Raindrop Therapy

Raindrop therapy uses essential oils to help soothe, relax and stimulate healing. The therapy is practiced by massage therapists and other holistic health practicers.

Raindrop technique was created by D. Gary Young the president of the Young Living Essental Oils. Young says that these techniques were taught to him by a Lakota medicine man. He says that the man helped him heal chronic conditions using this technique.

Nine aromatherapy oils are used in this therapy.

• thyme
• basil
• oregano
• cypress
• marjoram
• peppermint
• wintergreen
• 2 oil blends

These essential oils are dropped directly on the skin and then massaged in. Following the very light, brisk massage heat is applied to help the oils absorb into the skin.

The therapy is used to treat a variety of ailments including scoliosis and sciatica. Young has a theory that these conditions are caused by infections and that the essential oils draw out these infections.

I write a lot about different types of alternative treatments and I try to be open-minded and unbiased when I write about them but honestly, I have a real problem with raindrop therapy. When researching this there were a couple of things that put up red flags for me. I think that I have a responsibility to share my concerns with you.

The use of these powerful undiluted essential oils on the skin can cause problems. These oils can cause skin irritations and even phototoxicity and essential oil toxicity.

The use of wintergreen specifically worries me. Wintergreen essential oil absorbs into the system very quickly and can cause poisoning.

The other thing that worries me about this therapy is that it seems like you can just buy the kit online for a few hundred dollars, read the brochure, watch the DVD and call yourself a therapist. This lack of training means that if a client experiences an adverse reaction to the oils the therapist may not be well enough trained to recognize the symptoms.

If you're still interested in raindrop therapy make sure you see someone who is a certified aromatherapist for your treatment. Here's a video that shows how one therapist uses it in her practice.