American College of Healthcare Sciences, USA

 Hawthorne, known for its show-stopping bright-red berries, is an all-star performer in the winter garden. But, did you know...


Native to northern temperate zones in East Asia, Europe, and eastern North America, hawthorne fruit has been used as food and medicine in Europe for centuries. But, why...


Medicinally, research shows hawthorne is beneficial for use with congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary circulation problems, and arrhythmias. It is also used to increase cardiac output reduced by hypertension or pulmonary disease, to support hypotension and hypertension, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, and Buerger’s disease.

In addition, hawthorn can also be used as a sedative, antispasmodic, astringent, and diuretic. It is also used for gastrointestinal conditions like indigestion, enteritis, epigastric distension, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

For more information about hawthorne, including clinical studies, download a free monograph from the ACHS Apothecary Shoppe.

Portland, OR—February 4, 2009—The Australasian College of Health Sciences (ACHS) is now an approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network, America’s oldest network of socially and environmentally responsible businesses. To earn approval, the College passed Green America’s stringent screening process, including examination of the College’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, increasing sustainable energy, and sourcing the most eco-responsible botanicals and essential oils available. Green America’s Green Business Network recognizes the College’s 30-year-commitment to advancing their green approach to distance-learning education.

Green America’s Green Business Network is a network of progressive business leaders, who are working to solve today’s social and environmental problems by growing the green economy. For ACHS, the only accredited, fully online holistic health college, the work of greening has some unique challenges and decidedly more rewards.  

“The sustainability movement is no longer a niche thing at most colleges,” Peggy F. Barlett once told the New York Times. As she predicted: “There’s going to be a real cultural transformation in the coming years in this area.” At ACHS, this “cultural transformation” not only involves growing the green economy through an emphasis on eco-friendly coursework and course materials; the College is greening their approach to education in total.

In 2005, ACHS put their course lectures online, rather than printing and mailing them, which, over the past three years, has resulted in a 70% reduction in printing. This is one example of the College’s commitment to reducing their carbon emissions where and whenever possible. When in-house materials are required, the College has partnered with Xerox (their complete sustainability policy is available on the Xerox website), and for outside print jobs, like catalogs, ACHS uses only soy-based ink.

In addition, to further reduce carbon emissions, in 2009 ACHS launched their Sustainability Committee, which recently launched a tree planting initiative: the College will plant 10 trees through the American Forests organization for every participant in their 2010 study-abroad Summer School in Greece program.

The cumulative result of these decisions reduces environmental impact and waste, and equally important, supports the ethics and practices of green business. To that end, ACHS employs equally stringent standards when selecting botanicals for use in their coursework (which are also available for use by the community through the ACHS Apothecary Shoppe College Store). ACHS only sources their botanicals and essential oils through manufacturers that adhere to strict environmental standards, including the ban on child labor, forced labor, and unfair wages. College President Dorene Petersen and Vice President Erika Yigzaw visit the majority of essential oil and herb suppliers in person to verify that they are meeting environmental and labor standards, including every distiller the College has purchased from in the last two years: distillers in the U.S., Turkey, India, New Zealand, and France.

Green business is more than an idea. It is “a practical and powerful way to help create a more just and environmentally sustainable economy.” Green American’s Green Business Network provides resources for “socially and environmentally responsible businesses to emerge and thrive in communities across the U.S.,”  and as a responsible business, ACHS models, as well as educates about and promotes, healthful living.

For more information about the Australasian College’s commitment to greening the economy, go to www.achs.edu and select “About.” To see the College’s listing on the Green America website, or to read more about the Green America screening process, go to: www.coopamerica.org.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after experiencing a traumatic event. Typically, this event threatens serious physical danger or involves physical violence. Following this experience, it would not be out of the ordinary for someone to feel scared, confused or angry. However, if these feelings continue long-term and become disruptive to your daily activities, you may be suffering from PTSD.

 

In a given year, about 7.7 million American adults suffer from PTSD. Although it was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, PTSD can result from common events, such as a car accident, natural disaster, or personal assault.

 

It is estimated that among veterans, the rate of PTSD is somewhere between 14 percent and 33 percent. Not every person who experiences a traumatic event will experience PTSD, and not every Soldier will either, but being aware of possible symptoms and stressors could help with treatment and prevention.

 

In the past, PTSD has commonly been treated with pharmaceuticals or some type of mood management therapy. Today, information about alternative treatments is becoming more widespread and research has substantiated the historical use of aromatherapy for depression. Why not for PTSD?

 

Aromatherapy means: the use of aromas for their healing properties. The documented use of essential oils goes back to Egyptian times, where herbs were burnt in public squares to purify the air. Today we know that lemon essential oil, for example, can be used to lift mild depression. We also know that aromatherapy is a natural, less invasive treatment for chronic afflictions. And compared to most pharmaceuticals, aromatherapy is typically less expensive and more accessible.

 

Many people with PTSD get better over time, but about 1 out of 3 experience PTSD as a recurring challenge. Use of aromatherapy has many advantages in these cases. If used correctly, they have minimal to no adverse effects when used over time. Aromatherapy is also a healthy alternative for those opposed to long-term use of prescription drugs, and essential oils, when diluted and applied to the skin (or inhaled), can be absorbed into the bloodstream for almost immediate results.

 

Essential oils are distilled directly from plants. The term “essential” is applied to these oils because they contain the fragrant part of the plant. Essential oils are powerful and concentrated. Many should not be applied to the skin in their undiluted form. Rather, essential oils should be diluted with almond or apricot oil, which lend additional nutrient and antioxidant health benefits.

 

Aromatherapy expert, Dorene Petersen, President of the Australasian College of Health Sciences, said her college store carries organic certified oils because “it’s important to have the highest quality oils available. Essential oils are extracted from plants, which absorb toxins in their environment. Certified organic essential oils are free of contaminants and pesticides; a purer oil means greater health benefits.”

 

When treating chronic challenges like PTSD, a consistent routine is important. The recommended solution is a combination of wellness protocols such as holistic nutrition and aromatherapy. A balanced, natural foods diet is the greatest tool we have to maintain healthy physical and psychological functions. When regularly added into the diet, aromatic herb plants that contain essential oils will boost immunity, circulation, and metabolism, among other things. For example, chamomile, which has been found to soothe low levels of stress and depression, can be made into a tea, and geranium, which is commonly used to stabilize emotions, can replace vanilla in baking recipes.

 

To complement a healthy diet, here are some suggestions for simple, yet effective uses of aromatherapy at home. First, undiluted essential oils can quickly be diffused into the air on a room-by-room basis. Second, you can drop essential oils directly into a relaxing bath or foot soak. (Some oils are more potent than others; until you know how the oil will react with your system, less is more.) Or, try replacing commercial cleaners and air fresheners with essential oils and sprinkling a few drops in and around drains, trashcans, and pillowcases.

 

Before using aromatherapy as a PTSD protocol, consult with a Registered Aromatherapist, which can be located through the Aromatherapy Registration Council Web site: www.aromatherapycouncil.org.

 

The Australasian College of Health Sciences is the only DETC-accredited, fully online college offering continuing education, certificate, diploma, and degree programs in complementary alternative medicine with aromatherapy and holistic health majors. For more information about aromatherapy and the college, visit www.achs.edu