AROMATHERAPY FOR THE ‘E’

FACTOR: A MARKET POTENTIAL

FOR WELLNESS CENTRES

Dr. Jyoti Marwah

HOD History, ICLES’ Motilal Jhunjhunwala College, Vashi
Member, Board of Studies, History, University of Mumbai
Member, Faculty of Arts, University of Mumbai

Paper presented at BEAP 2007, Dehradun, 21st & 22nd Nov 2007,
Organized by
CIMAP-Lucknow, MAPSI- Lucknow, HRDI-Chamoli and CAP-Dehradun
 ‘E’ Factor
At the outset, I would like to explain the
expression ‘E’ Factor which stands for
• Empathy,
• Examination stress,
• Emotional Deficit,
• Enabling,
• Enhancing and
• Exclusiveness
• I belong to the field of education and my decade
old association with FFDC, CIMAP, Parvatiya
Jari Booti Sansthan, Mussoorie and also Shodh
Sansthan has instilled in me a mission. The
MISSION is to wean people off from the love of
synthetic aromas and cosmetics to natural
ones.
• Like food, aromas also contribute to change in
chemical balance of the brain which in turn
could effect the sleep pattern, leading to
insomnia and disturbance of biological clock
creating psychological, physical and
physiological havoc.
• According to a study conducted by
Wockhardt group of hospitals 70% of all
illnesses are lifestyle related.
• Change in life style, food habits, loud
music, loud talk, over pervasive aerosols,
too much dependence on visual
experience are stealing the effectiveness
of other senses-
• The sense of smell and the patience to
gently experience the SELF by meditation
and introspection.
• Today’s generation of children may be the first in
modern history to have a shorter life-span than
their parents. Experts say that the 25-35 age
group is far from being fit.
• Prof. Adrian Kennedy, managing director,
wellness division, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad
observes, ”Since the late ‘90s, there’s been a
change for the worse in the average urban
Indian’s food profile, with 48.14 per cent
consuming a high-fat diet.
• And 28.10 per cent urban Indians indulge in a
high-salt diet.”.
• The percentage of people eating out frequently
is now 29.66 per cent
• In fact, a survey conducted among one lakh
urban Indians between the age of 25 and 35
by the wellness wing of the Apollo Group
indicates
– 53.23 per cent of the youth is non-vegetarian
– 30.79 per cent doesn’t consume fresh fruit or
vegetables daily.
– 55.57 per cent who do not and probably have never
exercised.
– other lifestyle lacunae like stress
– sleep deprivation and
– inability to relax
– inadequate or no exercise,
– time constraints…

The result is mentally and physically unfit

young people
Hence to enlighten my students about the benefits
of aromatic plants, with their participation,
• We successfully initiated a project for palliative
care of HIV/AIDS patients.
• Last year we launched a project Aromatherapy
for ‘E’ Factor at the hands of Dean Faculty of
Arts University Mumbai Mrs. Parvathy
Venkatesh. Since then we have extended
wellness facilities to more than a dozen people
under this project.
• 3rd year B.A. students won the 2nd prize at
intercollegiate competition on Monsoon
Remedies with aromatic extracts from a working
model of a deg bhapka.
• As reported by Sangeeta Reddy, the
executive director of Apollo Hospital
Hyderabad in Times Life
• when a 12 year old undergoes a bypass
• 25 year olds suffer heart attacks
• every 5 minutes an Indian commits
suicide,
• it becomes imperative to consider the
various dimensions of Wellness.
 What is Wellness?
• Wellness is the quality or state of being in good
health.
• It’s not simply the absence of illness, but an
improved quality of life resulting from enhanced
physical, social, mental, emotional, spiritual,
occupational and environmental health.
• It is an active, lifelong process of becoming
aware of choices and making decisions towards
a more balanced and fulfilling life.
 DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS
• In this pursuit
EMOTIONAL
Aromatherapy
plays a beneficial SPIRITUAL
role in over PHYSICAL

