Be scared, be very scared! Oh my dear God! I'm a Clinical Aromatherapist, I have been for most of my adult life (35 years)....... this is terrifying! Yes, I get OI could detect infections and diseases. Heck, I used to smell my kids ears when they were small to see if they had an infection! But this is nefarious. Scent/odour/perfume is a huge manipulator of our responses to every day life. But it can also dig deeper into our psyche and trigger past traumas. Chemical components in odours can also trigger adverse reactions if there are underlying health conditions. Think epilepsy, high or low blood pressure, miscarriage etc. This whole OI takes me straight to the last chapter of Patrick Suskind's novel Perfume, The Story of a Murderer, which was later turned into a film in 2006. In the book, the main character and serial killer is finally caught and brought to public trial. In the last chapter he is of course found guilty and is about to face his own death. But he releases a tiny vial of scent which sends the whole community into an erotic rapture. He escapes as they are all distracted, shall we say. I remember going to the cinema with my friend and saying, "I wonder how they will depict the final scene." The book and film left an indelible mark on me as an aromatherapist as I already knew and respected the power of odour on our reactions and how it can manipulate us both for good.... and bad. heck, I even suggest to my students to read the book! OI brings Suskind's novel to life. OI will be manipulated into a bio-weapon mark my words! With the recent heatwaves here, I have been jokingly saying "well, if we have this drought, why don't they cloud seed for some rain, now they have admitted to doing it? Why don't they do it to put out all these fires all over the place?" However, as they have admitted to doing this, I'm wondering what they have moved on to? They have still been chemtrailing..... but no rain! So what have they been diffusing all over us? "How we invented scent teleportation" That's the front page title from a company called OSMO in 2024.

One of my favourite classes tonight.... Complex Cases. As part of their Clinical Aromatherapy training, we regularly get together and bring complex client cases or successes we have had to the table to discuss. It's always an eye opener as some students also practice other complementary therapy modalities. I'll sometimes open this to therapist level students too. It inspires them to continue their studies to a higher level. I honestly don't know of any other school that does this as part of their training programme. Therapist level training starts in September, so now is the time to start the enrollement procedure. For Aromatherapists/Reflexologists wanting to level up, you can start your enrollement at any time. *special thanks to @Liz Fulcher for her excellent meme! 😊

I am curious on everyones thoughts when it comes to Sage Essential Oil (Salvia officinalis). For some Aromatherapists like Lea Jacobson, in her Essential Oil Safety files, all she does is say Do NOT USE Neurotoxic. This is mainly due to the fact that Sage, like wormwood, mugwort, and yarrow are rich in the ketone thujone, which is a neurotoxin. However, according to Schnaulbelt, Penole, and Franchomme, Sage essential oil is considered to be the least toxic of the the thojone rich essential oils and in fact is considered less toxic than what its thujone content would otherwise indicate. Infact he has a few formulations designed for old scars which contain sage essential oil along with helichrysum. Would you or have you ever used Salvia officianlis essential oil? What did you use it for? If yes/no, why? What would you substitute this essential oil therapeutically with? I will be posting an article that I am writing on this oil soon.

Just a reminder that our monthly Sunday Evening Relax starts at 7pm GMT for Premium members. I'm really looking forward to some downtime tonight as I've spent the best part of today prepping for a Clinical Aromatherapy class tomorrow night looking at almost 80 clinical level essential oils that have a direct effect on the skeletal and muscular systems. Thirtythree page handout later and it's done! Phew! What have you been up to this Sunday? Clinical Aromatherapy in Classroom has been updated for next week for my students.

My friend and fellow Clinical Aromatherapist, Virginia Joy Stella Musacchio wrote a song, with a little help by Suno, about Black Spruce, one of my personal favourite EO's. Enjoy! https://suno.com/s/irjzcqHCySQELMwE