Aromatherapy, Pt. 1
In March, I had a second segment with Dale Blagrove on Radio Chatskill, Radio Catskill (WJFF). This time Dale and I spoke on the topic of aromatherapy. Here's a transcript (edited for readability and concision).
Dale Blagrove
. . . So wellness is the most important part of health. And so John is actually my expert. So we're going to bring John on, John.
John Vega
Hey, Dale, thank you for having me again. Yes, I'm John Vega. I'm a licensed massage therapist and also a CNHP, [a] certified natural health practitioner, and I'm a certified aromatherap[ist].
Dale Blagrove
Wow, that is absolutely wonderful. So, you know, John, you're really well rounded. You know, the last session, we talked about candles [you] sell at the local markets, which I think hopefully everyone that sees you there will have an opportunity to buy . . . but I'm really interested in aromatherapy. . . I hear a lot about it. And you know, I've had some oils, even you know, myself, I don't really know what to do with, you know, throw it in the shower or something like that. So it smells nice. So I'm not quite sure, a lot of the times where people who really use it seriously, seriously, really understand the benefits of it. And so I'm really interested.
John Vega
. . . I think aromatherapy now has become more mainstream. It wasn't so before, it was only unitl the late 80s that it became popular here in the States. But it's being used mainly by alternative health practitioners or natural healers, if you will, and slowly becoming accepted by the medical world. So it's pretty interesting. Aromatherapy is a healing modality. And basically, it's using essential oils to help alleviate or ease pain. [There are] essential oils you make, as you just mentioned, [and] some essential oils . . . that you purchase, and we've all seen them. What are essential oils, you know, I mean, do you have an idea what it is?
Dale Blagrove
So how do I choose a scent though? Essential oils?
John Vega
Basically, I like to say the essential oils are the soul of a plant. So it's actually what makes the core of what the plant is or the tree or that matter is—just so you have an idea, it takes 60,000 roses to make one ounce of essential oil.
Dale Blagrove
[60,000]!
John Vega
So that when I say it's precious, it's precious. So when you're selecting your essential oils, you really want to make sure that your source is organic, that they're fair trade, that they're not depleting land or harming our planet in sourcing this precious matter. So that's the first thing that you want to do. And obviously, when you're searching for different scents, it all depends on what you want to get out of it.
Dale Blagrove
Right. So let's say I'm looking because what's common for everyone, let's say to reduce stress, or . . . I'm a fan of melatonin for maybe about a week . . . and then after that it doesn't have any effect on me. [What] kinds of things like that would be really helpful for me. What would you recommend?
John Vega
Yeah, so a very popular one. Everyone knows this is lavender . . . is very popular to soothe the nervous system. But my personal favorite is a blend of lavender, rosemary, and a little bit of orange. Orange actually helps stimulate. It stimulates your senses. So it gives you that creativity. So when you're sleeping, it prepares your nervous system for you to wake up and be ready for your next day. It's my favorite.
Dale Blagrove
So what is that blend again?
John Vega
Lavender, rosemary and orange.
Dale Blagrove
Oh my goodness. Alright, that I'm gonna have to write down and we're gonna have to use that and make a note about that. . . I'm going out on a date, right and I want an oil on my skin that's gonna make me smell attractive. . .
John Vega
. . . That's funny you mentioned that because a lot of people who make perfumes now, they are using that principle of essential oils. And it's obviously more than musky. Smells like frankincense, sandalwood. Rose, they're aphrodisiac, . . they're gonna attract the . . . person and you know, they won't want to let go. So those are good ones.
Dale Blagrove
Oh my gosh, John Vega blend for that one! . . .
John Vega
Yeah. Another one. So another one that I use [as a] licensed massage therapist . . . I use it a lot on my athletes, and something that helps a lot with muscle pain is peppermint oil. Peppermint is really, really good for circulation, and for inflammation. So that's a nice one to use.
Dale Blagrove
Oh, my gosh, I didn't know that. That's really interesting. So when you say that you're using it [on] your . . . your clients, or use it more for smell or as a topical? Or how does that work?
