Today is not uncommon to find aromatherapy oils in the modern home, today they are often found in the bathroom to offer help with common health ailments and used for relaxation. The history of aromatherapy dates back to around 4000 BC, although the term itself was not coined until the 1920′s. Here in this article we shall look briefly at how this therapy has been used throughout the years.

It was the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Persian’s that were first known to use aromatherapy oils. Plants were probably also used in Ancient China but there is very little known at this time period. Interestingly there are also references in the Bible of oils being used for healing and religion.

In Egypt plant oils were used for cosmetics and spiritual relaxation and most famously to aid the embalming process of their dead. On special occasions then Egyptian men and women would wear cones on their heads that released fragrances, much like incense today. Out of all the ancient cultures it was the Egyptians that loved aromatherapy plants and fragrances so much that they developed the industry more than any other.

The Greeks took many of the Egyptian techniques of healing and relaxation with aromatherapy oils. They also used them for cosmetic reasons and as medicines. The first known Greek physician to use herbs and plants in his surgeries was known as Asclepius. After that there were many different Greeks who used and experimented with plants and herbs for medicinal needs.

It was after the Catholic Crusades that many aromatics, herbal therapies and scented plants were introduced to Europe from the Middle East. Yet during the medieval era the church did reject aromatherapy remedies because they believed that every disease was sent from God as punishment. When the huge pandemic of the Black Death hit Europe, almost half of the population died and many botanical therapies were experimented with but with little success.

It wasn’t until 1977 however when the first book on the history of aromatherapy and aromatherapy oils was published and written by Englishman Robert B Tisserand. Today in the western world aromatherapy treatment is now considered a fundamental alternative alongside holistic medicine and natural products are created for cosmetic and healing products. So the next time you return home after a hard day and pour some lavender oil into your bath to help soothe you, you will remember the colourful and long history that comes with this unique therapy.

Dominic Donaldson is a beauty therapist with many years of experience in the plant industry. Find out more about Aromatherapy Oils at http://www.neoils.com

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Each of us is born with a body. Though much has been made of the relationship between children and parents in the world of psychology, the relationship between each person and their body has been largely ignored. And yet, over the course of our lives, a myriad of experiences change and affect our relationship to our physical selves.

Illness, trauma, even weight loss and gain can subtly change the way we feel about our bodies and therefore about ourselves. The first time we feel pain or injury is a jarring realization that this physical surface that contains us can be wounded, and can’t protect us entirely from the world around us. A feeling of safety and trust in our bodies can be adversely affected-sometimes forever-by any of these experiences, so that the way it feels to be in our bodies is changed as well.

In workshops as well as individual work, I ask clients with all kinds of illnesses and body issues to consider what would happen if they invited an earlier, more connected relationship to their bodies back into their lives now. What if they could be on the same team as their bodies? Forgive their bodies or themselves for what’s happened and try to find common ground? Together we explore tools-in much the same way I might with a couple trying to heal their marriage-that reconnect them with their bodies and renew their body relationship. I often ask participants to write an actual letter to their bodies, as they might someone they want to reconnect with after an experience has distanced them. I encourage them to say exactly what they feel and what they have felt, to describe the kind of relationship they’d like to now create, and to invite their bodies into that new relationship. The results can be quite profound.

The work that I do aims to address that relationship, not because a miraculous cure always follows-though sometimes it does-but because our relationship to our bodies is our relationship to ourselves. To the extent that we blame, hide or fear our bodies we are not able to feel completely liberated or alive ourselves. In reconnecting with our bodies, we begin to find the deepest layers of ourselves and confront them in order to find greater joy or freedom in our lives.

Another way that body relationship issues arise is, of course, with our struggles with weight and body image. I know almost no one who wouldn’t love to lose ten or twenty or even thirty pounds. And yet it’s also amazing what an ongoing and unsatisfying pursuit this becomes if the fundamental relationship to the body is never addressed. Even if the weight comes off, even if the external body changes as a result of diet or exercise there may well be an underlying mistrust or judgment of the body-a sense that it can betray you in a moment if you eat too much or don’t exercise. Though an external change has been created, the true change hasn’t happened inside. Even perfectly skinny women can live haunted by the sense that if they really trusted themselves to eat everything they wanted their bodies would rebel.

