At the beginning of time, scents have been used because they have psychological and physiological effects. They are used for clinical therapies, religious events and ceremonies; however, there is not a lot of scientific evidence on their effects (Fujiwara et al., 2002). The sense of smell is connected to memory in the hypothalamus (Fujiwara et al., 2002). When you smell home-cooked meals, it can remind you of your childhood. Or when you smell evergreens as you walk into your house, it makes you feel at home and in the holiday spirit.
Aromatherapy has been a popular practice to de-stress and take care of yourself. When you are going through a lot, aromatherapy can be an accessible and inexpensive way to improve your wellbeing. Therefore, there is an increasing amount of people with depressive symptoms who explore this nonpharmacological treatment (Sánchez-Vidaña et al., 2017). According to Fujiwara and his colleagues' study, the patients with clinical depression had significantly lower levels of cortisol and dopamine by the treatment with citrus fragrance than with antidepressants (Fujiwara et al., 2002). The thing to consider, however, is that the scent can be accustomed through long-term exposure in the same environment (Fujiwara et al., 2002). In Sánchez-Vidaña et al.'s study, they discovered that aromatherapy massage had greater benefits than just inhalation aromatherapy (Sánchez-Vidaña et al., 2017). It makes sense because massages in general always make me feel more relaxed, but it would be interesting if they can research the physiological benefits.
So get your fall candles or oil diffusers out to de-stress! Make sure to take time to take care of yourself, especially when we head towards a stressful season filled with a lot of assignments and work.
References:
Fujiwara, R., Komori, T., & Yokoyama, M. (2002, September 19). Psychoneuroimmunological Benefits of Aromatherapy. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0962456202000310
Sánchez-Vidaña, D. I., Ngai, S. P., He, W., Jason Ka-Wing Chow, Lau, B. W., & Hector Wing-Hong Tsang. (2017). The effectiveness of aromatherapy for depressive symptoms: A systematic review. Evidence - Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017 doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1155/2017/5869315
I love to use candles to relax as well! Aromatherapy seems to help with stress and depression. Do you think that it would be useful in hospitals or medical facilities? I found a paper that found the effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing pain (Lakhan et al., 2016) and another one showing that it also improves sleep quality for those in the ICU (Cho et al., 2017).
ReplyDeleteCho, E. H., Lee, M., & Hur, M. (2017). The effects of aromatherapy on intensive care unit patients’ stress and sleep quality: A nonrandomised controlled trial. Evidence - Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017, 10. doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1155/2017/2856592
Lakhan, S. E., Sheafer, H., & Tepper, D. (2016). The effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain Research and Treatment, 2016 doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1155/2016/8158693
Gabby - I'm glad to find out that my essential oil diffuser isn't total bogus! Interesting to explore many potential benefits of aromatherapy for depression, stress, and recovery from illness or injury.
ReplyDeleteIn a simple study published in March 2020, researchers found that exposing test subjects to lavender aroma while watching a stressful video had significantly decreased levels of the salivary stress marker chromogranin A (CgA) when compared to the control group (Toda, M., & Matuse, R., 2020). Another study published this year found that lavender and peppermint aromatherapy improved sleep quality of cancer patients (Hamzeh, et.al. 2020).
Something to keep in mind as the popularity of aromatherapy increases, is that these oils can be toxic and dangerous. In an article published just last month, authors suggest there should be more regulation of guidelines, plant sources, and best practices for safe use of essential oils (Farrar & Farrar, 2020).
For now, I'll stick to using my essential oil diffuse for relaxation and stress relief, and keep a look out for research on new uses.
References:
Farrar, A. J., & Farrar, F. C. (2020). Clinical Aromatherapy. The Nursing Clinics of North America, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2020.06.015
Hamzeh, S., Safari-Faramani, R., & Khatony, A. (2020). Effects of Aromatherapy with Lavender and Peppermint Essential Oils on the Sleep Quality of Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2020, 7480204. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/7480204
Toda, M., & Matsuse, R. (2020). Endocrinological effect of lavender aromatherapy on stressful visual stimuli. Contemporary clinical trials communications, 17, 100547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100547