John Vega
[T]hat's a great question. So a lot of people think, and you mentioned earlier aromatherapy, you smell oils and you feel healed. . . . [A]lthough as the word says aroma, it doesn't necessarily have to be inhaled, it can actually be placed topical[ly] on your skin. Some people even ingest it but I don't recommend that. I think you have to . . . work with a practitioner, a certified aromatherapist to help you or guide you through that journey. But applying a topical, that's what I do. I apply [it with a] carrier oil or a lotion. I put a couple of drops of that peppermint essential oil. . .
Dale Blagrove
What is a—you just mentioned something—what is a carrier oil?
John Vega
[S]o the same way that you would, I'm going to compare it to alcohol, the same way that you can have a very expensive whiskey neat, right? So you can have an essential oil, neat, meaning directly on that joint placed one drop or two drops. But the ideal situation would be you to have a mixed drink, if you will. So the carrier oil is that, that blends or is that other substance is going to help carry or travel that essential oil into the part of the body that you want it to affect.
Dale Blagrove
[A]re there any specific type of carrier oils?
John Vega
. . . [I]t depends. Yeah, I mean, I like using apricot oil a lot . . . it comes out of the pit of the apricot.
Dale Blagrove
. . . Wow. No, that's news to me. I didn't know.
John Vega
I used to use some other oils like almond oil. But there's a lot of people [with] allergies, so you have to be very careful. So, apricot is one that I use a lot. Grapeseed oil is a nice one to use as well.
Dale Blagrove
Wow. That's incredible. . . I only know cooking oil. So this is so so good. . . [I]f you had a recipe that would be your signature recipe, what would it be? And how would you apply it?
John Vega
. . .I'll give you this one. This is . . . [m]y version of an 'icy hot,' . . . a natural version of it. [I]t's a blend of peppermint and ginger. . . peppermint is cooling, and the ginger is the heating aspect and it works beautifully. For someone who has a fall . . . [y]ou put a couple of drops of that blend and immediately it will bring down the swelling.
Dale Blagrove
. . . [Y]ou can only take three oils with you which oils would you take and why?
John Vega
. . . That's a good question. . .
[. . .]
John Vega
All right, so right now I think I'm inclining a lot towards frankincense. Frankincense is very grounding. It helps you ground your energy it helps you kind of meditate, think where am I going in life? What am I doing? It's good for students, so I love frankincense for that reason. I mentioned it earlier I like citrus essential oils; citrus are very very good for making you happy for just giving you that natural high . . . So I would say orange or lemon. . .
Dale Blagrove
I like citrus. What about lime?
John Vega
Lime is nice. Yeah, I like lime lime. Unfortunately it's like at the lowest of all these.
[ . . .]
Dale Blagrove
. . . What's your third one?
John Vega
And my third one would probably be probably geranium. Geranium is one of those that either you love it or you hate; geranium is very sweet. But it also has the component of rose so if you like or if you want rose essential oils but you're on a budget. . . Rose Geranium will do the trick. It's a beautiful, beautiful essential oil. And it will do essentially the same thing that rose does.
Dale Blagrove
. . . Thank you, John. This is amazing. . . I'm gonna go shopping and look for some geranium and lime for my citrus . . . not necessarily frankincense. I love eucalyptus.
John Vega
Eucalyptus. Very nice. You're going to discover the winter months. So right now it's a good time to use eucalyptus. . . Dale . . . you don't also have to buy just essential oils. You can . . . buy products that have the aromatherapy component already done for you. It's already made. . . For example, a candle that says aromatherapy candles. It could be a lotion that says aromatherapy lotion, and oil. If you're adventurous like yourself and you want to start cooking and blending, you can do that. But there are already products that are already made.
Dale Blagrove
Oh, alright, well, that's good to know. Wow. Well, you've given me a lot to think about. So I'm really excited about this. I'm on a new journey. . . Anyways, John, I want to thank you for your time this afternoon. . . I love speaking with you. It's always a ton of fun. . . Thank you very much John.
John Vega
Thank you, Dale.