was reflected in her WHO-5 and MYMOP2 well-being scores as both de-creased during this time. She had described how a deterio-ration in her partner’s health had affected her negatively since she was finding it hard to cope. This suggested that, although the participant gained positive effects from the treatments, a serious negative life situation could affect the results negatively.

The MYMOP2 also showed that, as her symptoms became increasingly worse, there was a decrease in well-being. Newsman et al (1996) suggested that subjective feelings of psychological well-being are most commonly affected by chronic pain. Pain at night was MF’s most im-portant symptom, suggesting that her levels of pain were affecting her feelings of well-being.

MF experienced the treatments in her home surround-ings. Due to MF’s questionnaire results suggesting an increase in well-being from the aromatherapy treatments,


this may have indicated how important being comfort-able in your own home and lying in your own bed was. Conducting the treatments at MF’s home allowed her to go straight to sleep after the treatment which she said was a huge benefit to her symptoms. Sarafino (1990) cited in Brownfield (1998) suggested that people with chronic pain cope better with the pain if their sleep is undisrupted.

MAIN FINDINGS

Overall, the combined results of all participants produced a null result. Some important findings related to all participants concluded that only HH produced negative results. This could be due to an anomaly in the results. However, this could not be construed since there were only four participants in the study and this number was not a large enough representation of the RA community to infer anything from the results.

Participants JA and RM showed very similar findings. They both seemed happy with their lives and health status before the study and their baseline results indicated high levels of initial well-being. It was therefore difficult for the aromatherapy treatments to produce any increase in well-being.

Participants HH and MF received the treatments in their own homes and produced completely different sets of results. Participant MF gained more from the home treatments due to her ability to sleep after the treat-ments. Participant HH did not find the situation comfort-able as she did not lie down. This was a confounding vari-able as participants JA and RM received the treatments at the researcher’s home on a massage table in the same environment.

MF gained the most from the treatments. This may have been due to a combination of the severity of her symptoms, having the lowest baseline scores and being in comfortable home surroundings.

All participants expressed feelings of enjoyment and relaxation from the treatments. This could indicate a limitation of the research in that all participants were connected to the researcher through family/friend ties as opportunity sampling was used. This may have encour-aged the participants to say they felt better due to their perceived outcome expectations of the researchers.

This lack of randomisation also displayed another limi-tation: the participants were unrepresentative of the RA community in that all the participants were female. This is unrepresentative of the RA community since the results do not show how males with RA may have been affected. However, getting male participants for the study was dif-ficult as RA is up to three times more likely to develop in women than in men (NHS choices, 2008). These limitations were mainly caused by the student nature of the study. All of which meant that the results could not be used to make generalisations.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Since this study produced null results, and previously only Brownfield (1998) has investigated well-being explicitly

with positive results, there is an evident need for further research into this field.

Further research could be undertaken to investigate the effect of aromatherapy massage on different levels of severity of RA. This is suggested since the results showed the participant with the most severe RA, from appear-ance and symptoms, showed the only positive meaning-ful change in the results. The participants with the least severe RA symptoms produced null results.

All participants reported pain as one of their most important symptoms, thus suggesting that this was an important factor for the participants. Further research into the effects of aromatherapy massage on pain in people with RA may be useful.

Larger-scale studies and further research into this topic could be conducted in a hospital setting since this could provide a clinical surrounding, and participant illness and progression through treatments could be more closely monitored. This would also reduce the effects of life vari-ables, such as job, family and other responsibilities.

A limitation to this proposal is that participants are unlikely to be in hospital for a long period of time so it would be difficult to measure continuous effects. To compensate for this treatments could be conducted for a shorter period of time and more frequently.

Other research suggestions might include comparing RA participants with a sample of people who did not have a chronic illness, or a sample of those with a different type of chronic illness. This may show how different illnesses respond to aromatherapy and could allow for a greater comparison of effects.

Finally, a change to the method could involve showing participants their previous scores on the questionnaires. This may add an extra level of comparison between their previous set of results and their current feelings that day. A limitation of this suggestion is that participants may al-ter their results to represent the desires of the researcher, or they may have their own outcome expectations that could influence their scores.

CONCLUSION

Brownfield’s (1998) results concluded that aromatherapy had a positive effect on well-being in those with RA. These results helped to develop the research question and pro-vided methodological considerations.

The results from the MYMOP2 and WHO-5 question-naires suggested that aromatherapy did not have a posi-tive effect on well-being in those with RA. This was shown through the insignificant results produced by the WHO-5 and the negative results, on average, found from the MY-MOP2. Although the research did not produce positive re-sults it showed the need for further research and provided methodological considerations for future studies.

The main limitations of the study were caused by the student nature of the research which allowed for little time and resources. For future research, due to the subjective nature of well-being, interviews would provide a deeper insight into the thoughts and feelings of participants. ➤


REFERENCEShttp://allpsych.com (Accessed 2015, 21 May) Arthritis care (2007, July). The impact of Arthritis Statistics.[Online]. Available URL. www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Arthritisbasics/Arthritisstatistics (Ac-cessed 2008, March 22). Battaglia S (2003). The complete guide to aromatherapy. Brisbane, Australia: the Inter-national Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy. Braun M B and Simonson S J (2005). Introduction to massage therapy. USA: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. Brownfield A (1998). Aromatherapy and arthritis: a study. Nursing Standard, 13, 5, 34-5. Buckle J (2003) Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice, 2nd ed. Churchill Livingstone Evans B (1995). An audit into the effect of aromatherapy massage and the cancer pa-tient in palliative and terminal care. Complementary therapies in medicine, 2, 239-241Henkel V, Mergl R and Kohnen R (2003). Identifying depression in primary care: a comparison of different methods in a prospective cohort study. British Medical Journal, 326, 200-201. Heun R, Burkart M, Maier W and Bech P (1999). Internal and external validity of WHO Well-being scale in the elderly general population. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 99, 171-178. Kane M (2004). Research made easy in complementary and alternative medicine. USA: Elsevier Ltd. Paterson C (1999). Kim M J, Nam E S, Paik S I (2005). The effect of aromatherapy on pain, depression, and life satisfaction of arthritis patients. Taehan Kanho Hakhow Chi, 35, 186-194. Kyle G (2006). Evaluating the effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing levels of anxiety in palliative care patients: Results of a pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 12, 148-155. Lidell L, Thomas S, Bereford-Cooke C and Porter A(2000). The new book of massage. UK: Ebury Press. Long L, Huntley A and Ernst E (2001). Which Complementary and Alternative therapies benefit which conditions? A survey of the opinions of 223 professional organizations. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 9, 178-185.

Hannah Boot obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in Comple-mentary Therapies from Cardiff Metropolitan Univer-sity (formerly University of Wales Institute, Cardiff) in 2009 and this article is based on research carried out for her degree dissertation. Hannah and her busi-ness partner run a thriving venture in Cardiff offering workplace massage and wellness treatments as well as running a health and well-being clinic where Hannah practises on a part-time basis with her own clients.

Essential oils to fight infection A recent Serbian study examined the antibacterial po-tential of two commercial essential oils from coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) against vaginal clinical strains of bacteria and yeast and their chemical composition.

The results provided in-vitro scientific support for the safe possible use of coriander essential oil against E. coli, Staph. aureus and C. albicans vaginal infections in alterna-tive gynaecological treatments. The researchers say essen-tial oils could be examined further as potential constitu-ents of naturally based antimicrobial agents in vaginaletes for safe gynaecological application. Full details of method and results at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26109513.

Geranium essential oil helpful during labour Can the aroma of geranium essential oil help relieve anxi-ety for first-time mothers in first stage labour? An Iranian study recently carried out a clinical trial with 100 women to find out.

The women were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (geranium essential oil) or a control group (placebo) group. Anxiety levels were measured us-ing Spielberger's questionnaire before and after interven-tion. Physiological parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, pulse rate) were also measured before and after intervention in both groups.

The results showed that the mean anxiety score de-creased significantly after inhalation of geranium essen-

tial oil. There was also a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure. The researchers concluded that inhal-ing the aroma of geranium essential oil can effectively reduce anxiety during labour and can be recommended as a non-invasive anti-anxiety aid during childbirth. Free access to the full article at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26161367

Changes in oil composition during evaporation Researchers at Norway’s University of Bergen recently exam-ined the composition of lemon, sweet orange, and tange-rine essential oils, designated for aromatherapy, before and after partial evaporation in a stream of nitrogen. The intact oils contained the expected mixtures of mono- and sesquit-erpenes, with hydrocarbons dominating and lesser amounts of oxygenated analogues making up the remainder.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to fol-low alterations in the relative amounts of the various com-ponents present as evaporation proceeded. Changes were marked and, in particular, more volatile components present in the intact oils rapidly disappeared. Thus the balance of content moved away from monoterpene hydrocarbons to-wards the analogous alcohols and carbonyl compounds.

These results are discussed in an article to which free access is available at www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2015/421695. The researchers highlight the case of lemon oil since the relative amount of citral, a known sensitiser, remaining as time elapsed represented an increasing percentage of the total oil.

Research notes

Morris N (2002). The effects of Lavender (Lavandula angustifolium) baths on psychologi-cal well-being: two exploratory randomized control trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 10, 223-228.MYMOP2 follow-up questionnaire. [Online]. Available URL. http://www.pms.ac.uk/mymop/files/MYMOP_questionnaire_follow-up_form.pdf. NHS choices (2007, September 10). Rheumatoid Arthritis Introduction [online]. Available URL. www.nhs.uk/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/pages/introduction. aspx?url=Pages/What-is-it.aspx (Accessed 2008, November 21). Osborn C E, Barlas P, Baxter G D and Barlow J H (2001). Aromatherapy: a survey of current practice in the management of rheumatic disease symptoms. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 9, 2, 62-67.Paterson C (1999). MYMOP2 follow-up questionnaire. [Online]. Available URL. www.pms.ac.uk/mymop/files/MYMOP_questionnaire_follow-up_form.pdf (Accessed 2008, March 26). Price S (1999} Aromatherapy for Health Professionals, 2nd ed. Churchill Livingstone World Health Organisation (WHO) (2007, September 3). Mental Health: a state of well-being. [online]. Available URL. www.who.int.about/en (Accessed 2008 December 29). World Health Organisation, WHO-5 Well-Being Index, www.psykiatri-regionh.dk/who-5/ Pages/default.aspx (Accessed 2015 21 May)


Lessons learned in palliative careAromatherapy practitioner Jacqueline Von Kaenel shares her experience of working in palliative and end-of-life care and what this rewarding work has taught her

Over the past 12 years I have worked at an acute Palliative Care Unit, first as a staff nurse for four years and, for the past

eight years, as a complementary therapist using aromatherapy and massage. Now that this stage of my career is coming to an end I feel the need to distil my experi-ence as a way of rounding things off.

This article is entirely subjective, highlighting the lessons I feel I have learned through my experience of working in palliative care. However, I hope that it may offer useful information, reassurance and encouragement to other therapists practising in this field, or considering working in it.

Natural apprehension but rich rewardsA therapist first coming to work in a palliative care envi-ronment may feel daunted or apprehensive about it. It is, of course, natural to be fearful of the idea of death, pain, and grief, and working in this setting you inevitably encounter situations which are intensely emotional.

However, this is what makes the work so satisfying. When an intervention you have made allays fear, offers comfort or alleviates pain – physical and spiritual – it is richly rewarding for the therapist. People die as they live. Sickness and death are intertwined with the currents of life, making palliative care a complex and fascinating sub-ject encompassing all the relationships the dying person holds dear, including the difficult ones.

Lesson 1: Building confidenceWhen I began working in palliative care I would have struggled without:• learning my way around the workplace• familiarising myself with basic equipment, especially hos-

pital beds, call bells and where to direct visitors to find a cup of tea

• getting to know medical and nursing staff in a pro-fessional way. (Be assured that once the staff see the effect of your work on patients, their respect and co-operation will grow)

• Becoming educated in the challenges of working in pal-liative care (see Note on page 19)

Lesson 2: Approaching patients and relating to themWhen I started my nursing work in palliative care, I asked myself “How do people cope with such drastically life-changing situations, such loss and sadness, and how do I be-gin to talk about it with them?” I often felt overwhelmed.

