How Aromatherapy Works

Aromatherapy is the controlled use of essential oils which, when used correctly, can help to alleviate a wide range of physical and emotional disorders. Used in massages, baths, compresses and inhalations, essential oils can assist relaxation and pain relief, thereby promoting a feeling of health and well-being. This in turn can help to break the vicious circle of stress, which so often leads to ill health.

As the cost of health care continues to increase, people everywhere have begun to turn to this natural form of complementary therapy dating back to ancient times. As we have always said at Quinessence, once you have discovered just how effective it can be, aromatherapy becomes a way of life.

But exactly how does aromatherapy work?

Essential influence

When applied to the body, essential oils penetrate the skin via the hair follicles and sweat glands and are absorbed into the body fluids, where they not only help to kill bacteria and viruses but can also stimulate the body’s immune system thereby strengthening resistance to invading organisms.

Some essential oils increase the circulation and help with the efficient elimination of toxins, others promote new cell growth and encourage the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Each essential oil has its own specific character and aroma, exhibiting a varying number of properties and benefits which are unique since no two essential oils are really quite the same.

When they are inhaled, the minute molecules of essential oils are readily absorbed into the bloodstream as the lungs work to oxygenate the blood. This form of absorption is the most efficient when inhaling essential oils from a tissue, diffusing them in a vaporizer, or adding them to your bathwater. The aroma sends a signal directly to an area in the brain known as the Limbic System which controls the emotions, behaviour, memory and sexual arousal. This is why essential oils have such a powerful effect on our state of mind and are able to lift our moods.

The limbic system is the most ancient part of the brain and is a complex set of structures that lies on both sides and underneath the thalamus, just under the cerebrum. This primitive part of the brain processes signals instantly and instinctively, recording memories and associations. Known also as the ‘pleasure centre’, the limbic system connects the higher and lower functions of our brains.

Magical combination

Massage is one of the best ways to enjoy aromatherapy because you not only receive the therapeutic properties of the essential oils, but you also get the wonderful benefits of the massage itself. The therapeutic action of the essential oils when brought together with the revitalising effects of massage stimulate all of the organs in the body, plus the skin, muscles, nerves and glands. The increased circulation of the blood and lymph flow also assists with clearing toxins from the body.

Because essential oils can influence our emotions, aromatherapy can help to lift depression, soothe irritable nerves and generally encourage a better state of mind. Relaxing essential oils such as lavender, sweet marjoram, clary sage, sandalwood, frankincense and ylang ylang work by stimulating a neuro-chemical called serotonin that is naturally produced by the body to help relaxation and induce sleep. It is this action that makes these oils so invaluable in helping long-term conditions such as insomnia, stress and tension.

Cycle of illness

Physical illness that has continued over a long period of time causes a negative emotional state, and this can eventually lead to a compromised immune system. This situation can be particularly devastating since the weakened immune system will now be more vulnerable to further infection, and another new infection can lead to even further emotional depression. A downward spiral of emotional and physical health can ensue, producing a vicious cycle of illness that can be very difficult to break without the correct treatment.

Scientists have proven that negative and positive emotions really can change the complex chemistry of our bodies, and these changes can have a negative or positive effect on the immune system. Recent research has shown how living under prolonged stressful conditions can cause the body to over-produce cortisol and adrenalin which are hormones produced by the adrenal glands.

Fight or flight?

These two hormones are normally secreted to produce a burst of energy as part of the ‘fight or flight’ response, and of course this response is an essential tool for survival. Prolonged periods of emotional and psychological pressures however, means that the over-production of these hormones can begin to weaken the integrity of the immune system because they reduce the level of T-helper cells, and inhibit the production of natural killer cells.

The research leading to this discovery supports the claims of aromatherapists who have always believed that the sense of well being produced after using essential oils in a treatment can help to boost the immune system, especially in cases of stress and depression where the immune system has become depleted. Regular treatments using essential oils and aromatherapy massage helps to break the cycle of depression which causes immunodeficiency, whilst at the same time helping to boost the depleted immune system.

Preventative medicine

Aromatherapy excels as a form of complementary and alternative medicine, bringing help and relief to millions of people with conditions where conventional medicine currently fails them. Of this there can surely be no doubt. But there is one further benefit that aromatherapy provides that contributes to overall health that possibly no other complementary therapy offers right now.

It has long been understood that preventative measures go a very long way towards protecting the body against all types of illness. Therefore the relaxing and de-stressing influence of essential oils and massage, together with their effect on the immune system, places aromatherapy in the pre-eminent position as the finest preventative medicine today.

And no matter what your opinion or beliefs may currently be about the efficacy of aromatherapy, there is one thing that we can all surely agree on; when it comes to health, prevention really is much better than cure.

Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2009