A great many people have a very skewed perception of aromatherapy, so many in-fact that a weak critique of the practice currently shows up on the first page of search results for the term. Somehow aromatherapy got labeled as some "new age" foolishness, and that view pervades much of the Western world. Working in the background, scientists have been validating the use of essential oils for quite some time, for many medical applications. However, the data showing the effects of just aromas is somewhat limited -- and this data is really what's needed to change the way people think about essential oils.
The study discussed here is in fact about "aroma-therapy" the way many people understand it. Researchers are getting into the brain to check out what's going on while inhaling aromas. It is widely known that our olfactory sense is the only one of the five senses that is directly wired to the brain. In fact, some of the receptors in the olfactory bulb are actually considered brain cells. Inputs from other senses are created, then have their signals travel along neurons to the brain, and do not affect us quite so immediately. The olfactory bulb is also thought to be an extension of the limbic system, the center of our emotions, motivation and memory, having little or nothing to do with conscious thought or will.
Researchers in the Department of Pharmacobiology at the University of Calabria, Italy, have described the mechanism of action of bergamot essential oil's stress reducing effects. Bergamot is considered one of the premier anti-depressant, emotionally-uplifting essential oils used in aromatherapy. The researchers discovered that when mammals smell bergamot, there is a release of neurotransmitters in the hippocampus (a part of the limbic system) -- specifically the area associated with the creation of long-term memories. This release of neurotransmitters interferes with the strengthening of neural pathways that cause stress to build up.
If you think about the way stress works, its not a one time thing. It's the same thing happening again and again -- the feeling of stress builds over time because the circuit in your brain is getting stronger. Consider an experience you find stressful; it could be a noise like, like a jackhammer for example. Hearing it once is no big deal, hearing it all day every day could drive you...well, make you very stressed. Inhaling bergamot essential oil interferes this building up process (and has an immediately uplifting affect at the same time -- quite a bonus).
The results of one of the only other large-scale studies examining the anti-stress effects of an essential oil (also using bergamot) may be explained by this effect. Students were regularly exposed to bergamot oil or a placebo. Those receiving the real thing noted significantly lower stress levels, perhaps because their sense of anxiety from regular stress they were exposed to did not build up over time.
In the conclusion, the Italian researchers state that now the anti-stress mechanism of the oil's aroma is understood, there is a rational basis for the practical use of bergamot in complementary medicine. Complementary medicine is really alternative medicine that's been accepted as valid by the medical community.
This leads to much bigger implications for aromatherapy. Many oils are used aromatically for various purposes: stress reduction, relaxation, mental stimulation and the like. These oils are also more than likely eliciting measurable effects in the brain. For example, several essential oils have been shown to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine in the laboratory, an effect that is likely happening within the body as well when these oils are inhaled.
There's so much data published on the great many medicinal actions of essential oils that they're likely catching the eye of some in the conventional medical community. It's not a reach at all for much of aromatherapy's more researched oils and actions to be given the same stamp of approval as bergamot. A search of the database of the National Institute of Health for "essential oils" yields pages and pages of results. Now with the affirmation that even the "aroma" part of aromatherapy has valid therapeutic actions, perhaps the use of essential oils will be more quickly embraced.
The study discussed here is in fact about "aroma-therapy" the way many people understand it. Researchers are getting into the brain to check out what's going on while inhaling aromas. It is widely known that our olfactory sense is the only one of the five senses that is directly wired to the brain. In fact, some of the receptors in the olfactory bulb are actually considered brain cells. Inputs from other senses are created, then have their signals travel along neurons to the brain, and do not affect us quite so immediately. The olfactory bulb is also thought to be an extension of the limbic system, the center of our emotions, motivation and memory, having little or nothing to do with conscious thought or will.
Researchers in the Department of Pharmacobiology at the University of Calabria, Italy, have described the mechanism of action of bergamot essential oil's stress reducing effects. Bergamot is considered one of the premier anti-depressant, emotionally-uplifting essential oils used in aromatherapy. The researchers discovered that when mammals smell bergamot, there is a release of neurotransmitters in the hippocampus (a part of the limbic system) -- specifically the area associated with the creation of long-term memories. This release of neurotransmitters interferes with the strengthening of neural pathways that cause stress to build up.
If you think about the way stress works, its not a one time thing. It's the same thing happening again and again -- the feeling of stress builds over time because the circuit in your brain is getting stronger. Consider an experience you find stressful; it could be a noise like, like a jackhammer for example. Hearing it once is no big deal, hearing it all day every day could drive you...well, make you very stressed. Inhaling bergamot essential oil interferes this building up process (and has an immediately uplifting affect at the same time -- quite a bonus).
The results of one of the only other large-scale studies examining the anti-stress effects of an essential oil (also using bergamot) may be explained by this effect. Students were regularly exposed to bergamot oil or a placebo. Those receiving the real thing noted significantly lower stress levels, perhaps because their sense of anxiety from regular stress they were exposed to did not build up over time.
In the conclusion, the Italian researchers state that now the anti-stress mechanism of the oil's aroma is understood, there is a rational basis for the practical use of bergamot in complementary medicine. Complementary medicine is really alternative medicine that's been accepted as valid by the medical community.
This leads to much bigger implications for aromatherapy. Many oils are used aromatically for various purposes: stress reduction, relaxation, mental stimulation and the like. These oils are also more than likely eliciting measurable effects in the brain. For example, several essential oils have been shown to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine in the laboratory, an effect that is likely happening within the body as well when these oils are inhaled.
There's so much data published on the great many medicinal actions of essential oils that they're likely catching the eye of some in the conventional medical community. It's not a reach at all for much of aromatherapy's more researched oils and actions to be given the same stamp of approval as bergamot. A search of the database of the National Institute of Health for "essential oils" yields pages and pages of results. Now with the affirmation that even the "aroma" part of aromatherapy has valid therapeutic actions, perhaps the use of essential oils will be more quickly embraced.
About the Author:
The author has made available much information about aromatherapy, such as using citronella and other organic essential oil.
No comments:
Post a Comment