ACHS Master of Science Graduate Student Reports on AIA Conference "The Future of Aromatics in Integrative Healthcare”

By Sandy Durand, ACHS Master of Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine

Attending the recent conference for the Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA) truly was a highlight of my year. What a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable learning opportunity!

As an American College of Healthcare Sciences graduate student, a Registered Aromatherapist (RA) focusing on natural skin care and wellness, and a mom of special needs youths who use aromatherapy daily, this conference helped me on all fronts.

The 2011 conference featured informational sessions ranging from using aromatherapy to treat depression in postpartum mothers to applications in cancer care to understanding aromatherapy chemistry. Held in Minnesota’s Twin Cities area, the three-day main conference, “The Future of Aromatics in Integrative Healthcare,” was sandwiched between optional pre- and post-conference seminars.

Rhiannon Harris, a clinical aromatherapist, nurse, and educator from France, hosted the full-day pre-conference workshop on skin integrity. I couldn’t miss attending this option and enjoyed every minute of it. Ms. Harris packed an incredible amount of information into a day that just flew by. She shared a wealth of professional experience in how to address specific skin care challenges and kindly took time to answer audience questions. I think the consensus in the room was that we all would have loved another day or two to listen to Ms. Harris and absorb even more of her expertise; I heard many comments to that effect.

Other topics offered during the main conference included how to establish an aromatherapy business, current trends in spas, kinesiology, research strategies, oils of Australia, and daily morning aromatic Kundalini yoga sessions. AIA management and volunteers did an excellent job of selecting presenters and keeping everything running smoothly. They and the speakers also incorporated a lot of sparkle and humor into their presentations to keep us laughing while we learned.

The only downside is that I skipped school to attend the conference and still have not caught up in my anatomy class. Sorry, Dr. Berger. I’m trying.

>>To read the full-text article on the ACHS website, click here


Have questions for Sandy? Feel free to post them here! We'd also love to hear your thoughts on the conference topic ... What is the future of aromatics in integrative healthcare?

Study-Abroad Programs and Travel Dates for Summer School in Greece 2011

We're excited to announce our study-abroad programs and travel dates for summer school in Greece 2011 and would like to invite you to join us!

May 27 to June 2, 2011: Watercolor Journaling in Greece with Jacqueline Newbold. Read more about Jacqueline and her watercolor journaling online at: http://newboldart.com/Travels.htm

Jacqueline is a successful artist and teacher who leads successful study abroad programs to Provence. I am thrilled that Jacqueline will be offering her wonderful class for the first time in Greece. We will learn how to journal our Mediterranean Herb and Essential oils, and our Aromatic Journey to Chios programs.

June 4 to 9, 2011: Mediterranean Herbs and Essential oils in Greece with ACHS President and Wellness Expert Dorene Petersen, Guerilla Distiller Robert Seidel and guest lecturer Aromatherapist Mindy Green (Also an ACHS Advisory Board Member). We are privileged to have Robert Seidel and Mindy Green join us for this program.

June 11 to 16, 2011: Aromatic Journey to Chios--Explore Mastic Production with
Dorene Petersen and Robert Seidel. If you enjoy adventure, history and are fascinated in the potential of mastic essential oil don't miss this one!

Invest in yourself and stay for all three! Program details will be announced shortly. For priority enrollment, please contact ACHS admissions to be placed on the waiting list. We had many students contact us about doing summer school in 2011, so these programs will fill quickly! Call (800) 487-8839 or email admissions@achs.edu

Help Support Your Kids' Healthy Sleep

It's almost August ... can you believe it? Before we know it, it will be September and our kids will be heading back to school.

During summer, it can be difficult to keep kids on a regular sleep schedule; we want them to play and have fun while they can! But research shows school-aged kids needs about 9-12 hours of sleep[1] at night, which is especially important during the school year to support intellectual and emotional health.

Now is a great time to start your kids back on a healthy sleep schedule so that by the time school rolls around, they'll be rested and ready to head back. So, how do you help support your kids' healthy sleep schedule? Here are some suggestions[2]:

• Make a special bedtime.
  
• Pick a bedtime that feels natural for your child. Pay attention to when they naturally "wind down" or get physically tired, which is when they should be going to bed.
  
• Keep a regular routine and make it simple.
  
• Avoid caffeinated beverages like hot chocolate and cola, which can keep your kids from falling asleep.
  

You also might want to try using lavender Lavandula angustifolia essential oil. Many kids (and adults!) find a few drops on the pillowcase soothing and relaxing. You can even lead your kids through some simple deep breathing exercises to help them relax and inhale the lavender aromatherapy essential oil.

