to think there's no such thing as ac 'accredited' holistic therapist?

[Nemo1986]

I've been looking into holistic therapy, trying to find out what the qualifications are, how it is regulated and how the charlatans can be differentiated from the Real Deal (a friend of mine is getting involved and retraining as one, but she is a whole other story...)

Anyway I have found therapists use kitemarks from:
The General Regulatory Council for Complementary Therapies
The Federation of Holistic Therapists
The International Alliance of Holistic Therapists
International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine
...
The list goes on and on! I find myself now asking which are the genuine regulators/accreditors! And does any of it mean anything anyway? I am now wondering whether there is actually any difference between a 'qualified' holistic therapist and an unqualified one.

I suppose it's not really an AIBU... but I would like to know if I am right in coming to these conclusions, and if anybody knows how the credentials of a holistic therapist can ACTUALLY be ascertained, I would be very glad to know!

Do not put lavender oil on burns. Anyone who knows about aromatherapy will not tell you to do this.

Essential oils need to be treated carefully and mixed properly with a carrier oil. Just bunging some lavender oil on is not recommended by any reputable practitioner or governing body. Some countries require medical qualifications before allowing anyone to use essential oils.

Comments like the one above are one of the reasons people think it is a lot of old codswallop.

Reminds me of the great line:

Dr Gillian McKeith.....or to give her her full title......Gillian McKeith.

Comments like the one above are one of the reasons people think it is a lot of old codswallop.

I think the reason people think it's a load of old codswallop is because, it actually is a load of old codswallop.

I'm very sceptical about all kinds of treatment like this.
I have once been proven wrong by a technique called Bowen. I watched it performed on a horse, who obviously cannot benefit from believing in it therefore feels better, like humans, and genuinely saw a difference.
A year or so later my back 'went' as it used to due to one too many falls from silly horses I guess and I was doped up on pain relief and awaiting physio appointment when the lady who had treated the horse asked if I would be a case study for her training to use Bowen on humans. Checked with GP and he had no issues so I did, figured as it was free and couldn't harm me I may as well.
That night if I could have moved I'd have killed the woman, I was in far worse pain and cursing my idiocy for doing it. By next morning with the exception of the feeling of taxed muscles in my back, like you get the day after a long runin your legs maybe, the pain was gone. It usually takes weeks of rest then gentle exercise and physio to get to that point. And my back, although it aches, has never spasmed like that again to date.
I think there is probably a basis in most holistic treatments of truth, but I am uncomfortable with the amount of different things on offer and indeed the prices charged for these 'treatments' by 'therapists' when really there's no medical proof behind most of it.
That said, if something works for you then it works.

As a member of the FHT, who spent a considerable length of time and effort qualifying with reputable examiners and lecturers and then many years building up a client base , interacting with their GPs etc, taking scrupulous care to ascertain their medical issues, following strict rules about treatment standards, health and safety, ethics, client care, insurance, libility etc. I'm pretty anoyed at some of these comments tbh. I wouldn't have £5 M pound Insurance in place if I were a charlatan!
Please don't tar everybody with the same brush!

I wouldn't have £5 M pound Insurance in place if I were a charlatan!

Given that you have insurance to compensate clients if you mistreat them or misdiagnose them, and to cover you against being sued for malpractice, it seems perfectly reasonable that a charlatan would have insurance in place.

Oh for god's sake, miss the point entirely why don't you craft1905
So GPs, Lawyers, Dentists, in fact any profession I can think of, all have insurance, so that makes them charlatans ?
What a very odd view.
My point was that a charlatan wouldn't even bother to study, do exams, build up a load of experience , keep detailed records, do CPD, be mentored, have insurance in place, belong to a professional body and meet exacting standards. They just wouldn't bother with all that.
That's what I meant by "don't tar us all with the same brush"