What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy harnesses the body’s sense of smell to help relieve stress, boost moods and improve general wellbeing. Each type of essential oil has its own unique health giving properties. If you want to feel energized then choose eucalyptus or peppermint, whereas if you want to feel relaxed and sleepy then lavender and chamomile are excellent choices. If you’re feeling tired and want to feel revitalized then choose either lemon or rosemary.
Wow! Aren’t our Bodies Amazing?
The sense of smell is powerful. In fact, the body can distinguish around 10,000 different scents! As scents are inhaled, the smell travels across the olfactory nerves located inside the nose and then up into the part of the brain that controls our moods, our memories and our ability to learn. This area is called the Limbic System and when stimulated it releases endorphins, neurotransmitters and other ‘feel-good’ chemicals.
Aromatherapy isn’t all just about scent. The oils from the fruits, plants, herbs or flowers are also carried into the blood stream when rubbed into the skin. Chances are you’ve practiced aromatherapy without even realizing it. The reason being is that many fragrant lotions and creams you buy to make your skin feel soft contain essential oils.
There’s a huge selection of essential oils to choose from and are often found in lotions, inhalants, gels, bath salts, vaporizers, candles, perfumes and room sprays. Aromatherapy involves the use of essential oils, oils that have been extracted from naturally-occurring materials. Because they’re natural there is less chance of developing allergies to them. Essential oils are far from being a new phenomenon, despite being considered by some to be “new age”. In fact, they’ve been around since Ancient Egyptian times.
Benefits of Aromatherapy
1# Enjoy in Your Own Home
if you have the money to spare, then visiting a professionally trained aromatherapist can be a real treat. However for the rest of us who have bills to pay, aromatherapy can just as easily be enjoyed in your own home. All you need are some candles, Aromatherapy or bath oils and a burner or diffuser. To achieve the maximum results, you’ll also want to seek out a quite and comfortable space for your aromatherapy session!
#2 Improve Your Health Naturally
So many people are getting fed up of taking prescription medication that they are looking for natural ways to improve your health. Be careful however; make sure you always take advice from a physician. If you only have mild health problems such as colds and headaches, aromatherapy can help instead if you don’t want to take such meds as aspirin. Although there are few side effects with aromatherapy, it’s important to remember that there is still the possibility of an allergic reaction. If you have particularly sensitive skin you should always test on a patch of skin.
#3 Not Tested on Animals
As a vegetarian and animal lover, I love the fact the buying essential oil means I don’t have to worry about cruelty to animals. Although many manufacturers say they don’t test their products on animals, they in fact test the ingredients on them instead. I think this is very misleading to say the least.
