5 Health Benefits of Aromatherapy – Aromatherapy is a holistic practice under complementary medicine that uses botanical essential oils for mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing.
While aromatherapy has a reputation for relaxing the mind, body, and spirit, aromatherapy also offers several health benefits. Studies demonstrate that aromatherapy’s effectiveness goes deeper than just making us feel good from a mental wellness standpoint.
How Does Aromatherapy Work?
Aromatherapy entails the use of essential oils that originate from herbs, trees, or flowers to boost your overall spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. When you think of aromatherapy, your first thought might be essential oil diffusers and pots, but aromatherapy can occur in more than one form including bath salts, lotions, and massages.
Aromatherapy application takes place through inhalation or topically.
When applying to our skin, we must remember to proceed with caution because essential oils can cause skin irritation. Nonetheless, when applying essential oils to our skin, it is best to dilute it and apply using a carrier oil for massages.
Here are five health benefits of aromatherapy.
#1 Pain Control
Aromatherapy can prove beneficial in helping you to manage pain. Multiple studies show that headaches, kidney stones, earaches, labour pain, and arthritic pain all respond to aromatherapy essential oils. Aromatherapy triggers olfactory stimulation, helping to regulate our blood pressure, pulse, skin temperature, brain activity and pain. Lavender is perhaps one of the most popular essential oils for aromatherapy and relief of pain.
Studies demonstrate that lavender possesses properties that suppress the activity of our sympathetic nervous system or the part of our body that allows us to feel pain. Lavender has a way of reducing the anxiety that sometimes accompanies those twinges of pain and helps to boost the release of endorphins.
Other essential oils known to relieve pain include chamomile oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus, and rosemary.
#2 Heartburn
There are a variety of conditions that may contribute to a bout with heartburn including anxiety and stress. If you are one, who finds your heartburn increases or worsens under a cloud of fear, considers incorporating aromatherapy into your stress management regimen. You can inhale essential oils directly from the bottle or use a diffuser. Peppermint has a reputation for improving digestive conditions such as gas, bloating, indigestion and yes, heartburn.
#3 Cancer
Cancer patients report that essential oil use by way of aromatherapy can help to relieve symptoms of anxiety, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, and other health conditions (Cancer.gov). Aromatherapy sessions are particularly beneficial and last upwards of 90 minutes. An aromatherapist can help to choose those oils that might help you the most.
The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy suggests the following oils (breastcancer.org):
Headaches: Peppermint
Immune system support: Eucalyptus, rosemary, tea tree
Muscle tension: Chamomile, clary sage, eucalyptus, peppermint, ylang ylang
Indigestion relief: Peppermint
Relaxation and stress control: Ylang ylang, geranium, lavender, lemon, clary sage, and chamomile
Respiratory problems: Eucalyptus
#4 Laryngitis
We need our voice more than we know and is rarely evident until it is gone. While tea and cough drops or hard candymay seem like the best answer, aromatherapy can be another asset for your throat. Steam inhalations can help you to reduce the swelling or infection that you may be battling.
Also, you can apply essential oils by way of a massage to your neck and behind your ears to treat symptoms. If you are experiencing a dry cough or the loss of your voice, aromatherapy may be an excellent, natural cure of your symptoms. Lemon oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus, thyme, and rosemary are just a few of the oils that can help reduce inflammation and give you the relief you are so desperately seeking.
#5 Sleep Disorders
Do you have trouble sleeping? Aromatherapy may prove useful in managing insomnia among those of us who struggle to secure a good night’s rest. Although aromatherapy is not a cure for insomnia, the calming power of essential oils can support your efforts to fall asleep faster.
Lavender is a fan-favorite at bedtime, but Roman Chamomile is also useful in aiding you to relax and move one step closer to sleep.
Jayne Bennett
Aromatherapist, Alternative Health Practitioner