International Clinical Aromatherapy Conference
The writer of this blog was lucky enough to attend one day of the three-day conference held by Alliance of International Aromatherapists in Denver, Colorado. I am going to devote this blog entry to highlights of that day.
The first day featured Tim Blakley's discussion on sourcing (I understand this was a particularly lively slideshow of all his travels) and Jackie Farnell talking about aromatherapy's benefits in Alzheimer's care. Unfortunately, this was not the day I attended.
The first speaker on Friday, October 19, was Linda-Anne Kahn, a Holistic Health Practitioner, Clinical Aromatherapist, Lymphedema Therapist, and founder/owner of Beauty Kliniek Aromatherapy Day Spa. Ms. Kahn's lecture, entitled "Your Lymphatic System, Immunity and How it Relates to Aromatherapy," focused exclusively on the anatomy/physiology of the lymphatic system, manual lymphatic drainage, and using essential oils in the treatment of a variety of immune-related issues. The initial description of Beauty Kliniek and Medical Wellness Kliniek was most fascinating to me; here is actual holistic treatment truly being carried out -- estheticians, hairdressers, aromatherapists, naturopaths, acupuncturists working all together to treat all levels of the client.
Why is this important? Your health is like a table, which needs at least 3 legs to stand on. There are many legs to add to the table, making it more stable, but you need at least 3. Nutrition, exercise, mental health, removal of toxins, spiritual health -- these are all health stabilizers. The way you feel about your appearance plays into this; you feel better when you think you look good. Additionally, a good hairdresser or esthetician can see signs of waning health, and at Beauty Kliniek, they can recommend their clients to health practitioners for treatment and wellness protocols. Holistic health at work.
Ms. Kahn went on to discuss the lymphatic system and present a basic description of how it removes toxins from the body, which led to explaining how a blocked up lymphatic system (lymphedema) causes a build-up of toxins in the body, leading to all manner of serious health issues. She uses Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), which is a unidirectional massage technique that encourages the lymphatic system's circulation, reduces pain associated with auto-immune diseases, and can work to relax the sympathetic nervous system. She uses essential oils in conjunction with MLD, and -- not surprisingly -- many are associated with immunity enhancement, phagocytosis, stimulating circulation, vasoconstriction, as well as pain management and stress reduction. This technique is applicable for a range of patients: those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, MS, and fibromyalgia. And, like a true holistic health practitioner, Ms. Kahn discussed all the elements of a wellness protocol, including stress removal, deep breathing, diet, water consumption, and exercise. We all know there is no magic pill to bring good health!
The next speaker was Robert Tisserand, the reason I attended this day of the conference. If Maury, Gattefossé, and Valnet are the first generation of aromatherapy, Shirley Price, Dr. Pénoël, and Robert Tisserand are the second generation. Mr. Tisserand's best known works are "The Art of Aromatherapy" and "Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals." When discussing the safety of essential oils, Mr. Tisserand's name always comes up. To give you an idea of his checking, cross-checking, and triple-checking, the notes on this lecture end with 5 pages of references and 5 tables.
The lecture focused mainly on what the meaning of safety is, looking behind the scenes when it comes to "clinical studies," and the importance of not taking any facts for granted. (Mr. Tisserand's lecture notes were copyrighted, so I hope he does not mind if I use a couple examples from my own hastily scribbled notes.) He discussed the case of acetaldehyde, which is said to be a proven carcinogen, yet acetaldehyde is a chemical component in dozens of essential oils, many of which have anti-carcinogenic therapeutic actions. He also discussed the problems of using in vitro studies, as opposed to in vivo experiential evidence. He also discussed studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry and how they pose a conflict of interest. Mr. Tisserand brought up the problems that exist in stating that a certain essential oil poses a health risk -- is it the whole oil or just components, how much is being used (studies use quantities that are not realistic), what is the quality of the oil, which chemotype of the oil is being studied, how does this health risk compare to the health risks posed by prescription medications... And it went on like this. There was too much information to shove into an hour of speaking. Suffice to say, the lecture was fascinating. Without any disrespect, I say that Robert Tisserand rocks.
The next speaker was Rodney Schwan, who founded the Aromatherapy Program at San Diego Hospice, and he talked about Palliative Comfort Care. The leaps he has been able to make in incorporating the use of essential oils in patient care at a government-funded hospice are inspirational. Products are compounded on-site, and they are used to assist in pain management, environment enhancement, and easing the emotional pain of patients and their relatives. I regret not devoting much space to this discussion, but Mr. Schwan's lecture was more like a large case study, and I have to admit I listened more than I took notes. If you are interested in the ins and outs of San Diego Hospice, you can visit their website here.
Sonja Simpson, RN, MSN, AHN-BC, IAC spoke next about how to grow an organization. This discussion focused on growing the AIA, rather than speaking about clinical aromatherapy.
The last speaker of the day was Sharon Tessler, who is a visiting professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver, and she discussed "College-based Aromatherapy Education." MSCD's Holistic Health program gives students hands-on time to work with essential oils, to learn their therapeutic actions and about their safety issues in a classroom setting. Nowhere else in the U.S. is this kind of program being taught at a public school. Our wish is, of course, that MSCD becomes a leader in this field, with many other schools following its path.
