ARC is USELESS and YL CRAP CRAP CRAP!

[Guest guest]

Found this while researching for a little talk I may have to give... This

obviously proves that getting an RA with ARC is a waste of time. There can

be no legitimacy or trust in an organization that cannot police such

blantant abuse of the original Objective.

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Benefits of Being a Registered Aromatherapist

By David Stewart, Ph.D., R.A.

 

Many users of essential oils are interested in obtaining a

nationally recognized credential as a professional

aromatherapist. At this time, there is only one such

credential. It is through the Aromatherapy Registration

Council (ARC). The ARC is a non-profit organization

registered in the state of Oregon and recognized as tax

exempt by the IRS. You can learn everything you need

to know about them on their web site:

http://www.aromatherpycouncil.org.

 

To become a Registered Aromatherapist or R.A. One need

only to take and pass the ARC exam. It is a four-hour exam

administered several times a year throughout the United

States. It is 100% multiple choice. There is a cost to take

the exam of about $300, non-refundable. If you don't pass,

you have to pay the fee again and try once more. The

exam is administered by the Professional Testing

Corporation (PTC), 1350 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York,

NY 10018. Their phone is (212) 356-0660. For information

on currently scheduled examination dates and locations,

visit their web site at http://www.ptcny.com.

 

ANY YOUNG LIVING DISTRIBUTOR CAN PASS THE EXAM

Any Young Living distributor who is willing to study can

pass the exam. The first thing you will need to do is to

memorize the scientific names of all of the essential

oils sold by YLEO. The test does not use any common

names. Then memorize a few points about what each oil

is most effective in treating. A couple of points about

each oil is enough. There are some professional ethics

you will need to know, but they are all in the literature

that you can obtain from PTC or on the web sites. Be

sure to be familiar with these points.

 

There will be questions on essential oil chemistry. The

CARE Chemistry course contains all the information (and

more) than you would need to pass this portion of the test.

There will be some questions on distillation processes to

obtain essential oils. Also expect some questions on human

physiology and the body's basic systems. The ARC brochure

and web site actually gives you a complete outline of what

to expect on the exam.

 

PITFALLS FOR YLEO DISBUTORS TO WATCH FOR

There will also be some questions on safety issues and

contraindications in using essential oils and here is where

those who use Young Living oils may have a problem. The

problem is this. The makers of the ARC test are biased

toward the British school. Most aromatherapy schools in

North America (outside of YLEO) are British in their

philosophy toward oils.

 

The basis of the British prejudice is that aromatherapy

practice in that country come from the perfume industry

where oils are synthetic, adulterated, and manipulated.

Such oils are not safe to apply neat. But, as we know in

Young Living, therapeutic grade oils are safe to apply neat.

 

The British school of aromatherapy does not believe it is

safe to apply essential oils neat (undiluted) to the skin. Nor

do they believe it is safe to take them orally. The British

school considers the practice of aromatherapy to be the

application of essential oils in massage diluted 95-98% with

a carrier oil such as olive, jojoba, or other fatty oil.

 

FORBIDDEN OILS

There are also lists of oils that many British

aromatherapists don't use at all, even diluted, because

they consider them too dangerous to use in aromatherapy

or any purpose. The British lists of forbidden oils are not all

the same, but almost all of them include wintergreen and

tansey as taboo oils. Other oils that have been black-listed

include basil, oregano, cassia, calamus, cinnamon, clove,

savory, fennel, and thuja.

 

Of course, basil, oregano and wintergreen are oils that are

safely applied neat in raindrop technique, a procedure that

has been experienced by tens of thousands of Americans

with great benefits. But the British don't recognize this,

and neither to the American aromatherapists who were

trained in the British way of thinking.

 

Cassia, calamus, and cinnamon are part of the holy anointing

oils decreed by God and used by Moses and Aaron in Biblical

times (Exodus 30:22-31) and was safely used by the

Israelites for more than twelve centuries.

