Anyone who has read a reference book on aromatherapy knows that essential oils are widely promoted for their usefulness in addressing skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, fungal infections and many other types of skin disorders. This is, of course, useful information if you know something about these disorders and how to identify them but I am surprised at how few students in the courses that I teach have this level of knowledge and recently I have encountered a very good example of what can happen when you try to "treat" skin conditions without knowing what's what.

Take a look at the picture below. What skin condition is pictured here?

Many of you will probably have said that this is ringworm (Tinea corporis) and this is exactly what a friend of mine assumed recently when she found a lesion of this type on her shin. Assuming that this was ringworm, she treated it with undiluted lavender and myrrh essential oil (I do not recommend using essential oils undiluted). After a few days, however, the area started to itch and get larger and then the skin around it thickened and began flaking and scabbing over so she came to see me for some advice.

The first mistake that she made here was that this is not ringworm or any other type of fungal infection; it is lichen planus, an entirely different type of skin condition which in this particular case may well have been caused by an allergic reaction to medication. Since the skin was already in the process of an allergic reaction, the undiluted lavender and myrrh further aggravated it and caused the skin to "lichenize" (harden and thicken) even more. I suggested that she needed to talk to her physician at once about the new medication; I also recommended that she stop the lavender and myrrh and start on 1% German chamomile in coconut oil to help control the itching and reduce inflammation; this did the trick and the lesion began to slowly heal. Had the itching not been a problem, I would probably have suggested that she simply leave it alone for a few days. Changes were made in her medication and she has not had further problems.

It can be difficult to differentiate between ringworm, lichen planus, eczema, mild cases of psoriasis and other skin disorders. Often it will be the history that provides the most useful clues but you have to know what questions to ask. If you are going to use essential oils to address skin conditions, you should never assume that you know what something is unless you have the training to make these distinctions, especially since the wrong choice of essential oils can make things worse. I am planning on adding some discussion of skin disorders to the courses this year.

©Copyright 2013 Joie Power, Ph.D. / The Aromatherapy School

Dr. Power is a retired board certified neuropsychologist and former Assistant Professor of Surgery/Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Georgia, where she performed intra-operative cortical mapping with renowned neurosurgeon Herman Flanigan, M.D. She has over 20 years of clinical experience in both in-patient and out-patient settings and during her years of practice has also been both a practitioner and student of alternative healing methods, including herbal medicine, aromatherapy, Reiki, Chinese Medicine, and other energetic healing systems. Her extensive formal training and experience in the olfactory and limbic systems of the brain give her a unique qualification for understanding the actions of essential oils in the body. Dr. Power is the founder and former owner of Dreaming Earth Botanicals and is now a clinical consultant for Artisan Aromatics as well as an internationally known writer and teacher in the fields of aromatherapy and alternative medicine. Her approach to aromatherapy weaves together her solid scientific training and strong clinical skills with a holistic philosophy that honors body, mind and spirit. Dr. Joie Power is also the author of The Quick Study Guide to Aromatherapy and numerous published articles on aromatherapy and related topics.

This year each workshop will be a two day weekend event.

The Level I Aromatherapy Workshop will be presented over two days, then the same for the Level II Workshop a month later and then the Level III workshop a month after that.

Students may elect to take just one workshop or two or all three. Level I is available to all Healing Arts Practitioners (or with special permission). Level II is open only to graduates of Level I and, Level III is only open to graduates of Level II.

Students have the option to take some aromatherapy classes live and some by correspondence / distance learning.

• Level I Aromatherapy Workshop: "Foundations of Aromatherapy for Healing Arts Practitioners" - August 3 & 4 (Sat./Sun.)
• Level II Aromatherapy Workshop: "Creating Esssential Oil Blends for use in Clinical Settings" - September 7 & 8 (Sat./Sun.)
• Level III Aromatherapy Workshop: "Clinical Practice in Healthcare Settings" - October 5 & 6 (Sat./Sun.)

Cost for the live 2013 two-day workshops is $350.00 Early / $400.00 Late (less than 60 days prior to the class).
     $150.00 reserves your seat for each level.
Register for all three Levels and save even more.
     $450.00 reserves your seat for all three classes.
Note: The Level I class is nearly filled so if you want to join us this year, be sure to Reserve your seat NOW, since there will be only one series of live workshops this year.

All of the above workshops will be at Wyldhaven, Dr. Power's Farm near Asheville - Quite a beautiful spot in the North Carolina mountains about 30 min SE of Asheville / 20-25 min. S. of Black Mountain / 15 min. N. of Bat Cave / 40-45 min. NE of Hendersonville

• Level I - Available Fall 2013
• Level II - Available Fall / Winter 2013
• Level III - Available Winter 2013

Aromatherapy for Healing Arts Practitioners

This series of aromatherapy courses (mainly correspondence with some online activities) offers sequential levels of aromatherapy training and is designed for massage therapists, nurses and other healing arts practitioners who wish to integrate aromatherapy into their professional practice. It is assumed that students enrolling in these aromatherapy distance learning courses have a foundation in basic anatomy and physiology. After registering for the Distance Learning / Correspondence Aromatherapy Course, students will receive an extensive workbook divided into multiple lessons. Aromatherapy students will be expected to complete each lesson in sequence, do all required reading and take a test for each lesson. These aromatherapy courses are not easy and will require a sincere commitment from each student; the lessons are "in-depth" but written to be easily understandable by anyone willing to make the effort.

The Aromatherapy School will be offering three levels of distance learning aromatherapy classes (Levels I, II & III)

• Aromatherapy classes are sequential, i.e., you must take Level I before Level II, etc.
• Students can choose to take the distance learning/correspondence aromatherapy courses or live courses.
• Students may mix and match between live and distance learning/correspondence courses.

Artisan Aromatics

Artisan Aromatics (www.artisanaromatics.com) carries a complete line of over 100 Essential Oils that are available online including over 35 organic or wildcrafted essential oils, Artisan Aromatics has many new Aromatherapy Blends as well as quite a few "ready-to-use" massage blends.

Artisan Aromatics supplies therapeutic quality essential oils to individuals, aromatherapists, massage therapists, hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities. Contact Artisan Aromatics for more info on practitioner discounts and wholesale accounts.

This Month's Special: 10% Discount on Organic Gardenia produced by the Ancient Method of Enfleurage for all Aromatherapy Newsletter Subscribers.
Order online and use Coupon Code: Gardenia10 (no spaces) when you check out.
Order NOW: Online Shop
Learn more about Organic Gardenia.

Artisan Aromatics offers a great selection of professional quality essential oils and absolutes including Gardenia, Rose, Tuberose, Lavender, Tea Tree, Ylang Ylang, etc. and offers substantial discounts to Healing Arts Practitioners as well as Students of The Aromatherapy School. To receive the Practitioner Discount, enter Practitioner10 in the Coupon Code box when you check out. Current and former students of The Aromatherapy School receive an even larger discount of 20%: enter Student20 in the Coupon Code Box when you check out. Retailers and healthcare facilities can get discounts of 40% or more.

Artisan Aromatics

Your feedback is important to us so please let us know if you feel that changes should be made in content or format or if there are any topics that you'd like us to cover.

Sincerely,

Joie Power, Ph.D., Dir.
The Aromatherapy School
www.aromatherapy-school.com