Why Aromatherapy Is So Beneficial For Your Health?

Aromatherapy has been around for quite a while now and its enthusiasts have long attested to its efficacy when it comes to alleviating certain health conditions and even illnesses. Indeed, aromatherapy with the use of essential oils has a unique way of calming not just one’s body but also the mind. 

Let’s learn all about it and find out why aromatherapy is so beneficial for your health. 

What Is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is basically the practice of utilizing aroma most especially from essential oils or some other aromatic compounds with the goal of improving a person’s psychological as well as physical wellbeing. 

Having said that, essential oils are at the core of the aromatherapy concept and so these oils are crucial to its effects. Essentials oils are natural products that are extracted from plant species. Not every plant may be utilized for such extraction and so that’s the reason why there are certain ones that are very popular and maybe even someone who’s not well-versed in this matter has heard about them.

Essential oils are extracted from almost all the parts of a plant depending on the species. It may be taken from its roots, stems, flowers, leaves, and also fruits. What are some of the most common essential oils?

Well, we have lavender, lemon, peppermint, frankincense, thieves, cedarwood, jasmine, eucalyptus, tea tree, bergamot, and many more. Aromatherapy has been documented to be practiced way back in the early 1900s in Europe. 

These fragrance oils aim to stimulate one’s sense of smell and eventually send impulses to the brain in hopes of controlling emotion as well as memory or at least that’s the gist of it all. 

The Benefits Of Aromatherapy

Based on actual studies aromatherapy is said to have positive effects and has been effective in alleviating anxiety and depression. It is said that aromatherapy also improves the overall quality of a life and most especially for those who’s got chronic health problems. 

This actually makes sense because if aromatherapy helps out in alleviating stress levels then for sure, it’s got a lot of positive effects on one’s daily life. After all, stress is known to weaken one’s immune system and affects the quality of life too. 

Aside from what’s mentioned, aromatherapy is also known to help improve one’s sleep so it’s also quite recommended for those suffering from insomnia. 

Let’s talk about arguable the most popular of the essential oils the lavender oil. When it comes to fragrance and aroma, lavender is always a top choice. Why not, right? It smells super nice and it induces relaxation almost instantaneously. 

Lavender essential oil is known to reduce pain in those suffering from osteoarthritis. It’s also known for improving the quality of life even for those afflicted with the dreaded illness dementia. Also, it’s quite known to reduce the pain of those suffering from kidney stones. 

Here’s a quick glance list of the many benefits of aromatherapy:

• Helps in pain management
• Improve one’s sleep quality
• Lessens stress, agitation, and anxiety
• Helps in joint pains
• Alleviates headaches and migraines
• Helps lessen chemotherapy side effects
• Fight certain viruses, bacteria, and fungus
• Helps indigestion
• Gives the immunity some added boost

Directly speaking aromatherapy may treat conditions like asthma, depression, fatigue, insomnia, inflammation, menstrual issues, alopecia, erectile dysfunction, and arthritis. There are also unproven claims that aromatherapy helps in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease. 

As far as side effects are concerned, most essential oils have been proven time and again that they are safe to utilize. Please do take note that you cannot apply essential oils directly to your skin as the usual practice is to dilute it first with carrier oils. Also, make sure that your skin ain’t sensitive to it to prevent adverse reactions.

Also, be wary of using it if you’re taking some other medications. Pregnant women should ask their doctor too about using it or parents before they treat their children with it. 

Certain side effects include rashes, asthma attacks, headaches, allergies, and nausea. Be wary when using it if you have high blood pressure, epilepsy, hay fever, eczema, and psoriasis. 

Make sure to consult a medical doctor first and not just your aromatherapist. Aromatherapy has also been documented to help when someone is low in appetite. 

How To Safely Use Essential Oils

If you want to start using essential oils or undergo aromatherapy then you’re to have to do it the right way. Here are some tips:

• Use strategic aromatherapy accessories. You may use necklaces, key chains, or bracelets. These accessories should be made out of absorbent material so that you may apply some essential oils to them and then you can sniff them all day.
• As mentioned earlier, you may apply essential oils to your body by diluting them on carrier oils. Olive, coconut, and jojoba oils come to mind and you may apply them directly to your skin. 
• Aroma sticks are also quite a popular way to make use of essential oils. These are portable plastic sticks that are also called essential oils inhalers. 

With the overwhelming choices when it comes to essential oils nowadays, how do you ensure yourself to get only legit and effective ones? Here are a few tips!

• Stay away from fragrance oils. These fragrance oils that are perfume oils mixed with some chemicals are not suited for aromatherapy and may have some negative effects.
• Look at the containers. A purely made essential oil is concentrated then you’d know right from its container if A) the makers know what they’re doing and B) if they were done right.  They will dissolve plastic bottles that’s why only buy essential oils in dark-colored containers like blue or brown.
• It’s in the name. If you look closely at the label of a certain essential oil then you should see the Latin name of the plant it was derived from as well as the country where it’s from. 

Health it wealth and whether you choose to go the aromatherapy route or not, please remember to consult your doctor if you are feeling unwell. Stay safe and stay healthy!