每个⾹薰治疗师都有自己的一套体系，有些⼈人重科学理论，有些则看所取的植物形态或部份，有些则顾及患者的情绪。　到底孰优孰劣，是没有定论的，因为每一种体系都有其优点。　在现实⽣生活中，很多⼈人在第一次接触香薰时，都会惊叹它的神奇的；但热情会有冷却的时候的。　亦因为此，我们要能够为客人找出合适的体系，并能灵活处理　──　既要能够满⾜足客人需要，亦要能够顾及香薰的有效性。　为了能够令⾃自己更有系统地思考，我将香薰治疗的康复体系分成叁部份　：　雪中送炭，锦上添花和其他原因。　举例说，当你做蛋糕时出现了问题，你朋友的出现帮你解决问题是雪中送炭。　完成後，你为蛋糕加上糖霜，这步骤是锦上添花。　可是你却发觉蛋糕的味道并不理想，你找出的原因是⽤用料不够新鲜，这便是其他原因。

为能深⼊入地解说这理论，让我想及颈痛这毛病。　有一年⾧长者有颈痛的⽑毛病，经过问诊後，发现她有⾻质疏松的问题。你於是用精油为她製了香膏，为她舒缓痛楚　（雪中送炭）；而她用後确实收效。　她亦　发现精油的香气令她睡得更⾹香甜（锦上添花），这令到她的颈痛好得更快。　有否想过，若精油并不能帮她解决问题，那⼜又应该怎样处理好？这时要引⼊入「其他原因或因素」──　即转介她去看中医针灸或物理治疗师。

再举⼀例：　有⼀男子有轻度发烧，流鼻水及伴有头痛。在问诊後，你为他製了複⽅精油。　他塗了後症状有所感轻，但到第二天早上，他发却发起高烧及严重头痛　（比较⽽言）。似乎并没有对症，因为雪中送炭不成；对他而言，真正的雪中送炭　是看传统的医⽣生吃药。　其实芳疗可以配合医嘱，这便成了锦上添花。　两者配合，痊癒得更快。

相反，有一女患者伴有轻度发烧，头痛及流鼻⽔水。她认为若要康复，必先强身健体。　对她而言，「少即是多」。　作为治疗师的你于是决定为她调配精油，让她睡得更好，令她的生体可以自行复完得更快。　在这情况下，雪中送炭与其他原因同时兼备，因为你考虑到让她借睡好觉来复完。　而精油的香气则是锦上添花的性质，因为它能令她有好心情。因为处理得当，患者很快便完全康复，因为你能够清楚地将不同体系分类，所以你能够轻易而有效地解决问题。

吃便当的日子

 

今次亞特蘭大之行，收穫很不錯。 其實這次是為了上某名家的化學科程，確是學了不了知識，亦認識了很多未曾接觸過的精油。 在課堂上我發問了關於顛癎症的問題，亦得到了不少的啓發。 眾所周知，迷迭香精油是有此病的大忌，但原來迷迭香精油也有多種，其中一種名為松油萜 （蒎烯）的迷迭香，是可以在病發時有抑制功效的，而且非常有效。

學問廣博的老師，也有失手的時候。 我們在堂上接觸了最新的產品，那是在急症室時用的 －－ 可以直接注射於鼻孔的擴散器。 我們有一位同學患上喉嚨痛，伴以頭痛感冒及少許發燒。 她本身是芳療師，他吃了老師以精油配制的維他命C片，又做了按摸，結果一天過後病上加病。 最好笑的是，老師用精油製成的方劑 （精油已溶於水中）注射於她的鼻孔里，她即時難受到要吃冷凍的食物來鎮靜下來。

其實治喉痛的方法最有效是服用茶樹精油配制的維他命C片，通常一天吃兩粒，隔天便好了。  有一點要注意的是，發燒時並不適合作按摩的，別人的好意，可不一定全要的，有時」愛你變成害你”。 第三點是，老師的注射配方精油用量過高，有時是越少刺激越好。 另外是，這方法原是用於煥醒沒有知覺的病人的，聽我在急症室做的護士同學說很是有效。 至於退燒的方法，只是用上一些具鎮靜功效的復方精油 （經稀釋）便好。

