Volume 14 • Issue 6 June 2011

• ACHS President Dorene Petersen Featured in New Book

• Registration Deadline for Graduation Ceremony is June 15

• Five Important Dos for Educating the Aromatherapy Novice

• Meet Candice Covington, ACHS Cert in Aroma Graduate

• Research Review: Vitamin D and Bitter Cumin

• Hyperlinks, Full-text Articles, and More!

Inside this issue ...

the ACHS Reporter

Welcome to the ACHS Reporter, your resource for holistic

health and college news. Our goal is to provide our students

with an interactive and engaging “launchpad” for their own

complementary alternative medicine studies and practice. Inside

these pages, you will find ACHS college news, industry updates,

holistic health tips and recipes, career-building information,

continuing education opportunities, and much more. follow us on:

[ 2 ] © 2011 American College of Healthcare Sciences

A C H S N E W S !

ACHS President Dorene Petersen Featured in New Book: How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Herb and Herbal Plant Business

Read ACHS College President Dorene Petersen's featured interview in the new book How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Herb and Herbal Plant Business, now available at the Apothecary Shoppe College Store!

Entrepreneur Media Inc. has listed locally grown produce and products as one of the top five trends that will thrive in 2010—nearly 60 percent of consumers are skipping the national chains and purchasing from community fields. The USDA recently launched the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” campaign in an effort to bridge the gap between where food is grown and how it ends up on your plate.

So, how do you learn more about the health benefits of herbs and locally grown produce? Start with How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Herb and Herbal Plant Business featuring an interview with ACHS President Dorene Petersen. Plow the intricacies of starting your own business and the basics of herbs and herbal plant growth, learn about the importance of high-quality herbal education, and gain practical suggestions for how to prioritize education, sustainable practices, and customer needs.

How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Herb and Herbal Plant Business includes valuable information about setting goals, planning for the future, marketing your business, talking to the public, forming a Partnership, LLC, Corporation, or becoming a Sole Proprietor, and the legal implications of each. It also contains sample business forms, contracts, worksheets and checklists for planning, opening, and running day-to-day operations.

How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Herb and Herbal Plant Business (ISBN# 9781601383297) is available through the Apothecary Shoppe College Store at www.apothecary-shoppe.com or (503) 244-0726.

Read the full-length press release on ACHS Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150190121348733 Be sure to leave a comment!

First Annual ACHS Graduation Ceremony October 8, 2011

You're invited! ACHS is proud to announce the First Annual ACHS Graduation Ceremony at Aquariva at the Avalon Hotel (0470 Southwest Hamilton Court, Portland, OR 97239) Saturday, October 8 from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm. The registration deadline is June 15, 2011.

Visit us online for more information about who is eligible to participate and how to register: http://tinyurl.com/6ylmwyj

As an ACHS graduate, you are joining a worldwide community of holistic health professionals committed to helping others achieve health and wellness. At the ACHS Graduation Ceremony, you can celebrate with your classmates, family and friends as you are formally presented with your certificate, diploma, or degree.

ACHS Launches Online, Interactive FAQ Knowledgebase

In May 2011, ACHS launched our FAQ Knowledgebase, an interactive, on-line forum providing immediate answers to frequently asked questions. The ACHS FAQ Knowledgebase can be accessed online 24 hours per day, 365 days per year at http://faq.achs.edu/ for the most recently updated an-swers to your ACHS questions.

If you require supplemental information, such as specific information about your program, course of study, or payments, please contact the ap-propriate ACHS department for further guidance.

If you are not able to locate the information you need, or have an FAQ to suggest for inclusion in the ACHS FAQ Knowledgebase, please email your inquiry to updates@achs.edu for review.

© 2011 American College of Healthcare Sciences [ 3 ]

A C H S N E W S !Five Important Dos for Educating the Aromatherapy Novice in Business

Aromatherapy is a term that gets tossed around in the commercial market with little credibility to the fundamental science behind it. For the

aromatherapy student who may look forward to a future in the industry, this is a frustrating issue because it becomes more of a challenge attempting to reach out to those who stand to gain a tremendous amount of benefit from the practice. If you are planning on starting a career in aromatherapy, here are five important factors to educating your customers.