I noticed that the experienced nurses were perfectly straight in their interactions with patients. They discussed the small, everyday things: TV, sport, family matters, finding humour and universal themes to establish a bond while being direct, kind and honest when dealing with hard questions. This did not come naturally to me so I learned by observation and initially, to a degree, by imita-tion. It was like learning to speak a new language.

My first year as a complementary therapist brought an unexpected lesson. After a few weeks we discovered that there was no hospital policy covering the use of essential oils. I had no permission to use them until this was correct-ed. Initially, I felt bereft and at a loss as to how to proceed, but decided to carry on, offering massage only.

Over the following months I paid more attention to, and came to value properly, the quality of touch and nature of interaction with patients. When I finally got my oils back I had a lovely extra dimension to my work, a more solid basis to my practice and I had had a boost in confidence.

Lesson 3: PrioritisingThere is an art to taking referrals from medical and nursing staff and to prioritising needs. A patient may be referred simply because they enjoy massage. This is a valid reason to offer a treatment. However, it is important not to overlook the socially isolated, sensorily deprived, de-pressed or anxious person who may not be referred.

I saw referrals become more pertinent as staff became familiar with complementary therapy by observing the effect on patients. It is appropriate to ask staff if you see someone whom you think may benefit from a treatment but who has not been referred. ➤


Lesson 4: Timing and flexibilityMy working day would start with a list of patients. Some would be known to me and some would be new patients. But, of course, a list of names can only be a guideline. The demands of hospital routine as well as unexpected events mean that the therapist must be extremely flexible. Go with the flow!

Once the complementary therapy service became ac-cepted and respected on the ward, I was rarely interrupted while giving a treatment. It is worth trying, although not always possible, to arrange fitting in with other staff who need to see the patient, in order to avoid interruptions. The synergistic effect of a treatment given in combination with pain relief is worth any adjustments to routine.

Lesson 5: Consent and changing needsThere is great value in regular sessions with an individual patient. Anticipation of a pleasant and relaxing experience based on trust makes the intervention much more effective.

However, the nature of palliative and end-of-life care means that there will inevitably be patients whom you only get to see once or twice. The patient’s condition can change so rapidly that you may feel you are treating a dif-ferent person from one session to the next. Someone seen last week who requested a treatment today may have had a difficult night and be sleeping off medication.

It is good practice to leave a message with staff to tell the person that you looked in on them and will try again next time. It is sometimes not appropriate to en-ter a patient’s room and there will not necessarily be a sign on the door. If in any doubt I would not hesitate to

ask a member of staff.A patient who enjoyed last week’s session may not

want one today. Respect this and find out, without prob-ing, if they would like you to offer again. Conversely, someone who previously declined an offer may want your services today.

If on first introduction a patient declines, remember to ask them if they would like you to offer again in future. If the answer is a firm ‘No’, pass this on to other members of the team. This saves the patient stress and embarrassment and saves the therapist time.

Be aware that the person probably has a history of having had to consent to various unpleasant interventions during his/her illness. Just saying ‘No’ can be empowering. As therapists we need to avoid putting the patient on the spot by asking why they do not want a treatment.

Lesson 6: VisitorsSometimes when you visit a patient there may be visitors around the bed and you wonder if you should disturb them by offering a treatment. There is no single way to approach this, it is wholly individual, and again, it becomes so much more comfortable when the patient’s needs are familiar, as well as their family patterns.

Much depends on the current state of the patient and the sensitivity of visitors. Family members or friends may be gathered around them, encouraging them to “Have a lovely massage”. But it is important to ask the patient if this is what they want.

They may be happy to let you continue with visitors present, or they may want this to be a private experience

“The compassion of [Rosa damascena] is revealed through its ability to heal emotional wounds.“ (Mojay G, 1996)

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but be reluctant to tell their visitors. Establishing what the patient prefers may require some tact and gentle self-assertiveness on their behalf, skills well worth developing. Intuition grows with experience and will be your best guide in interpreting the atmosphere and undercurrents in a room.

Often you or one of your patient’s visitors may sug-gest that they all go out and get a cup of tea, and you can offer to let them know when you have finished the treatment and they can come back. Family members may be exhausted and grateful for a break too. It is helpful to know before starting the treatment if the patient wishes to be woken when it is finished, should they fall asleep during the session. A patient may wish to spend every precious moment with loved ones and this can be exhaust-ing for many reasons. They may feel guilty for needing a break from the intensely strong emotions inherent in the anticipation of loss and grief. A treatment session can give tacit permission for a respite.

If you can time a session to give a patient a brief rest before visitors arrive this benefits everyone, and it is especially helpful for parents wanting, despite their own exhaustion, to give their child their best.

Lesson 7: Sharing the experience A treatment can involve just you and the patient in total silence. Or you may find yourself sharing the space with a deeply-bonded biker gang, members of a church congre-gation, or the entire family - grandchildren on the bed and teenagers too, chattering and sharing stories - with the patient the serene centre of a loving group.

It can be immensely comforting for the family to be shown how to do a simple foot or hand massage (with a labelled blend left with them to use as instructed by you). The benefit of this is immeasurable, especially once a per-son is no longer able to enjoy food and other shared expe-rience, even conversation. I have found that children and some teenagers are especially eager to learn, and good at, doing this. In their futures, this early encounter with death may have positive and caring associations, lessening fear and feelings of helplessness around it.

On occasion, the therapist may be asked to intervene in a tense family situation, if their intervention is appro-priate. Anger is a common response to death and may be directed at the patient by a loving partner desperate not to let them go. On one occasion I had the privilege of giv-ing a massage to a distraught wife at her dying husband’s bedside, and then massaging the patient himself. This transformed the tense atmosphere, bringing peace to both and a better memory of their loved one’s last moments for the survivor.

Patients may be reassured by seeing their partner be-ing massaged and supported because they often become anxious for the other’s future well-being.

ConclusionI hope that the seven lessons from my experience that I have listed above will be useful to other therapists, espe-cially those who are new to working in palliative care.

In my practice I have found that some essential oils

Jacqueline Von Kaenel, formerly a nurse, qualified as an aromatherapist in 2004. She completed her work for the Christie Hospital Diploma in Complementary Therapies in Cancer Care in 2011. Jacqueline is cur-rently building a private practice in West Oxfordshire, with emphasis on working with the elderly and those receiving palliative care.

such as Frankincense (Boswellia carterii), Rose (Rosa dama-scena) and Lemon (Citrus limon) have been very helpful and are liked by patients.

However I have not gone into detail regarding the choice and use of essential oils, or other practical matters, since I believe this is so much better covered by the courses mentioned below.

Study suggestionsIn Lesson 1 above Becoming educated in the challenges of working in palliative care I have in mind excellent courses such as the Diploma in Complementary Therapies in Can-cer and Supportive Care led by Peter Mackereth at The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, and study days given by Rhiannon Lewis at The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, both of which are invaluable sources of education and support. You can find details of Rhian-non’s 2016 essential oil courses for therapists at The Royal Marsden Hospital on page 7.

ReferenceMojay, G (1996) Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit, Healing Arts Press, Randolph, USA

Lemon: “calms, lightens and refreshes, dispersing confusion and easing worry.” (Mojay G, 1996)


Extending your essential oil repertoireIn your practice do you tend to keep to a few oils you know well or are you more adventurous? Sue Jenkins suggests some more unusual oils for you to explore

All experienced aromatherapy practitioners have a favourite repertoire of essential oils that they have found useful over

the years. The repertoire will vary from practitioner to practitioner and yours will include a range of tried and tested oils for the kind of conditions you encounter

most frequently in your practice. In this article I would like to introduce you to some

lesser-known essential oils that you may not have consid-ered before and might like to explore. In the list below I have highlighted the oils’ major constituents and their healing properties.

ANISEED (PIMPINELLA ANISUM)

Aniseed (pictured below left) is a small aromatic herb about half a metre high, belonging to the Umbelliferae or Apiaceae family. It has reddish-brown seeds with the typi-cal anisic smell. It is native to Greece and Egypt, but also widely cultivated in Spain.

The oil is distilled from the dried ripe fruit. Its main components are anethole and methyl chavicol, which give the oil its excellent antispasmodic property. It is good for the digestive system, relieving flatulence and colic, and also relieves menstrual pain and is an effective expectorant.

Pénoël (1990) suggests that it should not be used for young children, babies and pregnant women, but does not state why – it may be the high content of anethol and methyl chavicol.

TANSY (TANACETUM ANNUUM)

Tansy’s main component is limonene, but it also contains chamazulene at about 30 per cent, giving it an anti-inflam-matory action.

It is also antihistaminic and reduces itching. It has analgesic, sedative and hypotensive actions and is used in aromatherapy for asthma, skin irritations, arthritis and sciatica.


CELERY (APIUM GRAVEOLENS)

Two oils are derived from this plant: the seed oil and the whole plant oil. The seed oil consists mainly of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. It is sedative and a venous decongestant.

The oil from the whole plant is more rounded, consisting of mainly monoter-penes and sesquiter-penes, some alcohols and the ketone carvone, as well as 20 per cent esters.

It is a powerful antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory agent, but Pénoël

(1990) suggests that it may be photosensitising, although it is not clear why this should be so.

CHAMPAK (MICHELIA CHAMPACA)

Michelia champaca, known in English as Champak, is a tall, slender evergreen tree with scented orange-yellow flow-ers. It is related to Magnolia.

Although native to the Philippines and Indonesia, it is also grown in India, south-east China and Reunion. An absolute is produced through solvent extraction of the yel-

low flowers, an attar is produced over Sandalwood, and an essential oil is extracted from the wood.

The absolute contains phenyl ethyl alcohol, methyl anthranilate, indole, linalool, benzyl acetate, eugenol, cin-namyl alcohol, benzoic acid and phenyl acetic acid.

Eugenol would suggest a pain-relieving action, hence a possible use for rheumatism and for painful periods.

On a mental and emotional level Champak is thought to enhance self-esteem and confidence.

CHASTETREE BERRY (VITEX AGNUS CASTUS)

Vitex agnus castus is a deciduous shrub native to southern Europe. The essential oil is distilled from the shrub’s dried fruits and contains mainly α and β pinene, 1,8 cineole and limonene.

Research in 2002 (Luck et al) suggests that it may be useful for treating menstrual problems, both on a physical and a mental level.

ROCK ROSE (CISTUS LABDANIFERUS)

Rock rose is a shrubby plant growing in moun-tainous coastal Mediterranean areas and in the Middle East.

The leaves are boiled to produce a gum, which is then distilled to yield an essential oil. An absolute is produced by solvent extraction of the dried plant material.

The essential oil is composed of monoterpenes (α and β pinene, myrcene, terpi-nenes, limonene,

Photograph: Gordo06 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vitex_agnus_castus1.jpg


ρ cymene), oxides (1,8 cineole), alcohols (borneol, nerol, linalool, geraniol), and various ketones.

Its main actions are antimicrobial (against Staph. aureas, E coli and Candida albicans), but it is primarily used in wound healing. It is helpful, for example, for bed sores (with sage and lavender) and for varicose ulcers (with cypress and lavender).

Rock rose may also help with eczema and psoriasis and reduce lymphatic congestion. On a more subtle level it is an aid to meditation and helps individuals who are feeling numb and dazed after a traumatic event.

FRAGONIA (AGONIS FRAGRANS)

Fragonia essential oil is distilled from the fresh, leafy twigs of a small shrubby tree na-tive to Australia. Although simi-lar in aroma to teatree it is more acceptable for massage.