Even though weight loss or gain seems like a less dramatic issue than life-threatening illness, our obsession with it in this country belies a lot of dysfunction in our body relationships. Using guided imagery and body dialogue work with clients trying to lose weight can help them not only ‘fix’ the outside but can help them redevelop a feeling of safety and trust within their bodies, regardless of the outcome. What people often most want from a diet and exercise plan is to ‘feel better about my body.’ Ironically, if that diet and exercise plan is started and continues from a place of disgust or disappointment in your body, those feelings are often perpetuated, even if minor external successes are achieved along the way.

On the other hand, if the ‘feeling better’ is created right away by addressing the body relationship first, different kinds of behavior are able to come naturally out of a healthier relationship with your body. In a sense, you’ve already accomplished what you wanted-a better relationship with your body-and the rest is icing on the cake. Once the body relationship is deeply healed, external change often requires less force and comes from a deeper, more loving-and ultimately more lasting–place.

Our bodies often have messages for us, and certainly our relationships with our bodies move us into a greater understanding of the way we treat and see ourselves. We don’t have to wait until illness or trauma underscore the significance of our body relationship, we can also begin to examine and adjust it now. I encourage you to explore the messages you send every day to your body and how you’re treating it, in much the same way you might examine a relationship with anyone in your life. How would you describe your current relationship? Is your body your enemy or your friend? Do you send encouraging and grateful messages or messages of disappointment and judgment? What would an ideal relationship with your body look like and feel like? How could you make that shift on a feeling level now?

And certainly if illness or trauma have brought you into a new relationship with your body, these tools and awareness are particularly important. How you decide to ‘be’ with your body through illness and recovery will greatly affect how you feel about the process and what it’s like, eventually, to be on the other side.

Anna Stookey is a psychotherapist & bodymind coach who helps people move into their highest vision of health and wellness by partnering with their bodies rather than working against them. Ongoing blog at http://www.bodyreunion.blogspot.com or sign on to the website: http://www.bodymindguide.com

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You look at your watch and realize that you’ve been sitting in the doctor’s waiting room for almost 2 hours. Your cell phone is vibrating, and your own work is waiting, your temperature is rising, and you’re still sitting there.

When you finally make it into the doctor’s office, he gives you about 15 minutes, a pat on the back, and a promise that he’ll call you with your test results in a few days. Naturally, you have to make the call, and you have to sit there on hold, once again waiting.

If there are no health problems, the waiting is just a nuisance. When time is critical to addressing health problems, the doctors and their offices seem to be getting in the way of good care.

At best there’s a lack of communication between doctor and patient. At worst the experience is so frustrating that it discourages people from taking proper care of their health.

In any case, there’s something wrong with this picture. In 1996 two physicians involved with the Seattle Super Sonics decided that other patients might like to get the same kind of customized health care as the basketball team members did, removing the clutter that characterizes much of today’s medicine. The doctors developed a retainer-based medical service providing superior, personalized health care to a limited number of people.

Concierge care, also known as boutique medicine, or executive health care, offers patients personal access to their physician on short notice, or during non-standard hours. These patients get 24/7access to their physicians, same-day appointments, reduced in-office waiting time, an enhanced yearly health exam, house calls, and other services not generally covered by insurers or generally available from doctors.

The attraction of “concierge medicine” is easy to understand. Doctors spend time with their patients and really take charge of their care.

Physicians also build networks of specialists to see their patients if the need arises. Referrals can go all over the country or all over the world.

The key question is, “Does it make medical sense?” rather than “Is it covered by insurance?” Concierge medicine is not insurance.

Rather, it is patient-focused health care that improves the quality of treatment by making the doctor the head of the health care team. For the cost of a latte a day, concierge medicine provides coordinated care with the extra touches- such as nurses, physical therapists, home health aides, support groups, and global assistance – that take care of the whole patient.

