Last week, I completed the first module of The School for Aromatic Studies’ Foundations of Aromatherapy course. More than a couple of times, I would find myself with a half hour of free time before ending my day, a half hour in which to work on my aromatherapy certification coursework. Sometimes, the half hour would turn into an hour and a half, which is a good indicator that I’m loving the in-depth study of essential oils. Admittedly, there isn’t a whole lot that holds my attention for that long. Two takeaways from Module 1 are life-changing to me. One is an interesting observation.
Life-Changing: The Concept of Wholistic Health
Wholistic. A deliberate misspelling of holistic. Whereas holistic, alternative medicine tends to use a whole person approach to health and healing, traditional medicine tends to focus on the disease or illness. Two things: 1) I am not a doctor; I do not diagnose; and I will divulge more about my new disclaimer in a bit. 2) I’m not an all one way or all another way type of person. I believe alternative and traditional medicine can and should coexist. For example, I’ve personally found that sometimes an essential oil or two does the trick, and sometimes, an antibiotic is needed.
Using the whole person approach includes looking at things like diet, exercise, sleep, genetics, environment, etc., with the goal of obtaining optimal health and well-being. Big, loud click. Big light bulb moment for me. The therapeutic use of essential oils doesn’t exist in a vacuum, but rather, is a part of all those pieces that make a person. I can better understand why some people do the Robert Downey, Jr. eye roll meme when reading or hearing any phrase that speaks of the “amazing, miraculous healing powers of essentials oils.” While I think that essential oils are pretty amazing, I don’t think I can expect them to overcome bad health habits. It’s like exercising and eating whatever you want and not understanding why you aren’t at a healthy weight. So, my journey toward aromatherapy certification has also turned into a journey of self-discovery. As I work on certification, I’ll also be working on my whole person and will continue to deliberately misspell “holistic” as “wholistic.”
Life-Changing: An Awesome Disclaimer
Part of Module 1 features an audio of Aromatherapy and the Art of Language, a speech by Jennifer Pressimone, T.SPE, CNHC, Holistic PhytoAromatherapist and owner of JennScents. Love, love, love her disclaimer, so much so that I reached out to her and asked if I could use it as my own. She graciously gave permission to do so, and here it is:
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. I don’t diagnose.I don’t treat, and I don’t prescribe, and I don’t cure anything. I will share what I know for your educational purposes only.
This disclaimer is designed for those of use who are not licensed medically, to keep us safe. I am always so careful to be compliant when sharing information about essential oils, and I thought my previous disclaimer was pretty good: I am not a medical professional. The information shared in this blog is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose any illness, nor is it meant to replace professional medical attention or advice. All advice and testimonies are based on the use of the Young Living brand of essential oils, specifically. Use and application of this information is done solely at your own risk.
What I like about Jennifer’s disclaimer is the last sentence: I will share what I know for your educational purposes only. Big, loud click. Big light bulb moment for me. As you might guess, I’m pretty passionate about essential oil education. Sharing what I know about essential oils to my clients allows them to make educated choices. I’m not making those choices for them. Remember, I’m not a doctor. I don’t diagnose. I don’t treat, and I don’t prescribe, and I don’t cure anything. Rather than say, “Here, use this lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oil blend to help with seasonal support,” I will say, “Lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oils have historically been used for seasonal support,” or “”Studies have shown lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oils can help with seasonal support,” and be prepared to show supporting documentation, if requested. This disclaimer protects me and empowers my client to make an informed choice.
Interesting Observation
Rene-Maurice Gattefosse is considered to be the father of modern-day aromatherapy. His family used essential oils in their perfume business in France in the early 1900’s. In 1910, Gattefosse’s hand was badly burned in a work-related explosion. Despite traditional medical treatment, he developed gangrene. Using knowledge gained from studying how people in Morocco were using the medicinal properties of essential oils, Gattefossee began using lavender essential oil on his wounds.The lavender essential oil helped to heal his wounds, and he went on to publish many books and articles about clinical findings on the use of essential oils.
So, just a few tidbits from the beginning of the Foundations of Aromatherapy course and my personal takeaways. If you’d like to join me in being certifiable, click any of the Foundations of Aromatherapy links in this post. Be sure to let me know, and I’ll start a Facebook group just for us where we can share experiences, ask questions and give each other moral support.
In lieu of working in a song title, as I try to do in all my posts, I’ll leave you with my fortune cookie message from dinner last night: You will enjoy good health and be surrounded by luxury. Indeed, I’m working on that good health part, and you, awesome reader, are my luxury.
Oils & Spoils Updates
Oils & Spoils blogs in the pipeline: A few of my favorite things, the last installment of the 99 Bottles of Oils on the Wall series, the first installment of 99 Bottles of Oils on the Wall: Part 2 series, and a new soap recipe.
Young Living Essential Oils March Promos (Freebies)
Get all promos in the picture below with an Essential Rewards order of 300 PV. Get some of the promos for orders between 100-300 PV. Any order of 100 PV or more also gets a chance at some great International Grand Convention prizes, from shirts to free convention registration and MVP treatment.
Oils & Spoils 
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