Its major com-ponents are 1,8 cineole (26-33 per cent), α pinene ( 22-27 per cent) and monoterpene alcohols (5-8 per cent). This ratio

makes it a good oil for the treatment of respiratory infec-tions. However, it may also be an effective analgesic and anti-inflammatory, and appears to be active against Staph. aureus, E coli and C. albicans.

Some suggest that it soothes the mind and may un-block stuck emotions.

HOLY BASIL (OCIMUM SANCTUM)

Holy Basil, also known as Tulsi (pictured below left) is an aromatic member of the Labiatae family. In Indian medi-cine it is said to have a close affinity with Krishna and to ward off death. Hence it is planted outside dwellings to protect from death, disease and misfortune.

It grows wild all over the tropics, especially in India, up to 1800m and is also widely cultivated. Unlike our Mediter-ranean basil, it has red or purple flowers and in Ayurveda the leaves, seeds and root are all used.

The essential oil is extracted from the leaves and flowers and contains eugenol, carvacrol, methyl chavicol, linalool, caryophyllene and elemene among others.

Holy basil essential oil is used for chronic ulcers, inflammation and skin disorders. In animal research it has been found to have anti-asthmatic and anticarcinogenic effects. Its high eugenol and methyl chavicol content would also suggest an analgesic effect. However, because of these components, it should be used only in small dose and for short periods of time,. Holy Basil’s caryophyllene content would support its use for inflammatory conditions (Williamson, ed, 2002).

STAR ANISE (ILLICIUM VERUM)

Star anise de-rives from an evergreen tree native to south east Asia, but is mainly produced in China. It is distilled from the dried, star-shaped ripe fruit, which is sometimes chopped up for ease of distillation.

According to Pénoël, its main compo-nent is trans-anethole (88 -91 per cent) with other phenyl methyl ethers such as methyl chavi-col and a small percentage of monoterpenes.

Like aniseed, it is antispasmodic and tonic, and useful for digestive problems, asthma and spasmodic coughs.

According to Pénoël it should not be used with oestro-gen-dependent cancers (probably because trans-anethole is similar in structure to oestrogens), or for babies, children and pregnant women.

Photograph: Mokkie - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holy_Basil_(Ocimum_tenuiflorum)_1.jpg


An aromatherapy practitioner for over 20 years, Sue Jenkins BA (Hons), BSc served on both the ISPA and IFPA Councils, serving one year as IFPA Council Chair. She is currently Principal of the Edinburgh School of Holistic Aromatherapy, which she took over in 1995, and she is regular contributor to In Essence.

Photograph: Christian Fischer - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ViolaOdorata2.jpg

VIOLET LEAF (VIOLA ODORATA)

The violet is cultivated for its oil mainly in Italy and France. It is an absolute obtained by solvent extraction and con-sists largely of alcohols, aldehydes and eugenol.

It is antiseptic, mildly analgesic, anti-inflammatory, decongestant and diuretic. Battaglia (1995) suggests that it might be used for skin problems, dizziness, headaches, insomnia and nervous exhaustion. I bought this oil many years ago, when it was suggested as an oil for people with cancer, but found the aroma distasteful and have never actually used it. At that time it was also quite expensive.

TURMERIC (CURCUMA LONGA)

Turmeric is part of the ginger family (Zingib-eraceae), an important plant for Hindus, and is used as a yellow dye for Buddhist monks’ robes, as well as a cure-all in Ayurvedic medi-cine.

It is native to south-east Asia, especially India and is widely culti-

vated, especially in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maha-rashtra.

It grows to about 1.5m high with pale green elon-gated leaves. The rhizome is bright yellow and the flowers pale yellow.

In Ayurveda it is used as a general tonic, blood purifier, as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent for arthritis and for the common cold. It is used mainly as a powder, but the essential oil contains α-phellandrene, p-cymene,

β- pinene, α terpinene, γ- terpinene and terpinolene as well as the oxide 1,8 cineole. It also contains the sesqui-terpenes, zingiberene and sabinene, the alcohol bisabolol and the ketone germacrone.

In animal research the essential oil was found to ex-hibit anti-inflammatory activity and in vitro antimicrobial activity against gram negative bacteria and fungi.

It should be used with caution during pregnancy (Wil-liamson, ed, 2002).

VANILLA

There are three species that yield vanilla ab-solute: Vanilla planifolia (Bour-bon/Reunion), V. tahitensis (Tahitian) and V. pompona (West Indian). The plant is a herba-ceous perennial vine, with pale flowers from which develop the vanilla pods. The pods are cured over six months and the oil obtained by solvent extraction.

Vanilla has many components and vanillin, a phenolic aldehyde, makes up only around two per cent.

It is used in aromatherapy mainly for its soothing odour, but may also have analgesic properties from its eugenol component.

REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

Battaglia S (1995) The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy Second edition. The Interna-tional Centre for Holistic Aromatherapy, Australia Franchomme P and Pénoël D (1990) L’aromathérapie exactement, Jallois, France Leung AY & Foster S (1996) Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients Second edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, USA Lucks BC, Sørensen J, Veal L (2002) ‘Vitex agnus-castus essential oil and menopausal bal-ance: a self-care survey’ Complement Ther Nurs Midwifery. 8(3):148-54.Peace Rhind J (2012) Essential oils; a handbook for aromatherapy practice Second edi-tion, Singing Dragon, London Williamson EM (ed) (2002) Major Herbs of Ayurveda, Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh See also: Sorenson J ‘Agnus castus and psychoneuroimmunology’, In Essence Vol 1, No 1, Summer 2003 p 14Cambray-Smith I, ‘Essential oil profile: Vanilla’, In Essence Vol 4, No 1, Summer 2005 p19Cambray-Smith I, ‘Essential oil profile: Cistus’ In Essence Vol 6, No 3, Winter 2007 p14Cambray-Smith I, ‘Essential oil profile: Violet leaf’, Vol 7, No 1, Summer 2008 p16Antony V, ‘An Australian adventure’ (includes information on Myrtaceae & Fragonia’, In Essence Vol 12 No 1 Summer 2013 p9


The therapeutic foundations of essential oilsInternational speaker, educator and consultant Robert Tisserand led a seminar in London this summer on the biophysical actions of essential oils. Anita James reports on an inspiring and motivating event

As soon as I saw the adver-tisement for the Robert Tisserand seminar to be held in London this summer I

knew it was going to be ‘the’ event of the aromatherapy year. Since Robert had last presented a seminar in the UK in 2012 I definitely did not want to miss this chance to hear him speak, espe-

cially on such a fascinating topic. The event was a two-day Advanced Certificate seminar

on Essential Oil Chemistry & Pharmacology: the actions of aromatic compounds in the body. It was hosted by Gabriel Mojay and the Institute of Traditional Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy (ITHMA) and held at London’s University of Westminster on 13-14 June.

As soon as I walked through the door of the University of Westminster that day I could feel the buzz of this long-anticipated and very special event. It had attracted 135 delegates, including representatives of the IFPA Council, from 20 different countries around the world.

Gabriel Mojay welcomed all the delegates, comment-ing that it felt as if this event was ‘bringing aromatherapy home’. Introducing Robert as an international speaker, educator and consultant, he highlighted his work in ac-tively tracking all published essential oil research, inves-tigating and monitoring essential oil and aromatherapy information. In this work he collaborates with doctors, herbalists and pharmacologists, integrating scientific data with holistic principles.

Robert disseminates all this information to aroma-therapists worldwide through his teaching, lectures, and books on essential oil safety. His major aim in this work is to promote effective, efficacious and safe practices within the aromatherapy profession.

The second edition of Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for

Health Care Professionals (2013) is universally considered the definitive resource on safe practice and is the culmina-tion of two decades of research containing over 4,000 ref-erences. During the compilation of this book, which took 15 years, Robert says he read over 15,000 research papers.

Robert Tisserand has an international reputation as an inspiring teacher and speaker with an engaging, user-friendly but highly informative style

In Essence Vol. 14 No. 2 — Autumn 2015 25In Essence Vol. 14 No. 2 — Autumn 2015 25

Topics for the first day The announcement for this seminar had flagged up a number of questions: What happens when an essential oil is absorbed by the body — via the skin, the nose, or the mouth? How exactly do the constituent compounds exert their different effects — and how does the body metabo-lise those compounds? What are the intrinsic factors that determine the difference between a therapeutic outcome and a toxic one?

As we gathered on that first day of the seminar we were about to find out some answers to those intriguing questions! The topics covered in the first session included: Essential oil creation in plants; The functions of essential oils in plants; Essential oil composition; Properties and research; Essential oil constituents and their interactions; Essential oil kinetics; Oral dosing; Inhalation and transdermal absorption.

All this technical information was presented in a clear, concise way with comprehensive, user-friendly explana-tions, and there were opportunities to ask questions and participate in open discussion as we covered each subject.

The slides for the day were collated into a workbook with lots of space for us to add our own notes. Robert’s teaching style demonstrates his vast experience and knowledge but his easy, approachable manner makes you feel that you can ask questions or request clearer or deep-er explanations whenever you need to. His style is relaxed and more than once during the day he made us all laugh.

Another thing I loved was that he was not afraid to say ‘I don’t know’. As we progressed through the day we delved deeper into the world of essential oils, looking at how they are being used in the treatment of cancer, and what can happen when they interact with medication, giv-ing both positive and negative results. The first day drew to a close all too soon.

Focus for second day Our second day of learning with Robert Tisserand began with a new workbook and a recap of what we had cov-ered the day before. In this session we explored Distribu-

tion and metabolism; Cancer; Antioxidants; and Anti-inflammatory and Immune stimulant properties.

The session followed the same format as previously with some lively discussions and lots of questions. During the lunch break it was time for the group photo. How close could we all get to ensure we all fitted in the photo? At the end of the day certificates were presented and busi-ness cards exchanged as we took our leave of each other after our two stimulating days of learning together.

Positive learning experience I thoroughly enjoyed this seminar. It reinforced my existing knowledge but also opened up new channels for explora-tion and showed the infinite possibilities of these precious oils that have become so embedded, not only in our prac-tice but in our everyday lives.

One of the delegates attending the seminar comment-ed: “Thank you Robert for your great seminar in London. It was very productive and inspiring, and drives me to study essential oil chemistry more deeply… “

If you were attracted by this seminar but were unable to attend you might like to know that the event was record-ed and has now been made available in Robert Tisserand’s webinar series. The webinar of the University of Westmin-ster event contains more than nine hours of presentation on the pharmacology behind aromatherapy and essential oil actions, accompanied by over 300 slides featured at the seminar, and in-depth citations to scientific sources.

This facility offers therapists worldwide the opportu-nity to enrich and transform their understanding of how aromatherapy actually works, based on contemporary sci-entific evidence, and to deepen their knowledge of some important facets of essential oils - from their biosynthesis in the plant to their neurochemical effects in the brain, and, above all, their safe administration in professional-ethical aromatic practice.

To find out more, including an overview of the semi-nar topics, go to http://tisserandinstitute.org/available-webinars.

Delegates from over 20 countries attended Robert Tisserand’s seminar for two intensive days of lectures and discussion


Getting to grips with regulationsRay Gransby highlights a regulation that, although generally disregarded by aromatherapists, is significant to aromatherapy practice, especially if you make and market your own products

In this article we are going to take a look at the Classification,

Labelling and Pack-aging of Substances and Mixtures Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 as

amended, known as CLP. This is one of those regulations that is either taken for granted or totally disregarded by aromatherapists as having little or no significance for them.

However, as we shall see, the CLP has implications for both the practice of aromatherapy and for aromathera-pists who make and supply products to their clients and the general public.

So what is CLP all about?The CLP Regulation entered into legal effect on 20 January 2009 with a sev-en-year transitional period that ended on 1 June 2015. It is a directly acting regulation that is legally binding on all member states of the European Union (EU). It has to be implemented exactly as it is, unlike the Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC) and the Dangerous Preparations Directive (1999/45/EC) that it replaced, enacted in the UK as the Chemicals (Hazard In-formation and Packaging for Supply) regulations or CHIP for short.

