Aromatherapy technique said to help ease back pain
By Sandy Cohen
Copley News Service

They're so potent, just breathing them is therapeutic, Linda Chollar said. Applying them to the skin intensifies the benefits.

Chollar is talking about essential oils, the pure plant essences at the heart of aromatherapy.

An alternative medicine educator at Torrance (Calif.) Memorial Medical Center, Chollar typically shows nurses and patients how to beat stress and improve health through touch, awareness and meditation.

Today, though, she is teaching massage therapists and other healers about the powers of essential oils and their role in the Raindrop Technique: an aromatherapy treatment said to improve spinal alignment, reduce pain, eliminate toxins and boost the immune system.

"It's the most powerfully packaged set of tools and skills on the market in the world of aromatherapy," said Chollar, who recently relocated from Little Rock, Ark., to Redondo Beach, Calif. "I want more therapists out there doing it and helping people."

Inspired by the spiritual practices of Lakota Indians, the Raindrop Technique was developed in 1980 by American naturopath D. Gary Young. It involves a gentle dripping of nine essential oils along the spine, followed by massage techniques that aid absorption and inspire relaxation. The oils penetrate the skin, delivering healing properties into the bloodstream, Chollar said.

"Essential oils are anti-viral and anti-bacterial," she said. "They transport oxygen and they're loaded with vitamins and minerals."

Essential oils are volatile liquids distilled from plants, trees, roots and seeds. Considered the lifeblood of plants, these oils contain concentrated phytochemicals with medicinal properties. About 25 percent of prescription drugs in the United States are based on naturally occurring compounds found in plants, according to the People's Desk Reference for Essential Oils.

"Oils have a whole slew of therapeutic properties. That's why people study them," said Rena Joy, owner of Soothe Your Soul in Redondo Beach, which carries a variety of aromatherapy books and products. "Their chemical compositions determine their therapeutic use."
Like plant-derived herbs and herbal teas, the history of essential oils dates back thousands of years. Frankincense and myrrh, the gifts mentioned in the biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ, are actually essential oils.

Today, aromatherapy is used widely throughout Europe, Joy said, where treatments are covered by standard medical insurance. Most scientific studies on the efficacy of essential oils have been performed overseas. In California, though, the industry is unregulated, so practitioners aren't licensed and products aren't standardized.
"You're almost on your own here," Joy said. "So do your research."

Aromatherapy works because the nerves of the nose are connected directly to the limbic system of the brain. Smells inspire an instant nervous system reaction, experts say, with potential to affect emotions, memory and creativity as well as the primal drives of hunger, thirst and sex.

A holistic practitioner for two decades, Chollar has worked with essential oils for the past dozen years. Explorations of aromatherapy led her to the Raindrop Technique in 1997.
First developed to treat spinal conditions and chronic back pain, the technique also provides relief for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, she said.

The recipient lies face down on a massage-type table to receive the treatment. The therapist stands above, dropping essential oils onto the spine from a distance of about 6 inches. The room becomes aromatic within minutes.

Nine oils, applied in sequence and layered atop one another, work together to enhance the therapeutic properties of each. Thyme and oregano are anti-viral and anti-microbial, wintergreen eases pain, cypress increases circulation and marjoram relaxes muscles. The therapist gently massages each oil into the spine, then covers the skin with warm towels. Chollar also incorporates reflexology - the application of pressure to reflex points in the feet and hands - into the treatment, which takes about an hour.

Sally Bowler of Redondo Beach turned to the Raindrop Technique to ease her
fibromyalgia symptoms. After just a few treatments, her pain diminished and she was able to sleep through the night, she said.

Powerful as the Raindrop Technique might be, it's not a cure-all, Chollar said.
"You must always have a well-rounded program," she said. "This is one tool to help restore the body."

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