coming WELLNESS
INTELL-
impediments for ECTUAL
achieving the SOCIAL

state of Wellness ENVIRON- OCCUPA

in the various MENTAL -TIONAL

dimensions.
 The Wellness Industry
• The Wellness Industry worldwide is a trillion
dollar industry encompassing,
– spas,
– health resorts,
– nutraceuticals,
– beauty salons,
– health & medical centers
– Ayurvedic centers and
– sports equipment and gyms.
• Thus it provides various medical and health
services.
 Wellness Centre
• A Wellness centre encompasses the concept of
wellness, personal harmony and quality of life.
• Everyone now wants to be not only healthy, but
also fit. The reasons go beyond merely good
looks and also embrace medical necessity.
• Our modern fast paced, highly stressed, and
vastly automated lifestyle results in obesity,
psycho soma and body degeneration requiring
immediate solutions.
 MEDIA & WELLNESS
• Wellness is now eulogized through the
Mass Media, Fashion Shows, Models and
the Film industry
• Corporate organizations too, now realize
that a healthy work force is a productive
workforce, which impacts the bottom line.
 Wellness Revolution
• 1908 saw the launch of trillion-dollar
automobile industry,
• 1981 saw the launch of trillion-dollar
personal computer industry
• now the trillion-dollar industry of the
twenty-first century is the Wellness
industry due to the Wellness Revolution.
 Origin of SPA
• The word Spa originated from a town named
SPA in Belgium.
• Spa was originally a popular resort known for
its baths and mineral springs.
• They were popular in Roman times and it
was fashionable for the royalty to visit Spa.
• From Spa the generic term for a water place
or a mineral bath is derived.
 HOLISTIC MIND / BODY / SPIRIT
EXPERIENCE
• The “Destination Day Spa”- According to Spa
Finder, is a hot new spa experience that’s going
to get even hotter.
• A Spa is viewed as a comfortable, protected and
soothing retreat where one can enrich the mind,
improve health and fitness, and nourish the spirit
and soul.
• It is a place where one goes to relieve stress,
soothe sore muscles and ultimately promote
vigour and greater productivity. Thus it offers a
holistic mind/body/spirit experience.
SPA: A FAMILY EXPERIENCE
• The Spa experience has become more
affordable and inclusive since 2003, more
and more people can now afford to
supplement their Aromatherapy candles
and bubble baths with a trip to a nearby
Spa to enjoy professional treatments and
Wellness Programs.
• Besides women, there is an increase in the
number of male visitors to the Spas.
• There has also been an influx of teenage girls;
• However the newest young Spa goers will be
kids.
• Spas will keep pace by offering more family-
oriented activities and the focus will be health
and wellness.
• Increase in life expectancy has created a
growing group of senior citizens who also
nurture and relish their retired life in the relaxing
atmosphere of wellness centers.
 Medical Health Spas
• Until recently, Western medicine had failed to recognize
the healing capacities of Wellness programs based on
Alternative Medicine, Lifestyle change, Stress
Management and Fitness.
• With the arrival of these latest trends, the two fields have
converged and caused a veritable explosion, making this
new trend the wave of the future.
• A Medical Spa is an institution whose primary purpose is
to provide comprehensive medical and wellness care in
an environment, which integrates spa services as well as
conventional and complimentary therapies and
treatments.
• Once developed correctly,; a Medical Wellness,
Rehabilitation and Lifestyle Centre is an
extremely rewarding and lucrative business.
• The possibilities are endless of adding eastern
healing services to Western medicine, of
integrating illness with wellness.
• With the increased recognition by Western
Medicine and a global increased acceptance of
Eastern Medicine, the future of the integrated
Medical Spas look both promising and
encouraging.
URBAN INDIA’S NEW APPROACH
• As reported in The Times of India, November 14 2007, a recent
study done by KSA Technopak, a family in urban India spends as
much as 11% of household income on healthcare outside regular
hospitals.
• With consumers becoming sensitive to both care and cure, many go
out of their way to gain that extra reliability, reassurance and
convenience; whether it is tackling simple problems of dandruff
control or treating acne or even more serious issues which demand
personalized service.
• With Multi-Nationals setting up operations here and when you have
customers who yearn for specialized care, it’s time to answer the
call for the market. Specialized health Care Centers are a greater
demand in the country today as lifestyles change.
Some well known centers of wellness which provide wellness services
including aromatherapy are

• Tej Ayurvedic Clinic, New York.