The CLP regulation contains a list of specific physical and health haz-ards, and hazards to the environment. Full details can be found at www.

hse.gov.uk/chemical-classification/legal/clp-regulation.htm and that website also includes links to the regulations and guidance.

All the chemicals (substances) that are supplied in the EU, and all the products (mixtures) made from them, unless exempt, have to be classified according to the criteria speci-fied in CLP before they can be placed on the market.

If a substance or a mixture is classified as hazardous it has to be labelled with those hazards so that it can be used safely by the people who make and supply products and the consumers who buy them. This haz-ards classification also has to appear on the Safety Data Sheet of hazard-ous substances and mixtures supplied to professional and industrial users.

Aromatherapists will be aware that the essential oils they use in their practice, or are included in the prod-ucts they make and supply to clients and the general public, are classified and labelled as hazardous under CLP and the CHIP regulation and this information is to be found on the Safety Data Sheet (SDS).

As part of the transitional ar-rangements SDSs have listed the haz-

ards according to both CHIP and CLP. However, from 1 June 2015 the classi-fication according to CHIP is removed and only the classification according to CLP will appear in section 2 of the SDS, although it will be a couple of years before all SDSs are fully convert-ed to CLP-only classifications.

You may have noticed that the familiar orange square symbols with a flame or X on the labels of household goods like washing up liquid and toilet cleaner have been replaced by a white diamond symbol with a red border, often with an exclamation mark.

This is the result of the full imple-mentation of CLP since all products classified as hazardous have to be la-belled according to CLP and not CHIP. The CLP regulation (as did CHIP before it) applies equally to the hazardous

Under the new CLP Regulation even small quantities of essential oils may need to be labelled


Ray Gransby BSc (Hons) is the Ad-ministrator of the Aromatherapy Trade Council. He has over 40 years’ experience in the cosmetics, toiletry, perfumery, flavour and fragrance, and essential oil indus-tries with many leading multina-tional companies.

The Aromatherapy Trade Coun-cil (ATC), the trade association for the specialist aromatherapy essential oil trade, represents manufacturers and suppliers of aromatherapy products as well as the interests of UK consumers. It aims to ensure that its members market safe, good quality prod-ucts and supply accurate infor-mation for consumers. Contact: Aromatherapy Trade Council, PO Box 219, Market Rasen, LN8 9BR, tel: 01673 844672, [email protected], www.a-t-c.org.

substances and mixtures used at work and to products supplied to the general public.

So, CLP is the source of the hazards information aromatherapists need to:• use essential oils safely • make the safety assessment re-

quired by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regu-lation

• carry out the safety assessment for the products used on clients during treatment

It will also apply to the products they make and supply to their clients and/or the general public which are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations. Products regu-lated by the cosmetic regulations are exempt from the provisions of CLP.

In the UK and many other EU countries retail packs of essential oils and general products containing them, although classified as hazardous, are

not labelled with the hazards when supplied to the general public.

This does not mean that CLP does not apply to them. Historically, small quantities of essential oils, for ex-ample five and 10ml, have been con-sidered exempt from labelling. This is not the case in other EU countries like Germany where all consumer prod-ucts, irrespective of the size of their contents, must be labelled as haz-ardous if they are classified as such. This has resulted in retail packs of essential oil appearing in the UK with hazard warning labels and aroma-therapists who supply these products should be aware that, sooner or later, this will be a requirement here too.

Note: As always, if you would like help and advice on any of the issues raised in this article you are very wel-come to contact the Aromatherapy Trade Council (ATC) – see contact details opposite.

The National Center for Complemen-tary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) https://nccih.nih.gov The NCCIH, the US federal govern-ment's lead agency for scientific research on complementary and inte-grative health approaches, is one of 27 institutes and centres making up the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The Center’s website currently features a useful page on Finding and Evaluating Online Resources on Complementary Health Approaches. It points out that the number of websites offering information on health resourc-es, including complementary health approaches, is proliferating and that social media sites are now an important source of online health information.

It is therefore important, the NCCIH say, to find sources you can trust and to know how to evaluate their content. Their online guide offers help under five headings (Key facts, Keep in mind, Questions to ask when evaluating a health-related website. For more infor-mation, Key references) and starts with

five quick questions to help you decide whether a site is a helpful resource. You can access this guide free at https://nc-cih.nih.gov/health/webresources#ask

American Botanical Councilhttp://abc.herbalgram.org/site/PageS-erverThe American Botanical Council is an independent, non-profit organisation providing education to promote the responsible use of herbal medicine. Its website features information on individual botanicals and reports on the latest clinical trials and other published research. Some information only avail-able to members.

Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED) www.ebscohost.com/academic/AMED-The-Allied-and-Complementary-Medi-cine-Database AMED provides an alternative medicine database designed for physicians, thera-pists, medical researchers and clinicians wishing to learn more about alterna-tive treatments. Database contains basic bibliographic records for relevant

articles from hundreds of journals. Abstracts, dating back over 17 years, are also included for many records. The content is produced by the Health Care Information Service of the British Library. Subscription service but free trial currently available.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kewwww.kew.orgThe website of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew features a wealth of botanical information in its Science and Conservation section. Information on research into medicinal plants can be found by searching on ‘medicinal plants’ within the website. The site also carries details of courses, walks and talks, some of which are of interest to aromatherapists.

European Federation for Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine (EFCAM) www.efcam.eu As stated on its website, EFCAM unites European Federations of specific CAM modalities, such as reflexology and shiatsu, and national CAM Associa-tions of multi modalities. Its principal objectives are to gain equality of access for citizens to CAM across Europe, and to gain the right of all appropriately trained providers of CAM to practise. Site features sections on regulations and research.

INFORMATION SOURCES ON LINEThe internet is an excellent source of information on both aromatherapy and com-plementary and alternative medicine generally. However, not all the information of-fered is good quality so it’s always prudent to check facts with more than one source if you can (see first item below for a source of advice on evaluating websites).


Memories of Veronica SibleyColleagues and friends of Veronica Sibley were greatly saddened by her recent death after a long illness. Here they pay tribute to an inspiring aromatherapist, tutor and friend who will be much missed

IFPA member and former Council member Veronica Sibley (pictured) who died earlier this year after a long illness, was well known to

many IFPA members and much loved by her former students and profes-sional colleagues.

Veronica’s husband Michael remembers that her first contact with aromatherapy came when she opened a shop in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, selling a range of products including teddy bears, dolls’ houses and soaps. Among her suppliers was Culpepper and it was their products that excited her interest in aromatherapy.

When Veronica later sold her shop she decided to become an aromathera-pist and went on to train and qualify with Shirley Price. She also worked for Tisserand Aromatherapy for some time, promoting essential oils and running seminars and, after gaining a teach-ing qualification, she was able to visit hospitals to talk about clinical aroma-therapy and the power of essential oils.

Some years after qualifying, Ve-ronica set up Fleur Aromatherapy and opened her first school in Hong Kong. She later had a school in Taiwan and also taught in South Korea, Japan and mainland China.

She made regular teaching trips to these countries until 2011 when ill-health prevented her from continuing. As demonstrated by the affectionate contributions in this article, Veronica’s legacy in aromatherapy can be found today throughout the Far East.

She was also in demand as a lec-

turer on the use of essential oils within a medical environment throughout the UK and the USA.

Veronica was a member of the IFPA from its inception and served several terms of office on the IFPA Council. She first served as Public Rela-tions Chair but later took on the role of International Chair.

With her experience and knowl-edge of the Far East region this was a post she loved and which she tackled with great energy and enthusiasm. Many members will remember her as a lively presence at IFPA conferences and AGMs in the early years of the Federation.

Her book Aromatherapy Solutions, published by Hamlyn in 2003, has been translated into a number of languages and is still recommended to students starting out on their aromatic journey.

When Veronica was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2008, and given six months she live, she decided, in typical Veronica style, that she was going to live far longer than that. She retired with her husband to France to concentrate on enjoying life and made the most of every moment of the next seven years.

Veronica Sibley had a real passion for aromatherapy and essential oils and was an inspiring and encouraging teacher, mentor and colleague who loved to share this passion with others.

She had an outstanding gift for friendship and a warm sense of humour and fun and will be remem-bered with great affection by count-less former students and alumni of her

school and by her many colleagues and friends in the aromatherapy pro-fession worldwide.

Champion of aromatherapy Veronica championed aromatherapy throughout her life as an aromath-erapist/tutor. She was willing to learn from those around her and pass on her knowledge to her students. She will be missed. Alison Perrott, Founder of The SEED Institute

Courage and enthusiasmV for victory over the aromatherapy, lots of Asian students get benefit of it because of your endeavourE for enthusiastic that you got deep inside from your heart for teachingR for rays of light that I can always see in your faceO for overcome that you are so brave to fight the painN for new era that you are the pio-neer of aromatherapy in AsiaI for iron that you always show strong in your lifeC for coach, you are my life coach to share, to laugh, to cheersA for awesome, I am blessed have a friend like youYvonne Yu, former student, Fleur Aromatherapy tutor and close friend, Hong Kong

Best friendMemory is often the source of our greatest joys as well as our deep-est regrets. I cherish every memory


I have of my teacher, my best friend Veronica Sibley. I never got the chance to say “Thank You” to her. All I can do now is to share these memories and pray that Veronica will be reading this as well by God’s side in Heaven.Becky Yip, former student and friend, Hong Kong

Teacher, colleague and friend I count myself a very lucky person to have been a student, work colleague and friend to Veronica.

I first met her when she taught me at Shirley Price on the Module 3 Aromatherapy course. She taught us to let the client smell the oils and be guided by our intuition. ‘Listen to the energies. Let the body tell you what it needs’ have become mantras I use with all of my clients and students. Her infectious love of aromatherapy and the essential oils made everyone want to learn and absorb the knowl-edge she freely gave.

After I qualified we became friends. We shared our passion for aromatherapy and a love of technolo-gy. Her workbooks and manuals were a testament to these passions – won-derfully laid out with lots of infor-mation in graphs, tables and charts, making learning accessible and fun.

Another passion we shared was France. She and her husband Michael were looking to buy a house and, having already gone through the process, I was happy to be the one with information to share.

Veronica worked for many years in Hong Kong and Asia, living there for six months and then living on Hong Kong-time in England so that she was available for her students and tutors. I always knew if I logged on to messenger early in the morn-ing she would be there and working. Working with her was a pleasure, she inspired me, giving praise, advice and confidence in limitless amounts.

When she was diagnosed with mesothelioma she didn’t let it rule her life. I remember her saying ‘Don’t keep asking how I am. If there’s any-thing I need you to know I’ll tell you.’ Perhaps that’s why she outlived the predictions by many years.

Roses were another passion we

shared. In 2013 we set off to Bulgaria on an adventure to meet Su Hagan and do the Rose tour. We picked roses, made crowns, jam, syrup, drunk gin (another shared passion) and tried new food, all the time enjoying the amazing scenery and the constantly perfumed air.

I’ll miss phoning her and hearing “hello my little friend ….. “

On a recent visit to Kew Gardens myself, Lora Cantele, Chrissie Stacey, Gabriel Mojay, Hana Viola Bĕlíková, Robert Tisserand and Judy Howie stood together in the rose garden remembering Veronica.

Rest easy my friend. Anita James, former student, col-league and close friend

Strong vision and determinationMs Veronica Sibley was one of the pioneers who established the Profes-Profes-sional Diploma in Aromatherapy and Bodywork with us in Hong Kong.

I recall that I first met Veronica at around 2006. I found that she was someone with a strong vision. She was determined that she introduced her knowledge in aromatherapy in this part of the region, having already established a school in Taiwan.

The work here was never plain sailing. To ensure the programmes were up to IFPA’s quality standard, Ve-ronica came to Hong Kong, delivered lectures and conducted the practical sessions, mostly by herself. I concluded that she was a determined and reliable partner that we can always rely on.