 

And as for clove, it has been safely used neat in the oral

cavity as a local antiseptic by dentists for more than 300

years. Clove oil is also the most concentrated antioxidant

known and I personally take a capsule full every day with no

ill effects, only benefits.

 

THE ALLEGED TOXICITY OF TANSEY

As for the toxicity of wild (Idaho) tansy, one time when I was

lecturing, there were some British oriented aromatherapists

in the audience. They were being somewhat disruptive to my

presentation when one of them raised her hand saying, " Isn't

tansy poisonous and should not be used? " I responded by

saying, " Thank you for asking. It just happens that I have a

bottle of tansy oil right here with me. " I then opened the bottle

and poured a few drops directly in my mouth saying, " Let's

just find out if it is poisonous of not. If I am still alive at the

end of my talk, then we will know. " With that, the hecklers

shut up and, of course, I was still alive at the end of the

program.

 

With respect to the ARC exam, keep the above thoughts

in mind so that you can choose the right answers, from

the ARC point of view, which may be contrary to your

personal experience using YLEO oils. If there is a question

on whether oils can be used neat, the politically correct

answer will be to say no unless one of the multiple choices

is melaleuca alternafolia or tea tree oil. The British make

the exception melaleuca on the feet is okay. Some British

also make an exception of lavender oil applied sparingly in

special cases and some allow for lemon oil to be taken

internally. But in general, the British don't apply neat oils

or take them orally at all. Of course, those of us who use

good therapeutic grade oils obtained from YLEO know better.

 

WHAT BOOKS TO STUDY

As for what books to study for the exam, the ARC brochure

and web site will recommend several books, some of which

are quite expensive ($150 per copy) or difficult to find

(because they are published in England). Having reviewed all

of them on the list myself, I would recommend that you

obtain only one of them. That is the book by Jane Buckle, RN,

PhD, entitled Clinica Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice,

2nd edition. Jane is British-born, but has an American

residence, but her bias is British and so is her publisher,

Churchill-Livingston. But the book is easily available through

any bookstore in this country who can order it for you. It

is well written and contains just what you need to know to

pass the exam. Jane Buckle is one of the founders of the

ARC and one of the authors of the ARC exam. You don't

need to spend the hundreds of dollars that I did in obtaining

the whole list of books suggested by ARC. Save your money

and your time and get only this one book. There is an

excellent short section on the chemistry of essential oils

that will pretty much get you through anything that appears

on the text. I agree with most of the book and disagree only

with her ultra-conservative precautions and contraindications,

which are British and incompatible with YLEO philosophy.

 

So there you have it. Memorize the Latin names of the oils,

study the basics of aromatherapy found in the books YLEO

promotes and ESP sells, and study Jane Buckle's book to gain

the British perspective so you can pass the test. Find a

friend and study together. It can actually be fun.

 

BECOME AN R.A. AND TEACH COLLEGE

Young Living Distributor, Jacqui Close, CCI, RA, and I studied

and took the test together in December 2001. We both

passed easily, taking only 2 hours 30 minutes to complete

the exam. As a result, Jacqui has been accepted to teach

aromatherapy at a local university when the only credential

she really has (besides being a Certified CARE Instructor) is

her certificate as a Registered Aromatherapist. She does not

have a college degree, yet she can teach a college course. This

will be her second year to teach the course.

 

So being an RA is worth something. It gives you professional

status, the only professional status recognized throughout

North America in aromatherapy. At this time, there are less

than 100 people who have passed the exam.

 

The idea for a nationally recognized professional credential in

aromatherapy actually originated among members of NAHA,

the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists. Many

NAHA members consider themselves to be the most

knowledgeable leading authorities in the field of essential oils

and often look down their noses disparagingly at Young Living

distributors. However, as Young Living distributors, it may

interest you to know that less than 5% of the1200 members

of NAHA are RAs. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of thousands

of YLEO members. One of the privileges one gains by passing

the exam is that you may, if you choose, submit questions to

ARC be included on the next exam. I say go for it.

 

 

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Cheers!

Kathleen Petrides

The Woobey Queen

Http://www.woobeyworld.com