1. Understand you are an educator—If you are a Registered Aromatherapist (RA) you must recognize that achievement. Your education gives you a vast amount of knowledge in the industry which the average person does not have. Provided you remain in your scope of practice and within ethical guidelines, you have quite a powerhouse of information to help improve clients’ quality of life. You earned that right through your education. Wasn’t it valuable to you the first time you heard it?

2. Have a business plan—Aromatherapy study is broad. There are hundreds of essential oils and many applications of using them. Having a strategic business plan will allow you to focus on how to get your message across. Determine which area of aromatherapy business you want to focus on and in which platform you will be communicating: leased site, website, colleges or other? As soon as you have a solid idea of your plan, you will be able to develop well-suited ideas that will best fit your business model. Having a clear, well-thought-out direction will enable you to make smarter choices and lead to fewer frustrations. Do not be afraid to start small; you do not have to deliver the entire message all at once. You might decide that you want to concentrate your efforts on a branch of aromatherapy that appeals to you, and from there you could expand that into a business model.

3. Do not overwhelm the customer—This may be your biggest challenge. It is difficult to get people to understand the tremendous benefits of aromatherapy and its wide applications in a short time. The average person whom is interested in aromatherapy will not comprehend its usefulness in five minutes. You will need to consistently find ways to make it easier for customers to absorb the education. Customers may love what you are doing, selling, or saying; however, many are still learning the basics. The truer you are to the principles of aromatherapy and the more passionate you are about sharing it with people in an honest and professional way, the sooner people will understand it on a more profound level.

4. Be professional—It is one thing to say you are being professional, it is

another to be professional. This is a simple principle that is assumed in business however not always executed. Treat your customers, clients, or vendors with the courtesy you expect from others. Customers or clients intuitively know when they are dealing with a professional. They may not tell you but they know it. If you consistently strive to offer fair service and continue to maintain professional conduct even in tenuous circumstances, then you will head toward success.

5. Know your demographic—Before you begin to educate your customers, consider who they are and what educational approach will best suit your business. A person stressed from a 50-hour working week may be compelled to use an aromatherapy blend because you told them that a combination of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and clary sage (Salvia sclarea) supports a healthy nervous system because their chemical compositions blend well together. This same person may not understand if you suggest that they will balance your chakras. While a number of groups understand aromatherapy from a spiritual standpoint, the greater number of people will more likely understand it from a scientific perspective, so it important to consider how you deliver your content. This is not to say you have to make it all so clinical—aromatherapy can be extraordinarily elegant when described by its very nature.

*This information has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. Always consult with your Registered Aromatherapist or primary care physician before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine.

About the AuthorRose Chard is a graduate of the ACHS Certificate in Aromatherapy program and owns Your Body Needs..., a massage and aromatherapy studio in Crofton, Maryland. Rose has incorporated es-sential oils in her personal life for more than 20 years, and now her company has its own growing line of quality aromatherapy products and essential oils. Your Body Needs... helps people discover the everyday benefits of aromatherapy and also offers popular aromatherapy workshops.Rose is a licensed massage therapist and the Regional Director in Maryland for the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy. She is a member of the Aromatherapy Registration Council and the Na-tional Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. She can be reached at Rose@YourBodyNeeds.com and her company website is www.YourBodyNeeds.com

By Rose Chard, ACHS Certificate in Aromatherapy Graduate, Owner Your Body Needs, LLc

[ 4] © 2011 American College of Healthcare Sciences

Research Review Children with Low Vitamin D Levels May Experience Greater Onset of AllergiesA recent paper published in the Journal of Al-lergy and Clinical Immunology found a con-nection between children with low vitamin D levels and the onset of allergies. Of the more than 3,000 children include in the study, more than half tested for allergen sensitivity also had low or deficient levels of vitamin D.

Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University tested about

3,100 children and about 3,400 adults and analyzed their sensitivity to 17 different allergens, including environmental allergens like ragweed and oak, and food allergens like eggs and peanuts. Though researchers did not find a specific correlation between adult sensitivities and allergens, on average, children with low levels of vitamin D were sensitive to 11 of the 17 allergens.

These research findings do not claim that low or deficient levels of vitamin D cause allergies. They do, however, suggest an association be-tween vitamin D levels and allergies.