She understood that it would not be viable to continue the programme all by herself. She located and developed a local teaching team, personally coached the team to ensure it was up and run-ning, and took up the role as examiner for practical examinations in those early years. She then introduced to us the oth-er examiners from the UK professional body when she was satisfied that our school can stand on its own feet without her active involvement.

When I last met her in 2011, she was bold enough to share with me that she had a terminal illness. She said that she would still offer her advice to us as necessary although she no longer held any official positions. She told me that she would see that the course materials would be updat-

ed. She advised that she would ensure that the operations of the Hong Kong school could run despite her absence. She demonstrated herself again as someone with vision and never showed any weakness at any time.

It is a great solace that Veronica passed away with peace and serene. She will be fondly remembered by countless students and alumni of Aro-matherapy programmes, as well as by her colleagues in Fleur International College of Professional Aromatherapy (Hong Kong) and her many friends in Hong Kong.

We send our deepest condolences to Veronica’s family. Our thoughts are with them.Mr S H So, Senior Manager, The Hong Kong Management Association

Sense of humour and great fun I first met Veronica when she was teaching and we worked together on the IFPA Council but my abiding memory is of a trip we made together to Suwon, South Korea. At the end of a full couple of days our hosts took us to a sauna; this turned out to be housed in a very large building – the size of a big sports hall. On arrival in reception the ladies were provided with one-size-fits-all T-shirts and shorts in a soft pink, on the other hand mine were in a weathered orange.

After changing we met in the sauna area which comprised a central tiled area, with rooms at different tempera-tures around the sides together with food and drink outlets. The tiles were heated and were occupied by couples, groups of friends and complete families. The mood was one of a social gathering.

The room temperatures varied from freezing (literally – there was ice on the walls) – and increased in stages to extremely hot – the final room was shaped like a furnace, you had to stoop to get through the door. On returning to our respective changing areas we were faced with, not just showers, but also plunge pools. As a solitary Englishman I had trouble finding a towel but Veronica took to the whole experience with aplomb.It was great fun but that was Veronica – intense but always able to enjoy the humorous side of life. She’ll be missed.Ian Cambray Smith


News from the CNHCCautionary noteThe CNHC advises that it has received reports from practitioners who have been approached by a company claiming to be setting up a register of complementary and alternative therapists specifically aimed at GPs and commissioners.

This is one of several companies approaching practitioners and CNHC registrants should be aware that these are commercial organisations that charge a fee to be included on any di-rectory or register. They are not regu-lators and are not part of the govern-ment’s Accredited Register scheme.

The CHNC suggests that, for more information, you listen to an item from a February 2015 edition of BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme where Harry Cayton, Chief Executive of the Professional Standards Authority, talks about one such organisation. You can find this at http://tinyurl.com/oxjczdb (fast forward to 28 minutes 49 seconds).

Random sampling updateEach year the CNHC carries out a random sampling exercise of Continu-ing Professional Development (CPD) logs submitted by registrants. Chief Executive Margaret Coats has recently been checking through the 2015 sub-missions and reports that it’s been a fascinating exercise.

She commented: “I’ve been so impressed by the extraordinary range of development activities registrants have been undertaking. Safeguarding, anti-doping work-shops, cadaver review, developing research skills, case review with peers and Local Authority Public Health events are just some exam-ples and I am delighted to have seen how committed our practitioners are to their professional development. It has been … a real pleasure to read through everybody’s reflections on their learning and practice. It was also interesting to see increasing use of webinars.”

Fee rise With effect from 1 October 2015 the basic CNHC registration fee will rise to £63. The fee for registration of addi-tional disciplines will remain unchanged at £10 per discipline (to a maximum of four, after which it is free).

The basic renewal fee will also rise to £63 from 1 October 2015. The fee for renewal of additional disci-plines will remain unchanged at £5 per discipline (to a maximum of four, after which it is free).

New CNHC Chair The CNHC is pleased to announce that, from 1 January 2016, the new Chair of the CNHC Board will be Michael Watson who has a background in osteopathy and acupuncture.

For further information about the CNHC and how to register or renew, or about any of the items above – call 020 7653 1971, visit www.cnhc.org.uk or email info@ cnhc.org.uk

News in briefComplementary therapy research projectThe University of Bristol is conduct-ing a government-funded scoping study of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) and needs the help of practitioners.The study focuses on pri-mary care patients with multiple con-ditions including mental health and musculoskeletal problems. If you know of unpublished or ongoing systematic reviews using CAM approaches for musculoskeletal and/or mental health, or of UK services where CAM is used alongside conventional treatment, they would like to hear from you. See www.bristol.ac.uk/primaryhealthcare/news/2015/scim.html

Upcoming courses Autumn and winter courses at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh include Discover the healing proper-

ties of various plants found within the garden, Amazonian traditional indig-enous medicine, Herbal first aid and Herbs of the Highlands. For full details of course content and fees go to www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/event-details/3486.

Lavender oil reduces renal colic pain A recent Turkish study with 100 pa-tients assessed whether lavender oil could help reduce pain due to renal stones. Group 1 received standard medical therapy while group 2 re-ceived aromatherapy (lavender oil) in addition to the standard medical treatment. The researchers say their findings suggest that aromatherapy used as an adjuvant to conventional treatment will help decrease pain, particularly in female patients. For full details of method and re-

sults go to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26222759

Calming effects of lavender and geranium A study carried out in Brazil investi-gated whether aromatherapy massage with Lavandula angustifolia and Pelar-gonium graveolens essential oils could calm patients with personality disor-ders during psychiatric hospitalisation. Fifty subjects received aromatherapy massage on the cervical and posterior thoracic regions on six alternate days. Vital data were collected before and after each session and anxiety meas-ured. The results showed a significant decrease of the heart and respiratory mean rates after each intervention session, as well as in the inventory score. Free access to full article at www.scielo.br/pdf/reeusp/v49n3/0080-6234-reeusp-49-03-0453.pdf.


Harvest to Hydrosol Author: Ann HarmanPublisher: botANNicals Price $44.95ISBN Number 978-0-9913859-0-4 Available from https://copperstills.com/product/harvest-to-hydrosol/

Since the dawn of time man has experimented with blend-ing water and plant material to provide medicine. The pro-

duction of hydrosols, for example, can be traced back over thousands of years but still today hydrosols have many secrets to share.

In this beauti-ful book Ann Harman shares her journey of discovery with hydro-sols, drawing us into their, showing us their gentle

power and inspiring us with the knowledge to experiment with them ourselves.

Ann is an organic farmer who has been distilling plants for almost 20 years. She teaches workshops on the art of distillation and lectures on hydrosols, both in the United States and internationally. Her organisa-tion, the Circle H Institute, carries out research on hydrosols that will help towards a better understand-ing of these complex waters.

I had been looking forward to reading this book since I met Ann at the 2014 Botanica conference when she talked about it. Her passion for hydrosols and fascination with the distillation process shines through in every word.

The Foreword, contributed by Jeanne Rose, a pioneer of home distillation and champion of the benefits of hydrolats (see http://all-naturalbeauty.us/jeannerose_hydro-sols.htm), highlights meeting Ann

and introducing her to the world of distillation and waters.

In the Introduction Ann charts her path from an inherited love of plants to becoming a master hydrolat distiller. She describes this book as “a road map – a book of suggestions, what to try and what you need to avoid”. She explains that the most important thing to remember is that the hydrosol is the primary product, not a by-product.

Section 1, The Act of Distilling, covers the distilling of hydrosols, with discussion and information explaining what happens during the process. It also explores the history of the waters and their naming, along with infor-mation on famous ancient waters, and covers the evolution and develop-ment of distillation equipment.

Subsequent chapters in Section 1 explain how to choose a still, what types and sizes are available, and what other equipment is required. There’s also a handy checklist of all the equip-ment you will need if you decide to start distilling your own waters.

Then Ann gets down to practical-ities with information on the types of distillation, ratios, brief methodolo-gies, choosing plant material (fresh or dried) and packing your still. Then it’s time to fire up the still and watch the magic happen! The final chapter in this section - ‘Nuts & Bolts’ - covers everything you need to know about pH levels and how to measure and record them and there is also a use-ful data tracking list.

Section 1 also covers labelling, care and storage, with GC/MS and purity explored in depth. Here Ann highlights the importance of testing and building databases of your own distillation that can be used for com-parison and research to further your craft and skill. This section concludes with a focus on the Circle H Institute which is dedicated to research, edu-cation and promotion of hydrosols. (See https://circlehinstitute.com. Sub-

scriptions to this website help fund further research into hydrosols.)

For me, Section 2, The Art of Distilling, is where everything really comes to life. Ann describes the ‘Angels Myst’ and the importance of using your senses to tune into the still. As she reminds us, hydrosols are 99 per cent water so it is important that we use the purest water possible in our distillations. She encourages her readers to dip their toes into the fascinating subject of water, leaving them enthusiastic to find out more.

Next, Ann covers botanicals and the importance of knowing your Latin names and ensuring that you have the right plant material. There is a fascinating insight into the cop-per precipitation in hydrosols and the possible anti-microbial effects it gives to the waters. The section clos-es with an insight into the alchemist herself while the final chapter ‘The Still Room’ offers profiles of over 20 hydrosols and their suggested uses.

The appendix contains a selec-tion of GC/MS data on some of the hydrosols Ann produces and there are source lists and a bibliography too. Throughout this wonderful book there are links to websites, research data and references to articles, papers and texts, many of which are available free online.

Ann’s book really does take you through the whole process of pro-ducing hydrosols. I loved its hands-on approach, beautiful illustrations and photography, and the passion that had obviously gone into the writing.

Little did I know all those years ago when I mixed rose petals and wa-ter together to make ‘perfume’ that it was the first stage of the beautiful alchemical process that provides us with hydrosols. The only problem is that it’s made me realise that I need a larger still than the ones I have to be able to experiment more!

Anita James

REVIEWS


IFPA ACCREDITED SCHOOLS

Australia

Heartfelt Aromatherapy

Satellite School of The Institute of Spiritual Healing & Aromatherapy, Inc 148 Basin-Olinda Road, The BasinVictoria, Australia, 3154Contact: Karen BysouthE-mail: [email protected]: www.heartaroma.comTel: 0397624329 or 0458527368

Barbados

Personal Body Healthcare & School of Holistic Therapies

Nuestra Casa 1A Endeavour Plantation, Endeavour, St Thomas BB22006 Barbados Contact: Patricia Berry–GreenidgeTel: 00 1 246 424 [email protected]

Canada

Cossi Academy of Aromatherapy c/o Living Nutrition

Satellite of Penny Price Academy3301-50 Ave (Gaetz) Red Deer, AlbertaContact: Susan Cossi-Burgess Tel: 403 872 [email protected]

China

Aromatime (Fangxiangjiari) Professional Aromatherapy Training Centre

Satellite school in Shanghai Contact Julie Foster via Beijing Centre: ChaoyangguBaiziwan Road 32, 3-A-609 Beijing, China 100022 Tel: +86 13601367712 [email protected] www.fangxiangjiari.comAromatime

Asia–Pacific Aromatherapy Ltd

Room 1001 Java Commercial Centre128 Java Road, North Point, Hong KongTel: 00 852 2882 [email protected]

Essential Lady Aromatherapy

No 77, Lane 2728, ChunShen RoadShanghai, China 201100Contact: Zheng Yu YingTel: 0086 21 [email protected] & [email protected]

Fleur International College of Professional Aromatherapy

The Hong Kong Management Association14/F Fairmount House8 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong KongTel: 00852 2448 5111 or 00852 2448 5112 Fax: 00852 2774 [email protected]

Aromatime (Fangxiangjiari) Professional Aromatherapy Training Centre

ChaoyangguBaiziwan Road 32, 3-A-609 Beijing, China 100022Contact: Julie FosterTel: +86 [email protected]

