WEEKLY ARTICLE  

Good Scents:  

A Quick Guide To Aromatherapy   

So that all is not lost, I have included a brief lesson in aromatherapy for you this week, and a copy of a previous Wholly Macro newsletter about our issue with synthetic perfumes / aka "Wholly Macro's Stinking Policy".

The aromatherapy lesson first:

Essential oils are derived from plants, many of the very same plants that we eat in fact. They are distilled from plant leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, barks, and resins, and / or expressed from the rinds or flesh of fruits. For centuries, traditional knowledge has existed about the use of plants to enhance our lives. The ability of natural fragrances to attract and extend vibrational qualities is the powerful basis of aromatherapy, mystical herbalism, and perfumery.

As lovely as essential oils are, (and they are really lovely and seductive), they have very strong energies and properties. Quite similar to the power of foods, especially when foods are used in concentration in the form of healing remedies in order to specifically address a particular issue. So, if you are feeling one way, like very alert and clear for example, in good shape for needing to be on your toes for a job, an important appointment, etc., and you use an oil that has calming and relaxing properties, you will have altered your state of being, and maybe not in the way that you wanted / needed. You may suddenly not be in the alert state of mind needed to complete the job or pay attention at the appointment. Of course, if you were feeling very agitated and anxious, the calming oil may have been just perfect. The point is: you must use essential oils discriminately, just as you use foods to create certain healing energies / effects. And it is always good to use them only for certain purposes and not to abuse them by using them every single day, or in excess. The body and senses need to be free of all influences for some length of time each and every day in order to come back to / maintain balance and equilibrium and not be overwhelmed by constant food, beverage, and / or aroma therapeutic influences. The body can then better receive, respond, and benefit from the energy of the specific aromatherapy (or food / beverage remedy) when it is needed.

That being said, as my senses are saturated with the scent of jasmine, sometimes you just have to give in completely, disappear into the moment, and trust that the universe is bringing exactly what you need to your palette at exactly the right time.

Some of jasmines aroma therapeutic properties include: spiritual love, calming, relaxing, sensual, romantic, and exotic energies.

PS: As you go into this week's menu (below), we are using fresh and fragrant fennel in the Fennel ~ Leek Miso Vegetable Soup. A few of fennels aroma therapeutic qualities are: restorative, warming, andinvigorating. Fennel is also very good for the liver.

We use all natural (edible) essential rose oil and petals in the Chantilly Lace Rose Scented Vanilla Mousse, which is this week's dessert.Some of the properties of rose essential oil are: cooling, healing, romantic, supportive, uplifting, beautifying, and loving.

Do you see now why our previously intended newsletter topic has fallen by the wayside?! We really will pursue it next week, when we come to our senses, but for now we are going to enjoy the lure of the jasmine, and leave you with more on the topic of scents from our previous newsletter:

Wholly Macro's Stinking Policy:

If any of you have had the occasion to visit us here at Wholly Macro for a Cooking Class, or a Consultation, or to Purchase our Healing Food, you may have noticed, in giant type on the bottom of the Directions To Wholly Macro (or been told by us), not to wear any perfume, scented hair or body products of any kind (including laundry detergent), cologne, or after shave (yes men, you are most definitely included in this).

Included in our request is the statement that this is a chemical and allergy free facility.

This is important, not only for the health and well being of those of you who visit us, but for us here at Wholly Macro as well, including our live food.

You see: the multitudes of chemicals contained in virtually all commercial products, (and they are all heavily scented), contain Chemical Estrogens, which are seriously disruptive and potentially deadly compounds. They mimic estrogen, so are readily absorbed within the body. By both men and women. But unlike natural estrogen, chemical estrogens build up in the body. They cannot be easily discharged, so they are stored in the tissues, cells, and organs of the body. They take the place of healthy natural estrogen, blocking it from doing its protective job, and allowing unnatural cell growth to occur. They are toxic. Chemical estrogens are the guilty culprits in many hormone related cancers, imbalances, and illnesses, not plant based estrogens.  

