2013 has been a wonderful year for the IJPHA! We have increased the number of subscribers 45%. We welcomed a new annual sponsor the American College of Healthcare Sciences and retained our sponsors Aromahead Institute of Aromatherapy and Appalachian Valley Natural Products who have been with us since our first issue in June 2012.
What began as a 44-page exploration into lesser-known essential oils and their professional use in aromatherapy has grown. Our last issue (Volume 2 Issue 3) featuring Agarwood and Mastic essential oils was a very full 64 pages of in-depth information! We have received positive responses from more of the industry experts you have requested to write articles for the IJPHA. We are simultaneously working on all of the issues for 2014 at this time!
The IJPHA was represented well around the world in 2013. In June, we were at the PhytArom conference in Grasse, France and later at the Annual General Meeting of the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA) in Hinckley, England. In September, the IJPHA booth drew a lot of attention and many new subscriber at the Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA) International Conference and Wellness Expo in St. Petersburg, Florida. October found us in Kumamoto, Japan at the 16th annual conference of the Japanese Society of Aromatherapy. And while we couldn’t be in two places at once, IJPHA materials were on hand at the International Aromatherapy and Aromatic Medicine Conference (IAAMA) in Australia in September and also at the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA) conference in England in October where we gained new subscribers.
The number of followers has grown on our facebook and blog pages too! Welcome to all our new followers and thank you to those of you who continue to pass on your positive comments to your friends and colleagues in support of the IJPHA.
As always we welcome your suggestions and case studies! Your input helps to shape future issues. If you haven’t already done so, please visit our website at www.ijpha.com and complete the survey to let us know how we are doing and what you would like to see more of in the IJPHA. Case studies remain the number one request of our readers. In order for aromatherapy to grow as a respected healthcare modality we need to add to the growing pool of research and information. Your case studies add to the growing body of knowledge. Many practitioners are hesitant to submit their case studies for publication because of they have never published anything before. Several practitioners have welcomed the challenge of writing for a peer-reviewed journal and are happy to have gone through the experience. We welcome you to contact some of our contributors to learn about their experience. Many are open to receive your inquiries.
Since the IJPHA’s inception we have seen an increase in the size of the journal, and more importantly the postage. The increase in postal rates was felt more in our international subscriptions where the average cost of shipping increased more than $8 per year. The IJPHA however did not increase the cost of a subscription. As of January 1, 2014 there will be another yet another price increase from the U.S. Postal Service. While it is more costly, our subscribers tell us they really appreciate the IJPHA because it is available in print format. However the IJPHA will need to increase the subscription rate ($5 domestic/$10 international) to cover the expense of shipping starting with the 2014-2015 subscription year. You can save by subscribing before January 30th!
As always, we remain grateful for your support of the IJPHA and your participation in the aromatic community. May 2014 bring you much joy and prosperity!
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