The Aromatherapy Company – China

Satellite school, Saresasa Spa & YogaNo 25 Lin Cui Xi Li, Chaoyang District, Beijing, ChinaContact: Cindy-Xiao FangTel: 0086 01082726970 [email protected]

The Aromatherapy Company – Chinese Aromatherapy School

No 601, Tong Zhi Street, Chang Chun Ji Lin Province, ChinaContact: Louise CartaTel: 13194369985E-mail: [email protected]: www.cnifpa

Obus Aromatherapy

New Satellite School IAA China, Room 811, No 2098Shennan East Road, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China Contact: Christine Courtney Tel: 89-18603052132, www.iaaiaa.org.cn

Weiliang Aromatherapy –

Satellite School of The Aromatherapy Company No 139 ChangShu Road,Xuhui District, ShanghaiE-mail: [email protected] www.thearomatherapycompany.co.uk Tel: 021 64260192

England

Essentially Holistic

Somercotes, Derbyshire, DG55 4NDContact: Anita JamesTel: 07951 701406essentiallyholisitic@gmail.comessentiallyholistic-onlinetraining.com

ETHOS (Education, Training, Health and Online Services Ltd)

37 Barrington MeadowsBishop Auckland,Co Durham DL5 4SFContact: Christine FiskTel: 01388 [email protected]

Institute of Traditional Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy*

Regent’s UniversityRegent’s Park, London, NW1 4NSTel: 0207 1937383Mobile: 0798501 2565E-mail: [email protected]: www.aromatherapy-studies.com

Neal’s Yard Remedies Ltd

1 Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9DP(Courses also held in Osaka City)Contact: Emma WoodTel: 020 3119 5904 Fax 020 3119 [email protected]

Penny Price Aromatherapy

New address from 14 April 2015: Unit D3, Radius Court,Maple Drive,HinckleyLeicestershire, LE10 3BETel: 01455 251020info@penny–price.comwww.penny–price.com

Satellite schoolChalice College, St John’s House,Manor Lane Adwick upon Dearne, South Yorks S64 0NNContact: Alix Davies [email protected]: 01709 579193www.chalicecollege.co.uk

The S.E.E.D Institute - Surrey Courses

Therapeutic Division, 4 Church Street, Henstridge,Somerset. BA8 0QETel: 01963 362048/ 07761 [email protected]

The Aromatherapy Company

75 Elwell Avenue, BarwellLeicestershire, LE9 8FH Contact: Louise CartaTel: 01455 441961 info@thearomatherapycompany.co.ukwww.thearomatherapycompany.co.ukThe Yorkshire School of Natural Healing

40 Harriet Street, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, HD6-2BU (Venue: Room for Yoga, Brighouse, HD6 1AQ) Contact: Emmalene KatayamaTel: 07951 011423 or 0845 6832559emmalene@yorkshirenaturalhealing.comwww.yorkshirenaturalhealing.com

Greece

Essentia Vitae

Satellite of Penny Price Academy2 Ippokratous Str, Athens 10679Contact: Mary ZorzouTel: 00 30 [email protected]

Japan

The International Medical–Spa Institute

4–13–17–A Jingume, Shibuya, Tokyo 150–0001, JapanContact: Reiko TominoTel: 00 81 (0)3577 06818 Fax 00 81 (0)3577 [email protected] www.imsi.co.jp

Neal’s Yard School of Natural Medicine

B1 5–1–17 JingumaeShibuya–Ku, Tokyo 150–0001, Japan Contact: Yurie SugiuraTel: 00 81 3 5778 [email protected]

Japan Ecole de Aromatherapie

5th Floor, Tatsumi Biru607 Higashi Shiokoji–Cho, Shimogyo–ku Kyoto 600–8216, JapanContact: Kazue GillTel: 00 81 75 354 [email protected]

MH School of Holistic Studies

2–17–20–302 Meguro HonchuMeguro–ku, Tokyo 152–0002, JapanTel: [email protected]


IFPA ACCREDITED SCHOOLS

Tilia Ltd

Satellite school of Penny Price AromatherapyTakami, Yahatahigash-ku Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 805-0016 Tel: 093-654-8001 [email protected]

The Aromatherapy Company - Japan

New satellite schoolAlba Corporation, 1-20-8 4F Nishikoiwa Tokyo, Japan, 133-0056 Tel: 01827 370456 (UK) [email protected] Price Academy – Wellness Japan

New satellite schoolYamanoi, Chikugo-Shi, Kukuoka, Japan, 833-0031 Contact: Cheiko Shiota Tel: 0942-42-1122 [email protected]

Penny Price Academy - Japan – Kanazawa

New satellite schoolSaito 2-136-2 , Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, 920-8202Contact Cheiko ShiotaTel: 076 266 0301 [email protected] www.aroma-kanazawa.com

Korea

Essentially Holistic

Contact: Anita JamesTel: 07951 701406essentiallyholisitic@gmail.comessentiallyholistic-onlinetraining.com

Malaysia

Issamay School of Beauty

25-3. Jalan PJU 1/37, Dataran Prima47301 Petaling JayaSelangorTel: 603 78800555E-mail: [email protected]: www.issamay.com

Malta

Professional Health and Beauty Services

Satellite of Obus School of Healing Therapies145–147 Eucharistic Congress StreetMosta MST07, MaltaContact: RobertaTel: 00 356 21424401/2/[email protected]

New Zealand

Aromaflex Academy

280–282 Trafalgar StreetNelson, New ZealandTel: 0064 [email protected] www.aromaflexacademy.com

Northern Ireland

Lifespring Centre

164 Cliftonville RoadBelfast BT14 6LBContact: Mary Grant Tel: 028 9075 3658 Fax: 028 9074 8236www.lifespring-ireland.com

Republic of Ireland

Body Wisdom School of Healing Therapies

7 Mail Coach RoadCounty Sligo, Republic of Ireland Tel: 00 353 87 418 [email protected]

Obus School of Healing Therapies

53 Beech GroveLucan, Co. DublinTel: 00 353 1 [email protected]

Russia

The School of professional aromatherapy “Aromatniy Ray” (Aroma Paradise)

Sverdlovskaya oblastKamensk-UralskiyPionerskaya 55Tel: +7 950 2076967E-mail: [email protected]: www.aromaray.ru

Scotland

Edinburgh Napier University

The Serials LibrarianRoom L18Resource Acquisitions Merchiston Campus Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh EH10 5DTContact: Dr Jennifer RhindTel: 0131 455 [email protected]

Spain

The Aromatherapy Company – Spain

Satellite school75 Elwell Avenue, BarwellLeicestershire, LE9 8FHContact: Louise CartaTel: 01455 441961info@thearomatherapycompany.co.ukwww.thearomatherapycompany.co.uk

Taiwan

AromaHarvest International

4F-1, No 237, Zhongming S. Rd, West District, Taichung City,40361 TaiwanContact: Yuan-Lyn ChangTel: 886 287717050 [email protected]

IAA

Satellite of Obus School of Healing TherapiesWang Yu Kang17F–3, No 88 Jhongyang E. RdJhongli City, Taoyuan County 320Province of China Taiwan886 [email protected]

Colorys Health & Beauty Consultancy Co Ltd

3F-3 No 150, sec 1 Heping W. Rd, Jhongjheng DistTaipei City 10079, TaiwanTel: (02) 2301 [email protected]

C + S International Co Ltd.

1F, No.22, Keqiang Rd.Shilin Dist., Taipei City 11157Taiwan (R.O.C.)Tel: 886 2 [email protected]://www.ncaromatherapy.com

United Arab Emirates

The Holistic Institute

PO Box 31904Dubai UAEContact: Sunita TeckchandTel: 00 971 15065 [email protected]

USA

Aqua Beauty House

27823 Longhill Dr R.P.VCA, USA90275 Contact: Tomoko NakamuraE-mail: [email protected]: www.aquabeautyhouse.com Tel: 310-873-8254

The Institute of Spiritual Healing & Aromatherapy, Inc

Po Box 741239Arvada, CO80006, USAContact: Linda Smith E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.ISHAhealing.comwww.ISHAaromatherapy.comTel: 303-467-7829

Wales

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff School of Health Sciences Llandaff CampusWestern Avenue Cardiff CF14 5NH Tel: [email protected]

If you have recently changed your personal or business contact details do make sure you let the

IFPA office know.

Whether you have a new postal address or have

just changed your phone number or email address

the office staff need to know - so that they can keep their records up to date and you continue to receive important information

from the IFPA.

You can contact the IFPA office by post at IFPA House, 82 Ashby Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE10 1SN.

Or phone 01455 637987, fax: 01455 890956, or email

at [email protected]

HAVE YOU MOVED?


CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT25 Sitting back massage, with Jane Rose,

Stour Row, Dorset, *DL £120 SEED

26-27 Chemistry of essential oils, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £200 PPA

27-28 Indian head massage, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £200 PPA satellite school

28 Chinese foot massage using Tui-na techniques, with Jane Rose, Stour Row, Dorset £110 *DL SEED

28-30 Licentiate diploma module 1, Hinckley, Leics, £330 PPA

31–1 Aromatherapy product blending: from creation to regulation, with Alan Stewart, London, £220 inc VAT, blending materials and essential oils, ITHMA

November

- Aromatherapy & fungal infections, full day workshops £100, half day work-shops £60, distance learning £70, with Debbie Brettell, West Lothian, free club membership, phone for details AHT

2 Aromatherapeautic body massage, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £500 PPA

2-6 Clinical aromatherapy module two, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £500 PPA satellite school

5 Anatomy and physiology: urinary and nervous systems, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

5-8 Aromatic medicine: advanced essential oil formulating for common clinical con-ditions, with Mark Webb (Aus), first of two 4-day blocks, London, £895 incl VAT - £795 if booked before 1 Nov ITHMA

7 An introduction to the chakras and me-ridians, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £90 PPA satellite school

7-8 Acupressure for holistic therapists, with Heather Dawn Fields, Ackton, Pontefract, West Yorks, £65 per day HDEH

8 An introduction to the five elements, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £90 PPA satellite school

9-10 Chemistry for aromatherapy,with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £200 PPA satellite school

9-10 Lymphatic drainage massage for clients with cancer or oedema, with Jane Rose, Ash, nr Aldershot, Surrey £210 *DL SEED

10 Cancer care and aromatherapy, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

11 Indian head massage, with Caren Benstead, Starlight Studios, Turweston, Northamptonshire, The Well Retreat, £100 + VAT TWR

11-12 Anatomy and physiology module two, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £200 PPA satellite school

12-13 Remedial & sports-injuries massage (last 2 days), with Jane Rose, Ash, nr Alder-shot, Surrey, £220 *DL £220 SEED

12-13 Indian head massage for therapists, with Helen Jennings, Hinckley, Leics, £200 PPA

14 Thai foot massage, with Christine Court-ney, Dublin, €125 OBUS

14 Saturday club: question time, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, FREE PPA satellite school

14 Saturday club, with Ellie Dunmore, Hinckley, Leics, FREE PPA

14 Transactional analysis: an introduction to develop your skills, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, £90 ITTU

15 Cognitive behavioural therapy: uses & potential for supportive care, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, £90 or £140 to include Transactional analysis ITTU

15 Massage for pregnancy & babies, with Christine Courtney, Dublin, €125 OBUS

15 Essential blends for winter, with Alix Dav-ies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £90 PPA satellite school

17-18 Hot stone body and foot reflex massage, with Anita James, Ash, nr Aldershot, Sur-rey, £210 SEED

18-19 Aromaflexology, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £200 PPA

20 Taking control with positive words and affirmation, with Heather Dawn Fields, Ackton, Pontefract, West Yorks, £65 per day HDEH

21 Saturday club: question time, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, FREE PPA satellite school

21-22 Aromatherapy practical days 4-5, with Jane Rose, Stour Row, Dorset, £575 (Cost of 5 days) SEED

21-22 Harmonising the spirit: five element aromatherapy and essential oil acupoint massage for psychological conditions, with Gabriel Mojay, London, £220 inc VAT - ITHMA

