centration of essential oils may cause a toxic over-
dose, skin or eye irritation, hypersensitivity to sun-
light, headache, fatigue, or a paradoxical effect
(that is, an oil may cause a problem rather than
help to relieve it). For aromatherapy organizations,
see Appendix I.
Aromatherapy Seminars See Appendix I.
aromatic Any substance whose fragrance or
agreeable odor acts as a relaxant or stimulant.
See also AROMATHERAPY.
artav Reproductive tissue, one of the seven dhatus
(basic vital bodily structures) in Ayurvedic medicine.
See also AYURVEDA.
art therapy The technique of involving people in
doing some form of artwork or working with art
materials such as paints, crayons, or pastels, in
order to achieve a therapeutic, nonverbal expres-
sion of feelings, particularly those related to
bereavement, catastrophic illness, a disaster or
public crisis, or personal psychogenic problems
including depression. Art therapists believe that
making art is a cathartic, healing experience, as
well as an opportunity to release conscious or
unconscious (and perhaps painful) feelings in an
atmosphere of “play.” The therapist and person dis-
cuss the painting, collage, drawing, or sculpture,
for example, in a nonjudgmental, noncritical way,
so the person derives the benefit of the therapist’s
assessment and guidance for the emotional prob-
lems that emerge from the art.
Art has been considered a valuable tool for reha-
bilitating those with mental or emotional illness
since the 1940s, when artists who worked in psy-
chiatric hospitals started to recognize the powerful
messages in the artwork of patients. People of any
age may participate in art therapy sessions, which
are now integrated into the mainstream health
delivery system and made available through local
medical and health care centers.
One example of art therapy for mental patients
is Rio de Janeiro’s Museum of Images from the
Unconscious. According to The Power to Heal:
Ancient Arts & Modern Medicine(Prentice Hall Press,
New York, 1990), “Art critics and psychotherapists
from around the world make pilgrimages to the
Pedro II Psychiatric Center, which houses the
museum’s 250,000 pieces of patient-produced art.... Psychiatrists have long recognized the healing
attributes of creating art, and the Museum of
Images from the Unconscious helps scholars as
well. Said the late British psychiatrist R. D. Laing,
“This museum represents a major contribution to
the scientific study of the psychotic process.”
In The Art Spirit(Harper & Row Publishers, New
York, 1923), the artist Robert Henri (1865–1929)
wrote: “The more health we have in life the fewer
laws we will have, for health makes for happiness
and laws for the destruction of both. If as little chil-
dren, we were enabled to find life so simple, so
transparent that all the beautiful order of it were
revealed to us, if we knew the rhythm of Wagner,
the outline of Pericles, if color were all about us
beautifully related, we should acquire this health
and have the vision to translate our lives into the
most perfect art of any age or generation.” Bernie S.
Siegel, M.D., quoted Henri further in his book Love,
Medicine & Miracles(Harper & Row Publishers, New
York, 1986): “When the artist is alive in any person,
whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an
inventive, searching, daring, self-expressive crea-
ture. He becomes interesting to other people. He
disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and opens ways for a
better understanding. Where those who are not
artists are trying to close the book, he opens it and
shows there are still more pages possible.” In his
practice of oncology, Siegel is one of many propo-
nents of using art as therapy. Art therapy programs,
particularly for bereaved children, have cropped up
in local medical centers as a service to the commu-
nity and in connection with the treatment of
patients with catastrophic illnesses.
asanas Yoga postures or positions.
See also YOGA.ascorbic acid flush A procedure explained by
Linda Rector-Page, N.D., Ph.D., as “accelerating
detoxification, changing body chemistry to neutral-
ize allergens and fight infections, promoting more
rapid healing, and as a protective and preventive
measure against illness” (from Healthy Healing: An
Alternative Healing Reference.Carmel Valley, Calif.:10 Aromatherapy Seminars