A 2008 study in Early Human Development [3] also showed that the aroma of lavender bath oil may have effective relaxing and sleep-inducing properties. When used with mothers and infants, the data showed increased relaxation of mothers and infants.

Have you tried lavender with your kids? We'd love to hear more about your experience using lavender for sleep and relaxation. Please post your comments to share (and if you have other suggestions for helping your kids to get healthy sleep, please post those too!).

References:
[1] http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/sleep.htm
[2] http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/sleep.htm
[3] Field T, Field T, Cullen C, Largie S, Diego M, Schanberg S, Kuhn.
Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants. Early Hum Dev. 2008 Jun;84(6):399-401. Epub 2007 Nov 28. Accessed 7/27/10: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18053656

* Note the information within this article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, prescribe, or cure. When using essential oils, it is best to consult with a Registered Aromatherapist or your primary care physician for questions.

Join ACHS and Aromatherapy Expert Mindy Green for a Free Teleconference

Title: Essential Oil Blending for Perfumery or Therapeutics with Mindy Green, MA
When: July 20, 2010 at 5:30 pm (PST)

About the Teleconference
Essential oils have been employed for centuries as fragrant adornment, sexual attractant, cosmetic adjunct, and for their therapeutic significance. Whether your blend is recreational or recuperative, it should smell pleasant enough for enjoyable compliance. In this teleconference, Mindy Green will discuss where, when, and how essential oils applications are most effective. Participants will also learn about the basic principles of blending, safety and dilutions, carrier oils, and actualizing blends.

Recommended Reading
Keville, Kathi and Mindy Green. Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art, 2nd Edition: Crossing Press, 2008 (Blending Chapter, pgs 128-140).

About Mindy Green
Mindy Green has more than 35 years’ experience in the natural products and healthcare industry. From 2003-2009 she worked for Aveda Corporation in the botanical research division of R&D as their clinical aromatherapist and prior to Aveda, she founded and owned several herb and essential oil businesses. Mindy now runs her own consulting company called Green Scentsations, LLC.

Mindy is a nationally certified Registered Aromatherapist and has served on the educational committees of the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists and the Aromatherapy Registration Council. She currently is a member of the Advisory Board for the American College of Healthcare Sciences and is an ongoing guest speaker for Andrew Weil’s integrative medicine program in Arizona, where she lectures on the integration of essential oils into a medical practice.

In addition to more than 40 published magazine articles on the topics of botanicals and skin care, Mindy also is co-author of Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art and author of Calendula and Natural Perfumes.

For more information about Mindy, visit her website here: http://www.greenscentsations.com/

Contact Information
Call in information will be emailed to participants the week of the teleconference. To register, email communications@achs.edu or call (800) 487-8839.

Adverse Event Reporting for Registered Aromatherapists

BY Arianna Staruch, ND, ACHS Academic Dean

According to the FDA, a dietary supplement is a product intended to supplement the diet, which must be labeled as such and intended for ingestion. Ingredients in dietary supplements can include vitamins, minerals, herbs or botanicals, amino acids, dietary substances used to increase the entire dietary intake, concentrates, metabolites, constituents, extracts, or combination of these ingredients. If ingested, then, essential oils can be considered a dietary supplement and should be treated with the same precaution as more traditional supplements.

For that purpose, Registered Aromatherapists (RAs) should familiarize themselves with the new guidance information released by the FDA regarding Adverse Event Reporting and Recordkeeping for Dietary Supplements as Required by the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act. Though this Act does not require reports of adverse effects for foods other than dietary supplements, voluntary submission of reports of "serious adverse events associated with all FDA-regulated foods " are encouraged.

The FDA website defines an adverse event is considered "any health-related event associated with the use of a dietary supplement that is adverse." For RAs who use essential oils internally with their clients, reporting of any adverse events will not only increase general safety but will actively develop a database of current research to help the professional community better understand the potential effects and applications of botanical-based products.

To submit a report of a serious adverse event to the FDA, a MedWatch Form 3500A should be used. This form is also called a FDA Form 3500A. When submitting a form, the submitter is asked to include: an identifiable patient, an identifiable initial reporter, the identity and contact information for the responsible person, a suspect dietary supplement, and a serious adverse event or fatal outcome. (The FDA defines a 'serious adverse event' as one that results in a: death, life-threatening experience, inpatient hospitalization, persistent/significant disability or incapacity, congenital anomaly or birth defect, or an outcome previously listed that requires medical or surgical intervention to prevent.)

References:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/HowToReport/ucm085568.htm

>> This article first appeared in the Aromatherapy Registration Council September 2009 newsletter. CLICK HERE to download the complete newsletter.

>> Read "Natural perfume making with essential oils" on the ACHS website