23 Aromatic creations – essentials, with Louise Mac, Hinckley, Leics, £110 PPA

24 Tsuboki: Japanese face massage, with Anne Parry, Ash, nr Aldershot, Surrey, £120 +£15 for instructional DVD & as-sessment SEED

24 Aromatic creations – advanced, with Louise Mac, £110 PPA

24-25 Remedial & sports injuries massage, days 1-2, with Jane Rose, Stour Row, Dorset, £440 (cost of 4 days) *DL SEED

25 Acupressure for common ailments, with Anne Parry, Ash, nr Aldershot, Surrey, £105 SEED

25-26 Swedish massage for aromatherapists, with Louise Mac, Hinckley, Leics, £200 PPA

27 Through the towel techniques: additional techniques (shiatsu, pulsing, cranio-sacral +), with Anne Parry, Ash, nr Aldershot, Surrey, £105 SEED

28 Aromatherapy for menopause, with Jo Kellett, British School of Osteopathy, London, £110 FTS

28 Deep tissue cupping massage, with Christine Courtney, Dublin €125 OBUS

28 Aromatherapy for special needs group, with Sunita Teckchand, Dubai, UAE, £75 (3 hours) THI

28-29 Aromatic ointment-making for organic skincare, with Tanya Moulding, London, £250 incl. VAT, blending materials and essential oils - £230 if booked before Sept 29 ITHMA

October

10 Introduction to working with quartz crystals, with Lesley Taylor, Bristol, £80 LT

10 Saturday club, with Louise Mac, Hinck-ley, Leics, FREE PPA

10 Hydrolats, carriers and unfamiliar oils workshop, with Louise Mac, Hinckley, Leics, FREE PPA

10 Taking control with positive words and affirmation, with Heather Dawn Fields, Ackton, Pontefract, West Yorks, £65 per day HDEH

10-11 Reiki 1, with Juli Moran, Stour Row, Dorset, £210 SEED

13 Aromatherapy and viral infections, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £90 PPA satellite school

14 Pregnancy massage (with essential oil data), with Anne Parry, Ash, nr Alder-shot, Surrey, £105 *DL SEED

14 Hot stones, with Caren Benstead, Starlight Studios, Turweston, North-amptonshire, The Well Retreat, £100 + VAT TWR

14 Clinical aromatherapy diploma module 4, with Sandra Oram, £500 PPA

15-16 Laughter yoga leader training, with Anne Parry, Ash, nr Aldershot, Surrey, £210 SEED

17 Aroma neck and shoulder massage, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

17 Saturday club: the nut oils, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, FREE PPA satellite school

17 Aromatherapy refresher, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

17-18 Reiki 2A, with Juli Moran, Stour Row, Dorset, £210 SEED

17-18 Abdominal detox massage, with Heather Dawn Fields, Ackton, Ponte-fract, West Yorks, £65 per day HDEH

18 Aromatherapy refresher, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

18 Blending essential oils, with Alix Dav-ies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £90 PPA satellite school

19 Essential oils for the face, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £90 PPA satellite school

20 Carrier oils for the face, with Alix Dav-ies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £90 PPA satellite school

20 Blending for pain relief, with Sunita Teckchand, Dubai, UAE, £75 (3 hours) THI

20-21 Palliative care & complementary medicine, with Bridget Purser, Ash, nr Aldershot, Surrey, £217.50 SEED

21 An aromatherapy facial, with Alix Dav-ies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £90 PPA satellite school

23-24 Foot reflex assessment & massage, with Jane Rose, Stour Row, Dorset, £210 *DL SEED

23-24 Aromatherapy massage (inc foot reflexes & distance learning module) days 4-5, with Jane Rose, Stour Row, Dorset, £650 (cost of 5 Days) SEED


CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT15 Aromatherapy and babies and children,

with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks £100 PPA satellite school

16 Aromatherapy for women, menopause, with Sunita Teckchand, Dubai, UAE, £75 (3 hours) THI

16 Posture for therapists, with Debbie Gan-non, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

23-24 Advanced clinical aromatherapy, with Christine Courtney, Dublin, €225 OBUS

23-24 Acupressure for holistic therapists, with Heather Dawn Fields, Ackton, Pontefract, West Yorks, £65 per day HDEH

30 Understanding carrier oils, with Alix Dav-ies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £100 PPA satellite school

February

- Aromatherapy and the menopause, full day workshops £100, half day work-shops £60, distance learning £70, with Debbie Brettell, West Lothian, free club membership, phone for details AHT

1-2 Gentle touch massage, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £200 PPA

1-5 Clinical aromatherapy module one, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £500 PPA satellite school

3 Ear Candling, with Caren Benstead, Star-light Studios, Turweston, Northampton-shire, The Well Retreat, £100 + VAT TWR

4 Anatomy and physiology: lymph and immune system with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

6-7 Facial energy release – face therapy (module 1), with Caroline Josling, Bath, Somerset, £225 or £825 for all 4 mod-ules FEA

9-11 Anatomy and physiology module one, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £300 PPA satellite school

10 Aromatherapy theory refresher, with Kate Nellist, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

11 Neck and shoulder massage, with Kate Nellist, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

12 Aromatherapy massage refresher for PPA & SPA qualified students, with Kate Nel-list, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

13 Saturday club, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, FREE PPA satellite school

13 Saturday club, with Louise Mac, Hinckley, Leics, FREE PPA

14 Aromatherapy care for the elderly, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £100 PPA satellite school

15 Arthritis, joints and aromatherapy, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £100 PPA satellite school

16 Managing pain with aromatherapy, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £100 PPA satellite school

16 Aromatherapy and perfume: make your own, with Sunita Teckchand, Dubai, UAE, £75 (3 hours) THI

17 Cancer care and aromatherapy, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £100 PPA satellite school

18 Aromatherapy and back care, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £100 PPA satellite school

Co

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*DL: Course also available as distance learning

NOTE: Contact details for all IFPA schools and IFPA approved CPD centres are shown on page 36.

Offers on FEA courses: ● book any two £75 CPD and pay £130● book all three Aromacosmetology CPD courses @ £150 each and pay £399

19-21 Aromatic kinesiology level one, with Christine Courtney, Dublin, €395, Early bird €350 OBUS

19-23 Aromatherapeutic body massage, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £500 PPA satellite school

20 Awaken the Qi in me, with Heather Dawn Fields, Ackton, Pontefract, W.Yorks £65 per day HDEH

20-21 Adapting chair massage for hospice & cancer care, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, £140 ITTU

22 Hydrolats – their properties and uses, with Kate Nellist, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

23 Aromatherapy for pain management, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

25-26 Indian head massage, with Helen Jen-nings, Hinckley, Leics, £200 PPA

26-28 Aromatic kinesiology level two, with Christine Courtney, Dublin, €395, Early bird €350 OBUS

March

- Aromatherapy for muscular aches & pains, full day workshops £100, half day workshops £60, distance learning £70, with Debbie Brettell, West Lothian, free club membership, phone for details AHT

3-4 Aromaflexology, with Kate Nellist, Hinck-ley, Leics, £200 PPA

4-8 Clinical aromatherapy module four, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £500 PPA satellite school

5 Aromatherapy massage refresher for PPA & SPA qualified students, with Kate Nel-list, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

7 Aromatherapy for arthritis, with Kate Nellist, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

9 Pregnancy massage, with Caren Benstead, Starlight Studios, Turweston, Northamptonshire, The Well Retreat, £100 + VAT TWR

10-11 Anatomy and physiology module three, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £200, PPA satellite school

11 Ear candling workshop, with Kate Nellist, Hinckley, Leics, £50 PPA



12-13 Crystal workshop, with Heather Dawn Fields, Ackton, Pontefract, West Yorks, £65 per day HDEH

28-29 Crystal acupuncture (learners need to attend crystal workshop first), with Heather Dawn Fields, Ackton, Pontefract, West Yorks, £65 per day HDEH

29 On-site chair massage, with Christine Courtney, Dublin, €125 OBUS

30 Anatomy and physiology: endocrine and cardiovascular systems, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

December

- Aromatherapy facials & skincare, full day workshops £100, half day workshops £60, distance learning £70, with Debbie Brettell, West Lothian, free club member-ship, phone for details AHT

2-3 Swedish massage for aromatherapists, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £200 PPA

5 Anxiety states, The Christie NHS Founda-tion Trust, Manchester, £90 or £140 to include Panic and phobia (see 6 Dec) ITTU

5-6 Exploring hand reflexology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, £140 ITTU

6 Panic and phobia, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, £90 ITTU

11 Massage refresher (no aromaflexology), with Helen Jennings, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

12 Saturday club: eye care, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, FREE PPA satel-lite school


12-13 Breathlessness, minimise the distress & maximise the breath, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, £140 ITTU

14 Beautiful hair with aromatherapy, with Sunita Teckchand, Dubai, UAE, £75 (3 hours) THI

January 2016

- Aromatherapy blends for winter, full day workshops £100, half day workshops £60, distance learning £70, with Debbie Brettell, West Lothian, free club member-ship, phone for details AHT

7 Anatomy and physiology: respiratory and reproductive systems, with Sandra Oram, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA



10-11 Business studies for therapists, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £200 PPA satellite school

11 Aromatherapy for hormones and meno-pause, with Kate Nellist, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

12 Aromatherapy and pregnancy, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks, £100 PPA satellite school

13 Aromatherapy for hormones and meno-pause, with Alix Davies, Chalice College, S. Yorks £100 PPA satellite school


Contact details for IFPA schools and centres | First Aid Courses

IFPA–Schools CPD

APA Asia Pacific Aromatherapy Tel: 00852 2882 2444 [email protected] www.aromatherapyapa.com

CAA Cossi Academy of Aromatherapy Contact: Susan Cossi-Burgess Tel: 403 872 7662 [email protected] www.holisticteachings.com

ETHOS Education, Training, Health and Online Services Ltd Tel: 01388 451886 [email protected] www.ethos.uk.com

ITHMA Institute of Traditional Herbal Medicine & Aromatherapy Tel: 020 7708 2626 info@aromatherapy–stud-ies.com

LT Lesley TaylorTel: 0117 378 9013 [email protected]

OBUS Obus School of Healing Therapies Contact: Christine Courtney Tel: 00 353 1 6282121 [email protected] www.obus.ie

PPA Penny Price Aromatherapy Tel: 01455 251020 info@penny–price.com

SEED The SEED InstituteTel: 01963 362048 / Mob: 07761185630 [email protected]

TAC The Aromatherapy CompanyTel: Louise 01455 441961 [email protected]

TACC The Aromatherapy Company – Japan Tel: 01455 441961 [email protected] www.thearomatherapy-company.co.uk

TWR The Well Retreat, Caren Benstead Tel: 07921 956535 [email protected]

THI The Holistic [email protected] www.theholisticinstitute.org

IFPA–approved CPD Centres

Aroma Here and There (AHT)Audavlen House, Bridgend, Linlithgow, West Lothian EH49 6NHContact: Debbie Brettell Tel: 01506 834520 or 07834 525065enquiries@aromahereandthere.co.ukwww.aromahereandthere.co.uk For course dates see page 34; tailor–made courses see website.

AT Aromatime CentreWoodbridgeSuffolk IP12 4NYEmail via websitewww.aromatime.co.uk

From the Seed (FTS)Contact: Jo Kellett Tel: 07970 [email protected]

Heather Dawn Elemental Health (HDEH)Traditional Therapy TrainingGothic CottageAckton LaneAckton Pontefract WF7 6HPTel: 07931 [email protected]

Integrative Therapies Training Unit (ITTU)The Christie NHS Foundation TrustWilmslow Road Manchester M20 4BX Tel: 0161 [email protected]/pro/cs/comp/train-ing.aspx

School of Facial Energy Release (FER)13 Charlcombe WayLansdown, Bath BA1 6JZTel: 07973 732842Contact: Caroline [email protected]

E-Learning CPD Centres

The IFPA Council has approved a new category of CPD provider – those offering e-learning courses. The first two providers are shown below. Oth-ers will feature in this list as they are signed up.

