Massage Professionals Article Archive

 She followed her nose to a new career

After working in an eclectic mixture of jobs focused on external beauty, Gloria Hammer turned her focus inward to the healing art of aromatherapy.

BY WENDY DOSCHER-SMITH

Special to The Herald

A former dancer, fashion model and belt designer, North Miami-based resident Gloria Hammer found her piece of inner peace in tiny glass bottles filled with fragrant oils. Hammer now makes her living as an aromatherapist, using nature's sweet scents to help people relax and improve their health.

In 1994, after abandoning a successful belt design business, Hammer decided to concentrate on a career with a ''healing power.'' She began reading about aromatherapy and traveling to Grasse, France, which is the world's perfume capital, she says.

In 1995, Hammer established Glorious Aromatherapy, where she blends her own oils. Expanding upon her personal research into the subject, Hammer decided to attend The American Society of Aromatherapy and Natural Perfuming in Philadelphia, where she graduated in 1998. The society's program costs approximately $600 to $700 and takes one year to complete. Classes are offered in the management of oils, including precautions associated with oils and blending them.

Each oil has its own unique attributes, Hammer explains. There's lavender for muscle soreness, ylang-ylang for relaxation, and chocolate for creating a sweet aphrodisiac. Hammer orders all the oils from Grasse and then blends them in her home office for clients. Hammer also holds seminars and trains people in aromatherapy. The private lessons take about five months to complete, and Hammer charges her students $500 for the complete program.

Hammer's days consist of personal consultations ($80 for an in-person, phone or Internet consultation), during which she assesses an individual's personality type before mixing a unique blend for that client. Hammer selects carefully from her assortment of 100 oils, each of which serves a specific purpose, she says, such as relieving stress or sharpening mental clarity.

Speaking about aromatherapy, Hammer says, ``It's fascinating. It's a world of magic, but it is also a business.''

Among Hammer's more creative blends is a ''slenderizing'' mixture, made from rosemary, cypress and juniper. She claims that the blend works by draining toxins from the system while taking fat out of the body. Essential oils -- including sage lavender, rosemary and peppermint -- stimulate the lymphatic system.

The two- and four-ounce bottles, which contain thousands of drops of oil, run about $30. According to Hammer, less than 10 drops are needed daily to produce healing benefits. The drops can be inhaled off the fingertips, massaged onto the chest or placed on feet at reflexology points. For stress, Hammer recommends placing three to four drops on the fingertips, and then inhaling them in through the nose. This sends the fragrance to the lymphatic part of the brain, which then assists in healing, she says.

Hammer likens her blending of oils to painting.

''You have to feel in a certain mood, and everything has to be right,'' Hammer says.

AROMATHERAPIST

Typical education: Certification through The American Society of Aromatherapy and Natural Perfuming or courses on aromatherapy offered at some colleges; reading; activating the sense of smell by becoming familiarized with different aromas of citrus and floral scents.

Typical salary range: $25,000-$30,000 a year.

Personal philosophy: Aromatherapy is about assisting people and guiding them to a healthy mental state.

Recommended Study
Aromatherapy Essentials

Essentially, aromatherapy works

By Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News

Using odors to treat illness spans time and culture, dating back more than 5,000 years to Ancient Egypt. The modern version of aromatherapy has a holistic focus that uses highly concentrated natural plant essences called essential oils to promote emotional and physical health.

"The emotional benefits come from inhalation," says Laraine Kyle, director of the Institute of Integrative Aromatherapy in Boulder. "For physical problems, more often the application is topical." Certain oils have specific effects on emotional and physical health, aromatherapists say, because they help release neurochemicals in the brain that reduce pain and promote relaxation and a sense of well-being.

Neurologist-psychiatrist Alan Hirsch says that any smell a person likes will make them feel good, whether it's an all-natural essential oil or a $3 bottle of shampoo. "There's reasonable evidence odors can have effect on all sorts of different conditions," he says. "But what works for you might be different than what works for me." Or what works for the orangutan next door. The Denver Zoo uses essential oils to calm their great apes, and several aromatherapy practices specialize in animals.

