Lecture Update: First Aid with Aromatherapy

It's my passion to educate people on the value and joys of medical aromatherapy. To that end, it's been a busy week, so you'll excuse my delay in posting a blog.

I lectured at PANGEA, 2008 in New York City. I participated in a panel discussion on natural first aid treatments for the family. It was a fantastic panel and I was honored to sit with them. There was Aviva Jill Rohm, an herbalist and midwife of over 20 years experience, now in her final year of medical school at Yale University School of Medicine. She spoke about herbal approaches to first aid. There was Donielle Wilson, a superb naturopath and homeopathy. She spoke about homeoapthy for first aid. There was David Riley, a medical doctor, very fine homeopath and pioneer in integrative medicine (and yoga instructor!). He was the moderator and added some gems about homeopathy...And there was me. I spoke about aromatherapy and first aid.

As life tends to have that literary, ironic hue to it times, my son needed some first aid the night I was preparing for my talk. He got a black eye. It was only 15 minutes after his face was hit with the lid of a garbage can with its own agenda it his eye was swollen and bruised.

I quickly made a cold compress using hydrolats (floral waters). Hydrolats are the water-extract of plants that come from making essential oils ( you could say that essential oils are the oil-based extract left from making hydrolats). Hydrolats are the "other aromatherapy." Rose water is the best known hydrolat.

I took a sturdy paper towel and liberally soaked it with helichrysum and pine hydrolats. I put it on his face and put a bag of ice over his eye. After 20 minutes we took it off and looked at his face. He was so upset! The bruise had completely subsided and the swelling was greatly improved. He said, "Noooooo! I wanted a black eye on Monday to show my friends. Dad, now I won't look like I got hurt!" After the initial compress, we started arnica homeopathic and continued the helichrysum and pine internally--1 tablespoon combined with 4 oz of water twice per day. When I returned from New York 4 days later there was not even a trace of bruising or swelling.

This story is a great example of how medical aromatherapy is an important part but not the ONLY treatment modality to be used. It's just that it's very convenient and easy to easy and incredibly effective, and, with acute injury, it works faster than any other treatment I know.