References1. Einstein News. (2011, February 24). Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Allergies in Kids. Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. Retrieved from http://www.einstein.yu.edu/home/news.asp?id=6232. Huff, A. (2011, February 27). Low vitamin D linked to allergies in children. [Online exclu-sive]. NaturalNews. Retrieved from http://www.na uralnews.com/031515_vitamin_D_al-lergies.html

Traditional Remedy Bitter Cumin Great Source of Antioxidant Plant PhenolsNew research in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine further explores the potential health benefits of bitter cumin Centratherum an-thelminticum (L.) Kuntze, including its high level of antioxidants.

Traditionally used with a variety of ailments ranging from vitiligo to hy-perglycemia, bitter cumin is also considered an antiparasitic and anti-

microbial. Bitter cumin is a member of the daisy family, considered a rich source

of phenolic antioxidants; phenolic compounds in plants are considered antioxidants.

"Bitter cumin extracts were strong antioxidants in the free radical scav-enging systems tested," says researchers from the Central Food Techno-logical Research Institute. "The extracts were also strong electron donors and hence reducing agents, another marker of antioxidation. In bio-logical tests bitter cumin inhibited the oxidation of liposomes (used as a model for cell membrane oxidation) and offered complete protection against DNA damage."

Researcher Dr. Naidu adds: "The amount of plant phenols we were able to extract and the antioxidant activity of bitter cumin depended on the method used. Nevertheless the antioxidant activity of bitter cum-in correlated with total phenol content so it may well be that an array of phenolic compounds within bitter cumin seeds are responsible for the antioxidant activity seen."

Reference1. BioMed Central (2011, May 21). Traditional remedy bitter cumin is a great source an-tioxidant plant phenols, study suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sci-encedaily.com /releases/2011/05/110519202718.htm

In recognition of her support for and contributions to American Botanical Council's nonprofit educational mission, in addition to her herbal and essential oil expertise, ACHS Advisory Board Member Mindy Green is now also a member of the American Botani-cal Council (ABC) Advisory Board. Congratulations on this wonderful recognition, Mindy! To learn more about ABC: http://member.simplifycms.com/~simplify/edit1035/upload/CMS/00/00/26/41/sites/cur-rentSite/2011/ABCAnnouncesNewAdvisoryBoard-Members.html

Congratulations ACHS Advisory Board Member Mindy Green!

© 2011 American College of Healthcare Sciences [ 5 ]

ACHS Certificate in Aromatherapy Graduate and Owner of Divine Archetypes

“I have always valued aromatherapy, since I was very young,” says ACHS graduate Candice Covington. “I will never forget when I was 16 I discov-ered The Aromatherapy Workbook by Marcel Lavabre and that book literally changed the way I interacted with my environment from that time forward. If I had a headache, bug bite, or I wanted to stimulate an emotional or ener-getic response, I turned to essential oils to support me. Aromatherapy is such an elegant way to address and support almost anything, and that in its own right is remarkable.”

Candice graduated from her ACHS Certificate in Aromatherapy program in 2007 and has previously worked with several holistic health modalities.

“When I started researching aromatherapy courses, this was still a new concept in the U.S.,” Candice says. “Dorene Petersen truly was a pioneer in this arena. When I discovered ACHS, to my knowledge there were no other schools offering anything like it. I was waiting for Dorene! Without a solid edu-cational base, I could not even imagine being able to build my business as essential oils are one of my primary vehicles for expression.”

Since completing her ACHS Certificate in Aromatherapy, Candice has founded and continues to expand her aromatherapy business, Divine Arche-types, which is not targeted at the physical body, but “dynamically address the ‘hard to get at places’ that compose the energetic structure of human-kind, […] such as elemental constituents,” Candice says.

Divine Archetypes also integrates Candice’s line of ethically harvested essential oils called the Tattvas Essential Oil Collection. Divine Archetypes is founded on “the use of resonant archetypal energies of essential oils and amulets to affect the microcosm/macrocosm relationship of self/environ-ment, ultimately allowing one to Consciously Craft SelfTM,” Candice says. “The archetypal patterns of these items are expressed through sacred geometry, color, sacred syllables, animal totems, deities, and the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth—the tattvas).” The tattvas, Candice says, are based on Eastern thought. The tattvas permeate the entire body and mind, she says, and all actions are under their influence; therefore, an intimate connection between the tattvas and the structure of our lives would indicate that it is pos-

sible to alter our desti-nies through knowl-edge and use of the elements.

