Educational Media Reviews Online

Many people are exploring alternative medicine for treatment of illness and other chronic conditions. This particular video focuses on the use of aromatherapy as part of a massage program to help in the treating patients. The program features Carol Gilbey who is noted as an expert on Aromatherapy, Reflexology and Manual Lympathic Drainage and she performs the massage techniques during the program. Those watching the program should be aware that it was filmed in the United Kingdom and measurements are provided in grams and that some things seen in the film (including the massage therapist wearing something equivalent to a nurse's uniform) would not be seen in the United States. In addition the massage table is called a couch in the video.

The video includes many warnings especially noting that those without appropriate training should not do aromatherapy massage and that some oils may cause adverse reactions. At the end of the video the narrator even states that buying and using the oils without training is wrong. Much time is spent on contraindications and when aromatherapy should not be used. Also discussed are when certain oils should be used and in ways that aromatherapy can be used outside of the massage session. The film does spend a lot of time focusing on the development of a treatment program and in interviewing the patient, something that other films do not spend as much time on. There is also a brief presentation on the history of massage and how massage can bring changes to the body, which may also be of interest.

The rest of the video focuses on the actual massage showing proper stokes and providing close-ups so that viewers can see the techniques in detail. The narrator is gentle and non-intrusive and the music that plays when the narrator is not speaking is very peaceful. It is interesting to watch the techniques used to massage the stomach and chest (a man is used for this section) as these are often not covered in massage videos. Also covered is what to do after the massage is completed including suggestions of other treatment.

While watching the video it appeared that both models, especially the male used for the chest and stomach massage, looked very uncomfortable. In addition a glossary would be handy as a number of terms are used without definition. For example the term "effluage" was used several times and was not defined. It might also be useful to indicate on the cover of the video that this presentation is not for amateurs.

This video would be useful for colleges and universities with health science programs and for massage schools or other alternative therapy collections.