While most concierge physicians accept various forms of insurance but collect the added fee for added services, some of the doctors have cash-only practices. Currently, concierge medicine is the only field of medicine that is increasing in size with 7 percent of the nation’s doctors involved in it and a 500 percent growth rate.

Concierge Physicians are based on the belief that patients’ needs are of the utmost importance, and the physicians are committed to meeting those needs by providing a true medical home for the patient in a complex health care environment.

The patient has a greater chance of living a better and longer life as a result of getting better medicine.

Tom Selwick has worked as a podiatrist and foot surgeon for the past 14 years and written hundreds of articles about various foot conditions. He recommends (http://www.DrRoths.com) for products to help with plantar fasciitis.

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The skilled hands of a professional chiropractor can bring immense relief to anyone who suffers from back pain. However, this is not the sole function that chiropractic care serves. Many licensed Doctors of Chiropractic (or DCs) offer preventative care that not only keeps back pain at bay, but also helps to promote overall health.

Those who do not merely wish to treat the symptom of their physical problems – pain – often visit chiropractors to receive pain relief without drugs. Trained in techniques to help both the structural and neurological aspects of the body, DCs perform spinal adjustments that are comfortable for the patient, safe, and perhaps most importantly, effective. Many patients suffering from pain in the back, neck or hips as well as fibromyalgia and even tension headaches have reported great improvements due to the natural treatment and preventative care that DCs can provide.

The best chiropractors focus on diagnosing joint dysfunction early on. This can prevent more severe injury and pain from occurring down the road. A misaligned spine is known to cause everything from fatigue to extreme pain. Almost everyone experiences a misaligned spine at some point. Often, it is some time after the initial misalignment before people will begin to experience pain. For this reason, many DCs encourage patients to have regular preventative appointments for detection and treatment of spinal problems before they develop into more serious conditions.

In addition, many chiropractors offer lifestyle advice and coaching that helps many patients achieve better health and overall wellness in both the short and long term. To prevent old injuries from recurring or becoming aggravated, DCs will often recommend avoiding or changing certain activities. For instance, office workers may have pain related to sitting at the computer for extended periods of time. A chiropractor who is treating such problems may recommend specific exercises to be done periodically throughout the day, as well as showing the patient a different way to position themselves or adjust the chair for more support. Preventative recommendations such as exercise, diet and nutritional supplements to improve health are also frequently provided by DCs.

Anyone considering a first-time visit to a chiropractor will be glad to know that earning a DC requires a four-year doctoral degree. Most programs only accept students with a 4-year bachelor’s degree. Chiropractic students receive extensive training in anatomy, physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition, pathology, and public health. To obtain a license, most chiropractic schools require 4200 hours of combined lab, classroom, and clinical experience. The result is a practitioner who is highly qualified to treat many musculoskeletal problems as well as provide preventative care for a wide range of conditions.

While the chiropractic field isn’t exactly new (it was founded in 1895), today it continues to gain in popularity. In a world where natural healing is becoming more and more prevalent, it’s not surprising that people who desire a drug-free approach to both treatment of pain and preventative care are turning to chiropractors for many of their health care needs.

In the Chicago metro area, http://www.relievepain.net features a chiropractic physician, orthopedist and acupuncturist with over 20 years experience in treatment of pain, preventive care and lifestyle advice for better health. Powered by http://seo-search-engine-optimization.netbiz.com

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The eye is arguably the most unexercised part of the human body. Many people love to do body exercises a lot to stay healthy. While it is obvious to many that regular exercising is crucial to leave a healthy lifestyle, very few people do something to keep their eyes healthy. When out of negligence or ignorance the eye is denied the attention it deserves when it comes to exercising, it may lose some of its important functionalities. In order to check the development of eye complications like myopia, farsightedness or other eye conditions it is important to do regular eyesight improvement exercises.

