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"  When Aromatherapy Associates&amp;#039; London-based founder Geraldine Howard was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, she sought experimental\u2014and so far, successful\u2014treatment in Holland. But she also concocted a blend for herself that she dubbed &amp;quot;the black hole oil&amp;quot; to help her through it all. It was, in fact, a liquid S.O.S.: cardamom and rosemary for heartiness, frankincense for clearing the mind, vetiver and chamomile for mental strength, rose for warmth, geranium for the adrenals, and clary sage, which she says is the aromatherapeutic equivalent of laughing gas. Now the potion has been rebranded (and has had to be restocked several times in the U.K.) as Inner Strength oil. &amp;quot;People are surprised by how powerful it is, but scent is the only sense that&amp;#039;s liked to the brain,&amp;quot; says Howard. &amp;quot;It can change your responses.&amp;quot; In her case, that meant making a rough time just a little bit easier. Next week the Mandarin Oriental Spa in Boston will debut the Inner Strength treatment to put the oil into practice. The pairing came up after spa director Sharon Holtz, who has known Howard for years, noticed how many hotel guests come to town for weeks or months at a time to seek treatment for serious illnesses. &amp;quot;It is such a medical mecca here in Boston that to be able to have something that could help people, whether it be people going through treatment, or families of people going through treatment, because it takes its toll on them as well, is amazing,&amp;quot; she says. The 80 or 110-minute ritual begins with a relaxing breath exercise, which is followed by a gentle, soothing massage with the Inner Strength oil. It focuses on warming the body with compresses that are placed on the back and the abdomen. &amp;quot;The stomach is always deemed as the second brain,&amp;quot; says therapist Karen Aleksich, who developed the treatment. &amp;quot;If anyone&amp;#039;s stressed the first thing they complain about is sore stomach, or nausea. The aim is to put the calmness back into the core.&amp;quot; The movements are all slow, light, and flowing. &amp;quot;When you&amp;#039;re going through a hard time you don&amp;#039;t want someone coming in and pushing the body to the limits,&amp;quot; Aleksich says. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s about allowing the body to heal and work through its own path.&amp;quot; Both Aleksich and Holtz emphasize that the spa treatment is helpful for anyone going through a challenging time, loss, or major transition. And there&amp;#039;s another benefit: Ten percent of the cost will go the Jimmy Fund, an organization that supports the local Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Inner Strength Treatment, from $200, mandarinoriental.com "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/beauty-products/a1209/aromatherapy-associates-oil/>