這一時失手帶來的反思是 －－ 到底是否科學上講得通，實際的應用上就是有效呢。 我沒有將更好的方法告訴那同學，由於老師已出手，我也不好多口及多管閒事； 反正只是病多幾天，更辛苦一些罷了。

民間療法有時比科學方法更見效，更沒有副作用。

在此一提，食用精油的話，要在專業人士指導下才好進行。

昨天晚上到了做藥劑師的朋友家中作客，原來她有遺傳性的高膽固醇，但她是不吃西藥的。 據她說，吃這種藥的話會對肝不好的。 由於她認為自己只是在邊緣地帶，所以不需要吃藥 （按：這是她自己的看法，並不是醫囑來的）

其實在課堂上有講及精油傳銷常的做法，他們的方法其實並不太乎合正派人士的安全標準。 說到改變，要改很難，因為客人用油越多他們的利錢越大。 所謂利之所在，並不是每個人都能放棄的。 值得一談的是，市場上的大型傳銷商一年的生意額以十億美金計的，可見得這可是塊肥豬肉啊。

為了賺更多的錢，亦有越來越多摻雜了其他物質的精油出現，更有些是賣假貨的。 所以購買時一定要作明智的選擇，就算是有信譽的精油售買商也有這情況出現。

有位芳療泰斗曾說，用上已氧化的精油，其實更危險。 你們又會如何抉擇呢？

According to Aromahead (2015), Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is warming, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic – which is good for relieving the symptoms of nausea. It is also a rubifacient which helps improve blood circulation, and its diaphoretic properties can help to expel unwanted wastes from the body. When combining with Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral functions are more complete (Aromahead, 2015). In fact, the combinations of these two oils are great for healing mouth ulcers such as canker sores or other skin issues. These two combinations can be used to make a safe, versatile and an effective blend for healing purposes.

½ oz (15ml) Beeswax
1.5 oz (45ml) Coconut Oil
10 drops Ginger essential oil
10 drops Tea Tree essential oil

I used a double boiler to melt the beeswax. After it was melted, Coconut Oil was added. Finally essential oils were added after taking the double boiler from the heat. Then, mixed well and put the final mixture to lip balms. I used about 10 lip balms, which meant that the dilution of oil was only 2% per lip balm.

The main purpose of Coconut Oil is its moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties. It comprises large proportion of the whole formulation as it is mild to the soft palate of the mouth, and reduces the irritations to the ulcers or other skin inflammation to a larger extent. Instead of directly applying the essential oil(s) to the affected areas, the client will feel more comfortable when essential oils are mixed with some carrier oils as a buffer, although the strength may not be as strong as using the essential oils alone. Beeswax is added for its solidification purpose, and its anti-inflammatory property.

In the oil combination, apart from the properties mentioned at the very beginning, there are other factors needed to be taken into account.

First, Ginger essential oil is a warming oil, it can open the pores and expel the unwanted wastes such as toxins and damp heat. To counter the warming effect of Ginger, Tea Tree, the cooling oil is added. In this way, the whole combination would not be harsh to the affected areas of my client.

The consideration of using a lip balm is for easy application and hygiene. The client can apply wherever, and whenever he or she wants.
The following are some case studies for using the balm for healing

1. Canker Sores

My client who works in an insurance company as a secretary, contracted recurrent canker sores from time to time. They are very painful, which make drinking or eating difficult. Also, the stress that she is facing at work and at home makes her mouth ulcers difficult to heal – it takes a month for her to recover completely. Besides, she goes to bed late. Long-term insomnia further complicates the healing process.

She came to me to ask for help. To resolve this ailment, I gave her the balm for healing. The formulation keeps the usage of oils, be it carrier oils or essentials oils, to a minimum to avoid any irritations to the soft palate of the mouth.
The consideration of using a lip balm is for easy application and hygiene. The client can apply wherever, and whenever she wants.

Day 1: After 15 minutes of the first application, her pain was relieved. However, when she had lunch, her pain got back to her whenever the affected areas were in contact with the food.