One might wonder what exactly causes eye disorders. The understanding of how the various eye disorders come to be might help in the understanding of how eye exercises and related therapies work. The complications are connected to the formation of images at the retina of the eye where images are formed. With Myopia or shortsightedness victims tend to see objects that are close to the eye. The image is formed a little in front of the retina as opposed to the wall of the retina. Farsightedness (Hypermetropia) on the other hand is the eye disorder where objects in the near distance are not seen clearly. Other eye complications include Astigmatism, Cataract, Glaucoma et cetera. The severity of the above complications can be eased by the regular practicing of eyesight improvement exercises. However, the more serious complications of the eye like Cataract and Glaucoma may call for more specialist treatment than just exercises.

The oldest documented eye exercises were tried over a century ago. Since then many scientific and non-scientific techniques have been tried to exercise the eye. Though some of the traditional methods like Yoga have been aspects of philosophical debate, scientific research and studies have shown that eye exercises do improve vision significantly. In fact, some statistics suggest an above 90% success rate among patients who have been put on vision training program by means of eyesight improvement exercises.

The eye just like the other body organs has muscles that are crucial to its normal functionalities. Therefore when talking about eyesight improvement exercises what is referred to here is the actual exercising of the organ’s different muscles. The intended objective in the exercises is to enhance eye muscles functionalities and help them loosen up. In order to achieve good results, it is important for a patient to keep on exercising regularly and consistently. This means once a patient embarks on a vision improvement program of either 30 or 60 days (depending on an individual’s progress), there should be no day breaks.

So if you suffer from Myopia (nearsightedness), Hypermetropia (farsightedness), Astigmatism, or presbyopia, you should consider performing eyesight improvement exercises. You can see a specialist who will give you some exercises, however this route is usually very expensive and insurance does not normally cover it. The good thing, though, is that there are online vision improvement programs you may want to consider that are very effective. It is good to know that with the eyesight improvement exercises, the need for contact lenses or eye glasses can be eliminated forever.

Are you tired of wearing your glasses and contacts, only for your vision to continue to get worse? Want to restore your vision to 20/20 naturally, without undergoing any risky surgeries? If so, check out http://EyeExercisesToImproveVision.com.

Many women suffer from the development of cellulite on their thighs and other parts of their bodies. Regardless of whether they are skinny or overweight, this problem can surface because it is not tied to weight. Instead, the manifestation of the “cottage cheese” like areas is actually based on genetics. The dimpled look comes from fatty deposits underneath the skin that are genetically prone to attract it.

Having cellulite on the body can be as detrimental to a woman’s self esteem as being overweight. Despite the thought that skinny women can’t possibly suffer as much as those with weight issues, those with cellulite can also feel embarrassed about the way they look due to the cottage cheese they have. As such, big and small women are in a constant search for ways to avoid getting it or to reduce its appearance if they do. This is where cellulite cream or expensive body and skin treatments come in.

Those who have a lot of money to spare can get treatments done which prevent and this bumpy condition or diminish its bumpy appearance. These professional salon procedures work the skin and the areas underneath it. When the fatty deposits are moved around, the dimpling to the outside of the body goes away. Though the underlying fat remains, affluent individuals can afford to get other procedures to eliminate this, like liposuction and laser treatments.

The average person with a modest budget can use cellulite cream to improve the skin’s look. A good slimming cream will penetrate the skin all the way to the deposits underneath. Dry skin accentuates the look of the fatty under layer, so a cellulite cream that moisturizes is recommended. A product with natural ingredients like vitamin A, E and C as well as aloe vera and shea butter will help keep the skin soft, supple and flexible. As a result, the appearance of your skin is drastically improved.

Cellulite cream will not ‘melt away fat’ like some may think, but it does make you look better. With a healthy diet and exercise, you can cut down on the amount of fat all over your body and under the skin. Combined with slimming cream, eating right and exercising will give you all the improvement you are searching for.

Learn more about the options you have for improving the texture of the skin on your thighs and buttocks at http://slimmingcream.org/.

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