Essential Training Solutions (ETS) PO Box 5116, Badby, Daventry,Northants, NN11 3ZBTel: 01604 [email protected]

www.essential-training.co.uk

The S.E.E.D Institute – Surrey CoursesTherapeutic Division,4 Church Street, Henstridge, Somerset, BA8 0QETel: 01963 362048/Mob: 07761185630 [email protected]

Essentially HolisticSomercotes, Derbyshire, DG55 4NDContact: Anita JamesTel: 07951 701406essentiallyholisitic@gmail.comessentiallyholistic-onlinetraining.com

FIRST AID COURSES

The courses listed below are run by IFPA-accredited schools - for contact details see opposite.

October

17 First aid training, with Christine Courtney, Dublin, €125 OBUS

19 First aid – 3 year Qualsafe cer-tificate with additional comple-mentary therapies, with Mark & Nina de Pina Perou, Ash, nr Aldershot, Surrey, £100 SEED

November

14 First Aid – 3 year Qualsafe certificate with additional complementary therapies, with Mark & Nina de Pina Perou, Stour Row, Dorset, £100 SEED

January 2016

27 First aid, with Skillbase Train-ing, Hinckley, Leics, £100 PPA

In addition to the courses listed above, the IFPA website offers a list of Health & Safety Executive-approved First Aid Training Providers – see http://ifparoma.org/public/firstaid.php

Please note: A valid First Aid certifi-cate is no longer a condition for all practising IFPA membership. While the IFPA Council strongly recom-mends that members keep their First Aid certificate up to date, it will no longer enforce this as a membership requirement.

NOTE: Courses run by the schools and centres listed above and in adjacent column can be found on pages 34-35.

Would you like to review a CPD course that you

found particularly informative, useful

or stimulating? If so, we’d like to hear from you.

Contact In Essence via IFPA office.

When you are planning your personal CPD programme remember that attendance at IFPA events not only gives you the chance to develop your knowledge of aromatherapy and network with fellow professionals but earns you valuable points too. If you attend the IFPA Annual General Meeting you can earn four points while attendance at an IFPA conference earns you six points. The IFPA Council would also like to remind you that, if you attend or organise an IFPA regional group meeting with a speaker, this counts as CPD activity worth two points per meeting.

Building up CPD points

The

SELF-EXPLORATION-EDUCATION-DEVELOPMENT

4,ChurchStreet,Henstridge,Som.BA80QE Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01963362048Mob:07761185630Web-site:www.theseedinstitute.co.uk

TherapeuticDivision

S.E.E.D. Institute

AlisonPerrottS.P.C.DipA,MISPA, MASK;JohnPerrottMSMA,MBCS,MIDPM;JaneRoseT.S.I.Clin.Dip,MIFPA

InEssence02col6x9cm.cdr

'In Essence‘

60 mm deep X 90 mm wide

SELF-EXPLORATION-EDUCATION-DEVELOPMENT

The S.E.E.D. Institute4,ChurchStreet,Henstridge,Som.BA80QE

Web-site:www.theseedinstitute.co.uk

Tel: 01963362048Mob:07761185630E-mail: [email protected]

Qualification & Post-graduate Requirements

Distance-learning:Aromatherapy Diploma, Upgrade

& C.P.D courses

Founders: Principal:

TO ADVERTISEPlease call the IFPA office: 01455 637987or email Debbie: [email protected]


EventsOctober24-25 Ilkley Complementary Medicine Festival, Kings Hall, Winter Gardens, Ilkley, W.Yorks. Details at: http://icmf.co.uk/autumn-201524-27 2nd International Conference of Traditional and Complementary Medicine on Health (ICTCMH 2015), Taipei, Taiwan. Hosted by The Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. Details: www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-traditional-and-complementary-medicine/conferences/2nd-conference-tradition-al-complementary-medicine-health/

November31 Oct-3 Aromatica 2015 conference, organised by Aromatherapy Today. Gold Coast, Australia. Details: www.aromatherapytoday.com/course.html6-8 8th International Scientific Aroma-therapy Conference on Therapeutic Uses of Essential Oils, to be held in San Francisco, USA. This event, on the theme Unlimited Possibilities, is organ-ised by the Pacific Institute of Aroma-therapy. Details: http://newpacificinsti-tuteofaromatherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2015-Registration-Flyer.pdf 9 Evaluation, Evidence and Research for Complementary Therapists & Coor-dinators, workshop organised by The Christie Hospital, Manchester. Details: www.globaleventslist.elsevier.com/events/2015/11/evaluation-evidence-and-research-for-complementary-ther-apiests-coordinators/10-13 8th Brazilian Symposium on Essential Oils (SBOE) – International Symposium on Essential Oils (ISEO), to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Symposium activities include plenary and keynote lectures, oral and poster presentations, and social activities. Details: www.sboe.net.br

December5 Anxiety states: fast calming interven-tions. For complementary therapists or healthcare workers. Integrative Thera-pies Training Unit, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester. Details: www.christie.nhs.uk/media/272233/

integrative_therapies_course_bro-chure_2015_2016_update_27072015.pdf6 Panic and phobia: in-situ skills to interrupt & overcome. For com-plementary therapists, health care workers or clinical hypnotherapists. Integrative Therapies Training Unit, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester. Details: www.christie.nhs.uk/media/272233/integrative_thera-pies_course_brochure_2015_2016_up-date_27072015.pdf12-13 Breathlessness: minimise the distress & maximise the breath. To de-velop therapeutic skills of therapists/health professionals to assist patients with breathlessness, cough and as-sociated fatigue. Integrative Thera-pies Training Unit, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester. Details: www.christie.nhs.uk/media/272233/integrative_therapies_course_bro-chure_2015_2016_update_27072015.pdf

2016

January The London Health Show, Olympia. Includes conference and workshops. Details: www.londonhealthshow.com25, 26, 27-28, 29 Programme of courses on Essential Oils for Comple-mentary Therapists. The programme will be led by Rhiannon Lewis of Es-sential Oil Resource Consultants, well known for their Advanced Clinical Aromatherapy teaching programme, and held at The Royal Marsden Hos-pital, London. For more information turn to page 7 of this edition or visit www.royalmarsden.nhs. uk/studydays. To book, phone 020 7808 2921 or email [email protected].

April2-3 Ilkley Spring Complementary Medicine Festival, King’s Hall, Win-ter Gardens, Ilkley, W.Yorks. Details: http://icmf.co.uk

May12-15 4th International Massage Thera-py Research Conference, organised by the Massage Therapy Foundation, to

be held in Seattle, Washington, USA. Brings together massage and manual therapy practitioners, educators, researchers, allied health profession-als, and others interested in massage research. Details: www.massagethera-pyfoundation.org/research-conference14 16th Clinical Reflexology conference, The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester. Only reflexologists or students/researchers may attend. Details: www.christie.nhs.uk/me-dia/701684/Course_Brochure2015-2016_update_06.01.2015.pdf18-20 International Congress on Inte-grative Medicine and Health (ICIMH) Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Visit www.icimh.org

June4 Aromatherapy Study Day at Kew Gardens: Rediscovering aromatic plants and their essential oils. Led by Dr Viv Anthony. Aims to revitalise knowledge of aromatic plants, their essential oils and how to use plants to energise your aromatherapy busi-ness and interest in natural therapies. Details: www.aromatherapy-studies.com/kew.html

July1-3 3rd International Congress on Naturo-pathic Medicine 2016, Barcelona, Spain. Details: http://icnmnaturopathy.eu

September 2-5 Botanica 2016 conference, cele-brating plant therapeutics and clini-cal aromatherapy, to be held at the University of Sussex, near Brighton. Botanica2016 will feature 25 speak-ers from 14 different countries and a bigger Trade Show. UK speakers will in-clude Jane Buckle, Jo Kellett and Tanya Moulding. A provisional programme outlining sessions, topics, speakers and workshops is now available at http://botanica2016.com/invitation/

October24-25 Ilkley Autumn Complementary Medicine Festival, King’s Hall, Win-ter Gardens, Ilkley, W.Yorks. Details: http://icmf.co.uk


International linksAs an international organisation the IFPA works to strengthen its established overseas links, and to make new contacts, with aromath-erapy associations and federations around the world. But how much do you know about aro-matherapy associations outside the UK? Below is a list of some well-established organisations in English-speaking countries.

AUSTRALIA■ International Aromatherapy and Aromatic Medi-cine Association (IAAMA)www.iaama.org.auIndependent non-profit association dedicated to support-ing aromatherapy practitioners in Australia and overseas. Fosters the development of aromatic medicine and high standards of education and practice. Members bound by Codes of Ethics and Practice. IAAMA also works to raise public profile of therapeutic aromatherapy.

CANADA■ Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists (CFA) http://cfacanada.comCFA was formed in 1993 by a group of individuals who were concerned that, although Canadian aromatherapy had seen tremendous growth and popularity, there was no regula-tion or public information. It aims to foster continuing growth but also high standards of aromatherapy education and practice. Provides information to the public about the quality of aromatherapy products and services. Sets its own national examination, and members must abide by its regu-lations on safety and professional conduct.

■ British Columbia Alliance of Aromatherapy (BCAOA) www.bcaoa.org Dedicated to the establishment of the profession of aromath-erapy/essential oil therapy in the Province of British Colum-bia, BCAOA was formed by representatives of 16 different as-sociations who had concerns that aromatherapy and essential oil therapy practice was being threatened by changes to laws and regulations at both provincial and federal levels.

■ British Columbia Association of Practicing Aromatherapists www.bcapa.org Incorporated in 1994, BCAPA members work in varied areas and aspects of aromatherapy including retail stores, websites, manufacturing aromatherapy products, and run-ning their own aromatherapy practices. Members com-plete a comprehensive course of study approved by the BCAPA Board of Directors and adhere to a stringent code of ethics. The BCAPA also plays a role in educating the public on the benefits of aromatherapy.

NEW ZEALAND■ New Zealand Register of Holistic Aromatherapists, Inc. (NZROHA) www.aromatherapy.org.nzNZROHA supports professional aromatherapists in New Zealand, stating on its website that it is the national voice of aromatherapy. It represents its members on government and Charter of Health Practitioners issues in New Zealand. Aims to promote high educational standards and has es-tablished itself as the national register for qualified holistic aromatherapists, supporting, informing and promoting aromatherapy in New Zealand. It is a founding member of the NZ Charter of Health Practitioners Inc and is develop-ing affiliates with other natural health modalities.

SOUTH AFRICA■ Aromatherapy Association of South Africa (AromaSA) http://aomasa.org.zaAromaSA is the new aromatherapy association of South Africa. It was created in October 2011, when it was felt that there should be one voice for aromatherapy in the country. It emerged from the amalgamation of ASoSA and AromaForum. Holds annual national Congress.

UNITED STATES■ Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA)www.alliance-aromatherapists.orgFounded in 2006, the non-profit AIA is a leading profes-sional organisation representing aromatherapists in the US. It aims to increase awareness of, and expand access, to aromatherapists; help its members build successful practices; expand the body of aromatherapy research; and serve as a resource for members, the media and the public. Members include aromatherapy professionals, medical doctors, naturopathic doctors, nurses, reflexologists, mas-sage therapists, Reiki Masters, other health care practition-ers, students, and corporate members.

■ National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA)www.naha.orgNAHA, a non-profit member-based association, is dedicated to the holistic integration and education of aromatherapy into a wide range of complementary healthcare practices. It offers scientific, empirical and current information about aromatherapy and essential oils to the public, practitioners, businesses, product designers, bloggers/writers, educators, healthcare professionals, and the media. Actively involved in raising academic standards in aromatherapy education and practice standards for the profession. Also aims to increase public understanding of aromatherapy and its safe, effective application in everyday life.

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