Many of our clients are chemically sensitive. They have environmental illnesses. Or, they are receiving chemotherapy and chemically laden scented products set off a hormonal reaction in their bodies and make them feel sick, or sicker than they may already be feeling. Many of our clients don't even realize that their skin is saturated with products containing chemicals, (be it sun screen, make-up, body lotion, or clothing washed in commercial detergents), and that it can't breathe, or detoxify, and is largely responsible for their current illness / complaint. Commercial cleaning products also contain chemicals that mimic estrogen, as do pesticides, on the food or in products such as insect repellent. So much so, that being around any of the above products can set off a hot flash type reaction, and not just in peri-menopausal women, but in any age man, woman, or child, and even our innocent pets.

Back to scented body care products: applying these products directly to the skin makes them super readily absorbed. The skin is the perfect vehicle for direct absorption into the blood stream. It is also our most powerful immune system barrier as long as we don't bombard it with chemicals. We just can't stress enough how important it is to use only 100% natural products on all parts of your body, and in your home and on your clothing, to avoid inadvertent absorption of not only chemical estrogens, but many other dangerous chemical ingredients as well.

And the skin is not the only part of the body that is sensitive to artificial chemicals. Our eyes, our mucus membranes, and our entire respiratory system are extremely sensitive as well. And so is delicious fresh live food. Fresh produce in particular, but all food, readily absorbs scents. Our natural raw basic foods here at Wholly Macro are alive. We have sprouts growing on the windowsill as we speak. They breathe and absorb and pulsate, and whether the chemical scent is floating through the air, or on the body or clothing, the food doesn't care. It just absorbs the scent, innocently and inadvertently, to the point that it can end up tasting like a persons perfume. Not good!!

We really stress the importance of being fragrance free when attending our cooking classes.

It is important for the consultations as well. Did you know that the body's natural odor holds clues to determining a person's state of health?? Each organ system in the body is related to a particular smell. If the organ is healthy the odor will not be prominent. But if that organ / system is compromised, it gives off a strong and specific odor, and no amount of perfume can disguise it! It comes from deep within the body, and is a signal / symptom that is important to recognize.

Sometimes our sense of smell (and taste too) can be slightly askew due to our own over use of chemically laden artificial scents or foods. We really must reach a point where we accept our natural smell, (and foods natural flavor), and learn from our natural odors, realizing that an unpleasant body odor signals a problem, and covering it up with perfume or cologne is not the solution.

Just last month we found a humorous article in the newspaper called "BO at BSO?" It is about a new policy that has been put into effect at the Broward Sheriffs Office banning employees from wearing deodorant, perfume, and cologne while at work, and to stop wearing clothing, or carrying personal items that carry detectable fragrances as well. It was implemented to accommodate their growing number of employees who are sensitive or allergic to chemical irritants. (Who wouldn't be sensitive and / or allergic to a chemical irritant, and what are they doing in body care products anyway?? That is our point). Employees violating the "fragrance free workplace" policy are counseled and / or disciplined. The Sheriffs spokesperson said in the article, that research shows that all kinds of conditions are aggravated by strong colognes and perfumes, from simple headaches, to migraines, to allergies, to serious sinus problems. If people are going to abuse scented products, you need to enforce a "stinking" policy!!

We don't spend time at the Broward Sheriff's Office thankfully, (although it seems like it would be a surprisingly good choice for a chemical free workplace), but we do have our own stinking policy here at Wholly Macro. We don't mean it offensively at all, and hope that this little article clarifies our position on artificial scents. We don't mind your natural scents. We'll store away the knowledge obtained from any odor that we detect, and perhaps use it in a consultation with you someday!! But we do have to politely ask you to refrain from using any artificial fragrances in our presence.

And BTW: you can buy natural mineral deodorant crystals at the health food store. Be sure they are aluminum free. It will say so on the package. They are completely unscented, they work fantastic, and they are not harmful to your body or the environment!!

We hope the above will assist you in using good sense in choosing good for you scents!