Aromatherapy employs scents of essential oils, derived from flowers, herbs or trees, in an olfactory therapeutic treatment to improve your physical, emotional and spiritual health. In short, you can improve your well-being just by smelling something. Used for thousands of years in countries around the world, scientific evidence backing the validity of aromatherapy has it gaining popularity in the United States, too.
Use
You don't have to inhale the scents directly to receive the benefits of aromatherapy. One way to release the scent of the essential oil is to diffuse it into the air with heat. Your massage therapist might add the scent to a lotion or cream used as a lubricant for your massage. The heat from your body and the friction of the massage strokes release the scent, and its aroma surrounds you.
History
Aromatherapy has been around for thousands of years. Ancient people from around the world--including the Chinese, Greeks and Egyptians--used the scents of essential oils for pleasure and medicinal purposes.
Session
An aromatherapist starts your session with an intake survey to assess your personal tastes, medical history and any problematic symptoms. The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) says she may administer a therapeutic treatment in the first session that transmits the scent via a steam inhalator, vaporizer, spray, anointed cloth or massage.
Lavender, Orange and Anxiety
You can use the scent of lavender or orange as an alternative anxiety treatment the next time you go to the dentist. In a study conducted by the University Clinic of Neurology at the Medical University of Vienna and published in the medical journal Physiology & Behavior, ambient aromas of lavender and orange improved patients' mood and reduced anxiety in the dentist's office. Two hundred participants from ages 18 to 77 were assigned to a waiting room before their dental appointment. Each of the four rooms featured a different stimulus of lavender, orange, music and a control group. Their findings show those exposed to the ambient aromas had less anxiety and a better mood than the control group.
Cautions
Topical and inhaled aromatherapy treatments using diluted essential oils are considered generally safe, but the UMMC cautions essential oils are concentrated and may be harmful when used at full strength. Do not self-medicate by orally ingesting essential oils, which should only be administered by a professional. The UMMC warns that "Pregnant women, people with severe asthma, and people with a history of allergies should avoid all essential oils."
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