Day 2: There was no pain with continuous applications. However, she still experienced pain when she ate.

Day 3: Her canker sores were all gone. She could live a normal life now.

That said, without essential oils, her healing process took about a month. But now, it takes her 3 days to get rid of the ulcers. It was also found that her canker sores did not recur since then. She used to have mouth ulcers once a month.

2. Other mouth issues

The dilution was very low, only 2% per lip balm, but synergistically, it worked exceptionally well in combating the issue of mouth ulcers. I have a client who would have wounded tissue on the soft palate whenever she has hot symptoms (according to the TCM). She liked to apply the lip balm to the affected areas; and after two applications, she would not feel the pain anymore. In three days, the wounded areas would heal even without further applications of the formulation. When she had sore throat, she would apply the lip balm to the bottom of her tongue, in this way, her sore throat could be heal in a quicker way without turning into a disaster. The mild formulation is safer, and milder compared with using the essential oil alone.

3. Skin Inflammation
A client has inflamed spots all over her arms, and around the TMJ on her face. After uses two balms, her inflamed areas turn to normal skin color.

Week 1 & 2: The inflamed area subsided, and turned to dark spots.
Week 3: Half of the dark spots on her arms turned to normal skin color.
Week 4: Naked eye can hardly notice any dark spots.

4. Skin rashes on the right shine bone

I saw my classmate having skin rashes one day when she came to school. I then gave her the balm to apply. The healing process did cause some complications because there is a mild tingling effect after using it for quite some time, and she went to see a dermatologist and used some prescribed medication topically, together with the balm. She then went for vacation without applying either prescribed medication or the balm. Here is the healing process:

Week 1: Got some improvement after the applications
Week 2: Started to feel a mild tingling effect in the first few minutes, and then subsided. She listened to what her friend who made aromatic soap told her that Ginger is warm and might be the culprit. She then visited a dermatologist and applied the prescribed medication, together with the balm. There was little sign of improvement. I then explained to her the blend in details. I then found out that she had an itchy skin. She often scratched the other areas of her skin, except the area that had applied the balm.
Week 3-4: She went for vacation and did not apply anything
Week 5: She gave up using the prescribed medicine and only used my balm. Things got a lot better.
Week 6: When she used hot water to take shower, her rashes were itchy again. Then she used the scrub to scratch it. That area became red again, but those areas that did not scrub were healing fast. I then told her to use iced water on the itchy areas instead of using a scrub to scrub it.
Week 7: I gave her an Aloe Vera Gel for cooling purpose of her skin. After applying the aloe vera gel, she then applied the balm. At the end of the week, she told me that her skin was almost returned to normal.

In this case, confidence and perseverance is needed to heal. It did take a longer time, but the result is satisfactory.

As said, Ginger essential oil can help improve blood circulation, this is important in expelling the toxins from the affected areas, while at the same time nourishing the areas. With the added antiseptic properties of Tea Tree, its power in combating the infections is undoubtedly strong. Not to forget that Coconut Oil is also a cooling and moisturizing agent, which provides an anti-inflammatory to the whole formulations. Another rationale for mixing the oil with the agents of beeswax and coconut oils is that it can help the essential oils to stay longer on the superficial layers of the soft palate. In this way, they can slowly permeate the sores, inflammation or rashes, and deeply and completely does their work on healing.

An effective formulation needs not to be complicated and strong in dilution. A Mild one with few ingredients can also work great if combined properly.

References:

Aromahead Institute. (2015). Datasheets: Ginger. Retrieved from http://www.aromahead.com/datasheet/data-sheet/aromatherapy-certification-program/ginger

Aromahead Institute. (2015). Datasheets: Tea Tree. Retrieved from http://www.aromahead.com/datasheet/data-sheet/aromatherapy-certification-program/tea-tree

Cantele, L., & Purchon, N. (2014). The complete aromatherapy & essential oils handbook for everyday wellness. Toronto, Ontaria: Robert Rose.

Zhu B., & Wang, H. (2011). Case Studies from the Medical Records of Leading Chinese Acupuncture Experts. London, UK: Singing Dragon.