“I formed Divine Ar-chetypes as a means for researching and developing unique healing tools, methods, and philosophies based upon commonalities across a number of ancient healing practices and philosophies, particularly those focused on primordial, elemental concepts,” Candice says.

Candice will soon launch her first Divine Archetypes retail store in Sydney, Australia. The retail space will be structured as an interactive learning envi-ronment and will feature Candice’s oils, as well as amulets and sacred Ti-betan artwork (thangka paintings). Store displays will be structured to support and teach concepts concerning Divine Archetypes’ methodology, includ-ing which sense gate accesses which element, how this element impacts subtle bodies, and how one can consciously work with and direct this energy for specific outcomes. The store will also offer ongoing workshops to “support, inform and enrich how to take these ‘tools’ from being ‘pleasant’ or ‘beauti-ful’ to a dynamic means of addressing your subtle-self.”

For more information about Divine Archetypes, visit http://www.divinear-chetypes.com/ Candice can be reached at info@divinearchetypes.com You can also find Divine Archetypes on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DivineArchetypes

Read more about the ACHS Certificate in Aromatherapy online at www.achs.edu or click here http://www.achs.edu/course-desc.aspx?pid=10&id=1 The focus of the Certificate in Aromatherapy is holistic aromatology: the res-toration of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health through the ap-plication of essential oils. For more information, contact ACHS at (800) 487-8839, email admissions@achs.edu, or stop by the campus at 5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland OR 97239.

Meet Candice Covington

The ACHS Reporter is a monthly eNewsletter published by the American College of Healthcare Sciences. Its purpose is to provide holistic health education, career information, and resources for holistic health students, ACHS graduates, and professionals.

The ACHS Reporter is available electronically. For the fastest in-box delivery, sign up for the ACHS Reporter at www.achs.edu

Print editions are available by special request. Send requests and correspondence to the editor.

Note the ideas and opinions expressed within third-party articles within The Reporter have been provided for educational purposes only and do

not necessarily express the ideas and/or opinions of the The Reporter, The Reporter staff, the American College of Healthcare Sciences, its staff, or faculty.

Managing Editor & Communications Manager: Lauren Shapiro5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland, OR 97239(503) 244-0726 ext 17Email: newsletter@achs.edu

© 2011 American College of Healthcare Sciences. All rights reserved. Educators should contact the editor for inquiries related to reprints and permissions.

Web ExtrasAVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

o News and Events The ACHS website, www.achs.edu, includes a News and Events link on the left-hand toolbar. This is your go-to resource for developing College news and articles by ACHS faculty. Read up on new discounts for industry organization members and potential new scholarships to help fund your education!

o Alumni in Action Read stories from ACHS alumni and learn how they have started successful businesses, launched radio programs, and published ar-ticles. Go to: http://www.achs.edu/alumni/alumni-spotlight.aspx

o ACHS Reporter ArchiveRefer to our past issues for an online archive of holistic health resources for personal and professional use. Access our archive at: http://www.achs.edu/news/news.aspx?id=8

CONNECT WITH ACHSWe have more opportunities than ever to see what’s going on at the College and with your fellow students! Networking is a great resource for questions, discussions, and to continually keep up-to-date with the most recent ideas and topics in holistic health.

o ACHS has its own social network: You're invited to join MyACHS Con-nect, a vibrant online community exclusively for ACHS students and graduates. Please visit http://myachs.ning.com and sign up using the same email address that is in your student records, so your membership can be approved without delay.

o We also have our ACHS YouTube and Vimeo channels where everyone can view seminars, lectures, and videos from ACHS. Be sure to subscribe so you are alerted with updates. You also can tag your own videos with ACHStv and we may select them to be featured on the ACHS channel.

o Follow us on Twitter (ACHSedu and CAMResearch) for real-time up-dates and news. And—be sure to share your Twitter address with us so we can follow you too!

o Join the discussion and "Like" us on Facebook: http://www.face-book.com/ACHSedu

o Check in with ACHS and the Apothecary Shoppe on Foursquare for special offers: http://foursquare.com/venue/6028061

[ 6 ] © 2011 American College of Healthcare Sciences