Aromatherapy employs aromatic essential oils, which have been extracted from flowers, leaves, bark, roots and plant resins. The therapeutic benefits were known to such ancient civilizations as the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.
The word "aromatherapy" has become the ad-man's
buzz-word. Go into any supermarket or pharmacy and you will find a vast range of products on the shelves which include the magic word "aromatherapy", however most of these products will have no "aroma therapeutic" qualities, they just smell good! There is nothing wrong with this as long as the consumer is aware that they are buying a cosmetic product, which is not necessarily a therapeutic treatment product. I feel sad that many people may have tried these products, found them lacking, and decided that "aromatherapy" doesn't work, when all they have experienced is perhaps a lavender fragranced bubble bath.
Recent research by a team of Austrian & German academics led by Josef Ilmberger of the Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich, has declared that the benefits of aromatherapy are largely imaginary.
Dr Ilmberger's findings, which were published in the New Scientist (April 2001), suggests that essential oils have no direct effect on the brain when inhaled. He said that.
"The effects of essential oils or their components on basic forms of attentional behaviour are mainly psychological."
The "placebo effect" is an accepted concept in orthodox medicine, acting as a catalyst to trigger the body's self-healing process, so why should it be used as a weapon to discredit aromatherapy? I have what I call a "healthy scepticism" about all of the complimentary therapies that I practice. I long ago stopped asking why they work, and accept that the positive results I have had speak for themselves.
Aromatherapy is still widely recognised as one of the most effective methods of stress control. Aromatherapy treats the mind, body and spirit, which helps to trigger the body's own natural healing process. If this is a result of the placebo effect, so what! If it works then great, if not move on and find something that works for you! |
