An Introduction to Essential Oils

Essential oils are aromatic volatile liquids distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes and seeds. Because they are "essential" to the life of the plant they come from, they possess qualities that range from medicinal value to giving wonderful fragrances to improve mood and calm emotions.


The medicinal qualities include being naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral. They can also help to carry nutrients into our cells, including oxygen. Aromatically, they can lift your spirits, improve focus, and calm the nervous system.


Selecting high-quality oils is important. Distilling the oils from the plants is a delicate process. Too much heat or pressure can destroy the oils. As a result, getting a small amount of oil from a plant in a slow process means that the higher-quality oils will be more expensive. But you will also only need a very small amount to have a dramatic effect. The very high-quality oils will also be considered "food grade" which means that you can ingest them in teas or use them in cooking. They are also less likely to cause reactions when used topically on the skin through massage or general skin care products.


The oils are very powerful, so you should know the oils when using them. Certain oils need to be diluted before applied to the skin. Some of them are also "photo-toxic", which means you should not go out into the sun after applying them to your skin.


For more information on essential oils and how they can add to your wellness program, come visit us at Ohio Massage Therapy Professionals. We have integrated the Young Living Oils into our office and our practice, and look forward to sharing them with you!

What is Massage Therapy?

Massage is the practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical (anatomical), functional (physiological), and in some cases psychological purposes and goals. In laymen's terms, this is the kneading and stripping of the muscles with a purpose and goals. Licensed massage therapists are people trained to work with disorders of the human body using massage techniques, that have been licensed by their state or local jurisdiction in massage therapy. Here in Ohio, licensed massage therapists are licensed by the Ohio State Medical Board.

A licensed massage therapist, also known as a LMT, is trained in techniques which loosen tight, achy muscles. This helps the body to return to a state of balance and maintain a healthy homeostasis. These techniques can:

• Reduce muscle tension
• Increase circulation of blood and lymph
• Increase joint flexibility
• Improve the immune system by helping eliminate toxins
• Soothe the nervous system and reduce stress

Massage is done on a professional massage table or chair. Table massages are 30 – 90 minutes in length and take place in an private office or home set up for therapeutic relaxation.

Chair massages are typically done onsite at an office location, health fair, or marketing event. They can be 5-20 minutes in length and occur with the client fully clothed.

Chronic Pain and Massage

Massage has been shown to help hospitalized patients manage chronic pain and relieve anxiety.

Pain management is becoming a critical issue for hospitals. In a study done at the Flagstaff Medical Center, 65 hospital inpatients were given 30-minute massage therapy sessions with a physicians order. Pre and post massage therapy pain levels were recorded using the visual scale. Results were compared to commments made by and with nurses taken from the patient’s charts, and a survey completed by patients. Patients noted improvement in all survey elements, including relaxation, pain levels, emotional well-being, ability to sleep, quicker recovery, and the need for less pain medication. Pre and post pain levels demonstrate a moderately strong correlation between massage and reduction in pain levels. The study shows the integration of massage therapy in the acute care setting creates overall positive results in the patient’s ability to deal with the challenging physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of their health condition. Benefits include a possibly shorter length of stay for the patient, leading to less nosocomial infections, a more positive patient experience, enhanced recovery, and an improved financial bottom line for the hospital. (2008 AMTA National Convention, Phoenix, AZ,Poster Session Abstracts,, The Effect of Massage Therapy on Pain Management in Acute Care Setting, Authors: Rose Adams, MHA, LMT ; Cynthia Beckett, PhD, RN; Barb White, MS, LMT)

Effects of Massage on Long-Term Pain

A study of the effects of massage compared to relaxation tape recordings on localized long-term pain by researchers in Sweden, published in the Jan-Feb 2004 issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, found that, during treatment there was a significant improvement in the three main outcome measures: self-rated health, mental energy, and muscle pain only in the massage group as compared to the relaxation group. The conclusion was that massage, but not mental relaxation exercises, is beneficial in reducing the severity of the pain.

The most misunderstood condition : Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes widespread pain. Stress appears to compound the symptoms of disease. It is widely misunderstood by the public so often friends, family and co-workers who don't understand fibromyalgia, adding to the stress of the disease. Fibromyalgia can cause symptoms in addition to pain, including fatigue, difficulty sleeping, headaches, sensitivity to light, dizziness, memory problems, and numbness and tingling in your arms and legs. A number of other conditions can accompany fibromyalgia, including irritable bowel syndrome, bladder control problems and mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

Don't overdo it on your good days. This will catch up with you and your fibromyalgia symptoms could worsen. But that doesn't mean you should keep your activity to a minimum. Enjoy the good days and cope with the not-so-good days by finding an even balance. Pace yourself. Set goals for each day. Your goals should be reasonable. And they should include daily exercise and time for yourself, such as time to relax or listen to music. Deep breathing, mediation, massage and yoga may be techniques that help you relax.

Learning to control your fibromyalgia pain takes time. Work with your healthcare providers to adapt your daily activities so you have time and energy for what's important to you.

Put a Face to that Medical Test

If you want an expert to pay full attention to your medical tests, get a photo of yourself sent along with them.

A study presented to the Radiology Society of North America last week says that doctors are up to 80 percent more likely to find unexpected abnormalities in patients' medical imaging scans if they are accompanied by a portrait photo.

The study of 15 radiologists' work by Dr Yehonatan Turner, of Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Centre, found that the experts did not spend longer on scans that were accompanied by a patient's photo, but they were more meticulous.

Turner says that his experiment, which covered 267 patients' scans, is based on the idea that seeing another person's face can instil an enhanced sense of moral responsibility for that person.

What to Expect at OMTP