Kyle says certain oils help in specific ways; floral and citrus scents, for example, are known for mood elevation and stabilizing."Of course we involve the client in selecting the fragrance they prefer, because it's meant to be something enjoyable and something someone really prefers to use," Kyle says. "Often we blend several different oils together to make a composite blend."

People often make the mistake of using essential oils full-strength when they might actually be more effective if diluted, Kyle says. " For psychological benefit, such as insomnia, anxiety, agitation or depression, we use a very mild concentration," says Kyle, who recommends a ratio of six drops of essential oil to one ounce of lotion or massage oil.

Here are the top 10 essential oils and their uses from the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy:

• Eucalyptus: Helpful in treating respiratory problems; helps boost the immune system; relieves muscle tension.
• Ylang Ylang: Aids relaxation; reduces muscle tension. Good antidepressant.
• Geranium: Helps to balance hormones in women; good for balancing the skin. Can be both relaxing and uplifting.
• Peppermint: Useful in treating headaches, muscle aches and digestive disorders.
• Lavender: Relaxing; also useful in skin care and treating wounds and burns.
• Lemon: Very uplifting yet relaxing. Helpful in treating wounds and infections; useful as house cleaner and deodorizer.
• Clary Sage: Natural painkiller; helpful in treating muscular aches and pains. Very relaxing; can help with insomnia. Also helps balance hormones.
• Tea Tree: A natural anti-fungal oil. Also helps boost the immune system.
• Roman Chamomile: Very relaxing; can help with sleeplessness and anxiety. Also good for muscle aches and tension. Useful in treating wounds and infection.
• Rosemary: Very stimulating and uplifting; aids mental acuity and helps stimulate the immune and digestive systems. Very good for muscle aches and tension.

Ryckmanl@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2736

Recommended Study
Aromatherapy Essentials

Aromatherapy Level II Home Study Program Under Development
April 14, 2004
By Ron Webster

As long anticipated, the Institute for Integrative Healthcare is developing a Level II distance learning Aromatherapy program.

"From the very start, our intention has been to create this second level" says Joanna Napolitano, co-director of the Institute. "We knew massage therapists would want to go on with their training to become even more proficient and gain certification by NAHA (National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy). We really just needed to know we had all the resources in place to maintain the excellence of instruction achieved in level one."

Aromatherapy is an exploding area of growth and development for massage therapy professionals. "Our Level I program has been very popular. And students invariably want to continue their studies once they have received the grounding that Aromatherapy Essentials provides. Now any student enrolling in Level I will know they can soon build on this foundation with Level II quality for national certification."

The Level II program will require practical hands-on involvement in an actual clinical setting, where the therapist is applying the knowledge to address client needs. Completing case studies and a research project are two of the key requirements. The program provides all the information and resources necessary to successfully meet all these requirements.

This second level utilizes and builds upon the superb content of the first.  "This second level will be considerably more in-depth with regard to the more technical aspects of aromatherapy" Napolitano stated. "In fact, without the grounding of the first level the practitioner would be quite overwhelmed with the more complex chemistry and biological topics. This is why level one is a prerequisite that any interested therapist should sign up for now to be adequately prepared enough in advance."

The additional hands-on practice in a clinical setting is the other aspect that will set this second level apart and qualify the student for recognition and certification by the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy. "By submitting case study reports the students will develop and demonstrate their understanding  of actual aromatherapy application with specific clients for specific purposes." according to Lydia Rydell, LMT, the lead Student Advisor for the Institute. "We want to be sure each student will succeed in safely and effectively incorporating clinical aromatherapy into their practice and we are confident we will achieve this objective."

For more information on this second level aromatherapy training, or details about the prerequisite first level contact the Institute at 800-364-5722.