And that was the full day. If you are interested in becoming a member of AIA, there is a link on the right side of this blog, under "Links."
The first day featured Tim Blakley's discussion on sourcing (I understand this was a particularly lively slideshow of all his travels) and Jackie Farnell talking about aromatherapy's benefits in Alzheimer's care. Unfortunately, this was not the day I attended.
The first speaker on Friday, October 19, was Linda-Anne Kahn, a Holistic Health Practitioner, Clinical Aromatherapist, Lymphedema Therapist, and founder/owner of Beauty Kliniek Aromatherapy Day Spa. Ms. Kahn's lecture, entitled "Your Lymphatic System, Immunity and How it Relates to Aromatherapy," focused exclusively on the anatomy/physiology of the lymphatic system, manual lymphatic drainage, and using essential oils in the treatment of a variety of immune-related issues. The initial description of Beauty Kliniek and Medical Wellness Kliniek was most fascinating to me; here is actual holistic treatment truly being carried out -- estheticians, hairdressers, aromatherapists, naturopaths, acupuncturists working all together to treat all levels of the client.
Why is this important? Your health is like a table, which needs at least 3 legs to stand on. There are many legs to add to the table, making it more stable, but you need at least 3. Nutrition, exercise, mental health, removal of toxins, spiritual health -- these are all health stabilizers. The way you feel about your appearance plays into this; you feel better when you think you look good. Additionally, a good hairdresser or esthetician can see signs of waning health, and at Beauty Kliniek, they can recommend their clients to health practitioners for treatment and wellness protocols. Holistic health at work.
Ms. Kahn went on to discuss the lymphatic system and present a basic description of how it removes toxins from the body, which led to explaining how a blocked up lymphatic system (lymphedema) causes a build-up of toxins in the body, leading to all manner of serious health issues. She uses Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), which is a unidirectional massage technique that encourages the lymphatic system's circulation, reduces pain associated with auto-immune diseases, and can work to relax the sympathetic nervous system. She uses essential oils in conjunction with MLD, and -- not surprisingly -- many are associated with immunity enhancement, phagocytosis, stimulating circulation, vasoconstriction, as well as pain management and stress reduction. This technique is applicable for a range of patients: those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, MS, and fibromyalgia. And, like a true holistic health practitioner, Ms. Kahn discussed all the elements of a wellness protocol, including stress removal, deep breathing, diet, water consumption, and exercise. We all know there is no magic pill to bring good health!
The next speaker was Robert Tisserand, the reason I attended this day of the conference. If Maury, Gattefossé, and Valnet are the first generation of aromatherapy, Shirley Price, Dr. Pénoël, and Robert Tisserand are the second generation. Mr. Tisserand's best known works are "The Art of Aromatherapy" and "Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals." When discussing the safety of essential oils, Mr. Tisserand's name always comes up. To give you an idea of his checking, cross-checking, and triple-checking, the notes on this lecture end with 5 pages of references and 5 tables.
The lecture focused mainly on what the meaning of safety is, looking behind the scenes when it comes to "clinical studies," and the importance of not taking any facts for granted. (Mr. Tisserand's lecture notes were copyrighted, so I hope he does not mind if I use a couple examples from my own hastily scribbled notes.) He discussed the case of acetaldehyde, which is said to be a proven carcinogen, yet acetaldehyde is a chemical component in dozens of essential oils, many of which have anti-carcinogenic therapeutic actions. He also discussed the problems of using in vitro studies, as opposed to in vivo experiential evidence. He also discussed studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry and how they pose a conflict of interest. Mr. Tisserand brought up the problems that exist in stating that a certain essential oil poses a health risk -- is it the whole oil or just components, how much is being used (studies use quantities that are not realistic), what is the quality of the oil, which chemotype of the oil is being studied, how does this health risk compare to the health risks posed by prescription medications... And it went on like this. There was too much information to shove into an hour of speaking. Suffice to say, the lecture was fascinating. Without any disrespect, I say that Robert Tisserand rocks.
The next speaker was Rodney Schwan, who founded the Aromatherapy Program at San Diego Hospice, and he talked about Palliative Comfort Care. The leaps he has been able to make in incorporating the use of essential oils in patient care at a government-funded hospice are inspirational. Products are compounded on-site, and they are used to assist in pain management, environment enhancement, and easing the emotional pain of patients and their relatives. I regret not devoting much space to this discussion, but Mr. Schwan's lecture was more like a large case study, and I have to admit I listened more than I took notes. If you are interested in the ins and outs of San Diego Hospice, you can visit their website here.
Sonja Simpson, RN, MSN, AHN-BC, IAC spoke next about how to grow an organization. This discussion focused on growing the AIA, rather than speaking about clinical aromatherapy.
The last speaker of the day was Sharon Tessler, who is a visiting professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver, and she discussed "College-based Aromatherapy Education." MSCD's Holistic Health program gives students hands-on time to work with essential oils, to learn their therapeutic actions and about their safety issues in a classroom setting. Nowhere else in the U.S. is this kind of program being taught at a public school. Our wish is, of course, that MSCD becomes a leader in this field, with many other schools following its path.
And that was the full day. If you are interested in becoming a member of AIA, there is a link on the right side of this blog, under "Links."
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