If you suffer from chronic mental or physical illness, your favorite floral fragrance may prove beneficial to restoring your health and vitality. Aromatherapy, a 6,000-year-old healing art, uses botanical extracts to assist your body in balancing, regulating, healing and maintaining itself, states the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, or NAHA. However, like all alternative healing methods, you should consult with your doctor before you use aromatherapy to complement your traditional medical treatment, as some oils may negatively interfere with your current medications or initiate unpleasant allergic reactions.
Identification
Aromatherapy is the art and science of using essential oils to prevent and treat physical and mental disorders, according to the NAHA. Essential oils are liquid extracts from plants and herbs, such as lavender, geranium, orange oil or oil of oregano, which aromatherapy proponents believe contain active constituents that facilitate bodily healing or emotional balance.
Theories/Speculation
Aromatherapy proponents believe that scent receptors in your nose can send messages to your brain that can alter your heart, respiration, blood pressure and emotional responses, which in turn can alleviate your disease symptoms and restore your emotional well-being, states the American Cancer Society, by triggering your recollection of past experiences with a particular scent. Other aromatherapy proponents believe that certain molecules in essential oils positively interact with enzymes or hormones in your bloodstream to restore your health and well-being.
Uses
Aromatherapy is used for a wide variety of mental and physical disorders, including anxiety, insomnia, constipation, psoriasis, headaches and pain associated with cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Aromatherapy is also used for premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, colds, indigestion, muscle tension, bacterial infections, immune system stimulation and bacterial infection relief.
Clinical Data
Pregnant women who received frankincense, lavender and rose essential oil aromatherapy treatments from qualified midwives were less fearful and anxious during labor, and needed less pain medications during their deliveries than women who did not receive aromatherapy treatments. Some pregnant women have also stated that peppermint oil aromatherapy reduced their nausea and vomiting during labor, states the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC.
Warning
Do not self-administer aroma therapy treatments if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure, severe asthma or have a history of seizures. Although aromatherapy alternative health treatments are generally safe, in rare cases essential oils produce side effects such as headaches, rashes and liver and nerve damage. The use of essential oils may also harm your unborn child, states the UMMC.
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