Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a holistic practice that utilizes essential oils and aromatic plants to enhance mental and emotional well-being. It is often used in conjunction with other treatments, particularly for stress-related disorders and in psychotherapeutic settings, aiming to promote relaxation, concentration, and the recall of personal memories. The practice gained prominence in the 1920s, following the work of French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse. Aromatherapy methods typically involve the inhalation of scents or their application through massage, with various techniques including using diffusers, adding oils to baths, or applying them directly to the skin. While many practitioners advocate for the benefits of specific scents—such as their potential to enhance memory or serve as aphrodisiacs—scientific validation for these claims is limited. Allergic reactions to essential oils pose the primary risk associated with aromatherapy, as the oils are highly concentrated and not intended for internal use. Historically, scents have played significant roles in various cultures, from religious rituals to personal healing practices. As interest in aromatherapy grows, there is a need for further research into its safety and efficacy, particularly concerning its impact on mood and memory functions.
Aromatherapy
DEFINITION: The use of scents to facilitate physical, mental, and emotional well-being
ANATOMY OR SYSTEM AFFECTED: Brain, nervous system, nose, psychic-emotional system
Indications and Procedures
Aromatherapy is best thought of as a to other procedures or treatments. Essential oils and aromatic plants are used to stimulate memories, bring about feelings of calm, aid meditation, and enhance visualization exercises. Aromatherapy helps create conditions that enhance the ability to concentrate, to mentally or physically relax, or to discuss or recall personal information or memories. As such, aromatherapy may be an appropriate adjunctive treatment for stress-related disorders and other disorders treated with psychotherapies. Some practitioners suggest that specific scents have extraordinary properties (such as memory enhancers or aphrodisiacs), but little scientific evidence exists for such claims. The practice of aromatherapy started in the 1920s, following the publication of a book on the subject by French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse.
Methods of aromatherapy are varied but chiefly involve scent inhalation alone or in combination with massage. With massage, essential oils (oils from aromatic plants) are applied directly to the body and massaged into the skin. Otherwise, essential oils are inhaled briefly, as one might use “smelling salts” or in a more diffuse manner, as with incense or perfume. Oils may be dabbed on points, dispersed by fragrance diffusers, simmered in potpourri vessels, added to boiling water to be diffused by steam, or added to baths.
Uses and Complications
Allergic reactions to aromatic oils are the greatest of aromatherapy. The substances typically used are highly concentrated and not safe for internal use. In the hands of an unskilled user, the oils may create unpleasant odors or allergic reactions. In addition, the long-term effects of such inhalants on lung functioning are not well documented; caution must be advised.
Perspective and Prospects
Historically, perfumes were offered to the gods by the Greeks, were essential for burial rites among the Egyptians, and had spiritual meaning in some Indigenous cultures of the Americas. In the twenty-first century, scents are used widely by therapists and individuals alike to facilitate well-being. In 2019, researchers had moderate confidence that aromatherapy was an effective complementary treatment for pain associated with dysmenorrhea, and had low to moderate confidence that it was potentially effective for easing pain during labor and childbirth, reducing blood pressure, and relieving stress and depression, and improving sleep quality among different patient groups and healthy adults.
Popular essential oils often used in aromatherapy include chamomile, lavender, lemon, and tea tree oil, which are used to treat anxiety, arthritis, pain, and many of the side effects of cancer and its treatment. Scientific studies have shown a connection between aromatherapy and changes in mood; however, no changes in biochemical markers have yet been observed.
Bibliography
“Aromatherapy.” National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Jan. 2020, www.nccih.nih.gov/health/aromatherapy. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.
Sparks, Dana. "Home Remedies: What Are the Benefits of Aromatherapy?" Mayo Clinic, 8 May 2019, newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/home-remedies-what-are-the-benefits-of-aromatherapy/. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.
Freeman, Michele, et al. Aromatherapy and Essential Oils: A Map of the Evidence. US Dept. of Veterans Affairs, 2019. NIH National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551017/. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.
Gattefosse, Rene-Maurice. Gattefose's Aromatherapy. Edited by Robert B. Tisserand, Random House UK, 1996.
Lawless, Julia. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Aromatherapy: A Practical Approach to the Use of Essential Oils for Health and Well-Being. HarperCollins, 2002.
Ryman, Daniele. Aromatherapy: The Complete Guide to Plant and Flower Essences for Health and Beauty. Bantam, 1993.