• Ananda in the Himalayas, Tehri Garhwal.
• Soukya International Holistic Health Center, Bangalore
• Banyat Tree, Phuket, Thailand.
• Brenner’s Park Hotel and Spa, Germany which is more than 130
years old and brags of a clientele from Queen Victoria to Napolean
the third and Dalai Lama to Yasser Arafat.
• Canyon Ranch, Arizona, USA is the best definition of a ‘Destination
Spa’.
• Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong.
• The Chopra Center, California, USA includes essential oil massages
in its therapies.
• Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, Maldives
• Unique Experience of Vinotherapy at Narayangoan, Pune.
 PINK OF HEALTH?
• Skin is the largest organ and suffers the most
due to a number of reasons –
– Environment,
– pollution,
– radiation due to the ozone hole,
– malfunction of the endocrines,
– metabolic disorders,
– stress,
– tension
• name the problem and the skin suffers.
 WONDERS OF TOUCH
COMMUNICATION
• Being an alternative method of healing, it
is not a solution which can be sold like an
OTC.
• It needs to be worked with. Its pathways
are skin, olfactory or by ingestion.
• These have to be managed with the
service, which should be skilful and the
results which follow may be slow, but will
be positive.
 Aromatherapy and Cosmeceuticals
Normalising skin complex Tea tree and licorice

Age defying complex Walnut and orange

Soothing face mask Licorice, marigold, Macadamia

Botanical infusions –skin and eye Marigold

Calming sensitive cream Licorice and Macadamia

Soothing face lotion Orange, licorice

Anti-stress Licorice, calendula
Eye mask Rose oil
Detoxifying Ginger, Rosemary
 Case Studies
• Through our case studies, we aim to project the
effect of alternative method of healing and
harmonizing the mind, body and the spirit.
• The hands have immense healing capacity
which is explained in Atharvaveda.
• The left hand is empowered to heal skillfully by
generating the free flow of positive energy .
• The right hand is even more powerful as it
contains therapeutic capability; its healing touch
can ensure detoxification and wellness.
• The methods used by us revolve around
touch communication.
• The youngsters today feel abandoned and
alienated due to the distance generated
as a result of changed life style patterns.
• They need the feeling of being wanted,
loved, cared and touched.
• Busy life styles have widened the gap in
terms of physical presence,
communication and mental as well as
emotional involvement amongst the family
members.
 Touch Communication
• The touch communication techniques used in our case
studies were :
1. application of essential oils on important pressure
points of the body,
2. gentle massage,
3. lymph drainage,
4. foot reflexology and
5. gentle manipulation of hands.
• Essential oils used in these treatments form an
important component of treatment as aromatherapy
plays an important role in generating the required
degree of wellness.
• Essential oils have a strong effect on
primary contact with the human tissue:

1. skin
2. gastro-intestinal tract
3. sinus and lungs as vapours due to the
volatile nature of these oils
4. nerve impulse affecting the olfactory
and limbic region
 Skin as a pathway
Skin is the largest organ and suffers the most
due to a number of reasons –
• environmental pollution
• radiation due to ozone hole
• malfunctioning of the endocrins
• metabolic disorders
• stress and tension
One Square Inch Of Human Skin
 CONTACT DERMATITIS

ECZEMA
 IT’S ALL IN THE HEAD
• Like wise name the problem and it is the
brain which is unable to cope up with
dramatic changes in our lifestyle and
response to situations which are beyond
our comprehension.
• It is here that aromatherapy is the ideal
solution for detoxification and
rejuvenation.
You have been entrusted with
the care and feeding of the
most extraordinary and
complex creation in the
universe. Home to your mind
and personality, your brain
houses your cherished
memories and future hopes. It
orchestrates the symphony of
consciousness that gives you
purpose and passion, motion
and emotion.
Thank you!!