Have you ever thought about the healing powers of aromatherapy? It's time to wake up and smell the facts about the therapeutic properties of your favorite From sleep to stress, to sinus trouble, there's an essential oil that can cure what ails you. The ancient practice of aromatherapy is all-natural.
Today, essential oils support a thriving industry and are used in everything from flavoured foods to candles and perfumes to treatments at top spas and bodywork centers. Aromatherapy’s power comes from the fact that high-grade, organic essential oils are naturally healing and therapeutic. They can be beneficial for physical ailments such as stomach aches, allergies, migraines, or sore joints, as well as for finding emotional and spiritual balance. To access an oil’s curative properties, all you have to do is smell the oil or gently rub it into your skin. You can also try using the oils on a hot compress or in a bath, diffuser, or a humidifier. Just be sure to always follow instructions for use, and only ingest oils if you’re guided by a certified practitioner since some are toxic and may cause reactions. Also, check the expiration dates of your oils, because some have relatively short shelf-lives, while others seem to last forever.
The quickest way to benefit from essential oils is by deeply inhaling the scent, and then just allowing your brain to psychologically process it. Hold the oil under your nose and breathe it in for a count of three, then slowly exhale through your nose. The effects can last up to about 45 minutes, and you can repeat this process as many times as you want throughout the day. You’ll experience firsthand the powerful connection of the mind and body as the oil works its healing magic, spurred by simply breathing in the essential oil’s scent
If you want to experiment with applying essential oils to your skin, a good place to start is your pulse points—your wrist, temples, neck—because the oil is quickly absorbed in these areas. Once it’s dabbed on, it works its way into your bloodstream and throughout your body. Since oils are potent and concentrated, remember to dilute them with a carrier oil, which is generally vegetable, nut, or fruit-derived, such as coconut oil, avocado, jojoba, or hazelnut oil. These have healing qualities themselves, and also function as a protective layer for your skin.
When we are exposed to an aroma, the molecules are exposed to our olfactory epithelium, our nasal receptors. The transmission of this signal from the exposure of the fragrance molecule to our brain leads to interpretation of the scent in our brain centers, which involve memory, sensory perception, general processing center, and to a gland in our brain that mediates chemical secretion into our blood and other parts of our brain, just to name a few effects. With such intricacy of neuroprocessing involved in our body’s interpretation of a fragrance, it’s no wonder that many patients eventually become staunch supporters of using aromatherapy to help them with a variety of daily health concerns.
Smells shape our moods, behaviour and decisions, so why have they barely registered in our conscious lives.