We are all familiar with aromatherapy—whether it be from a relaxing massage or that overpriced room diffuser you bought at Bath and Body Works. We are all suckers for scents that make us feel good. However, the question that really puzzles us all is… how does it work? We have read many articles about how smell is closely related to memory—that our adherence to certain smells come from contextual situations. The cologne your grandpa used to wear, the cinnamon aromas coming from the apple pie your mom made, or the musty smell of dusty books from the library. Smells bring us back to a place, a time, a moment, a memory. This certainly effects our mood.
However, with aromatherapy, it’s not just having a preference for certain smells, perfumes, or pheromones. There has been much anecdotal evidence suggesting that aromatherapy has health benefits. However, this anecdotal evidence does not do much as the scientific community dismisses aromatherapy as holistic—just because you sniffed lavender for thirty minutes and felt sleepy afterwards does not necessarily provide concrete evidence proving that lavender makes people relax (although it is true that Lavender oil has sedative effects). Therefore, scientists have been trying to further illuminate this topic by making the science behind smell more clear. Lately, there’s been increased research into how smell effects our body—called Aromachology.
Okay,time to whip out the science. Everyone loves charts (probably not…but here’s one anyway)
What does it mean???? I will bring back the example of lavender oil to help better explain. So when we smell lavender oil, the smell hits our olfactory nerves and sends signals to the limbic system. The limbic system (fancy term to describe the parts of our brain in charge of our emotions, behaviors, olfaction, etc) then responds by talking to the raphe nucleus that then releases serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (helps create synapses in the brain—pretty much helps form connections in the brain that allow for electrical or chemical signals to get moved around in your brain) that influences nerve impulses. These nerve impulses induced by the serotonin affect how you feel—learning, mood, sleep, blood flow, anxiety, etc. So in summary, by smelling lavender, your brain triggers your body to release chemicals that can affect your mood and make you sleepy.
Confusing right? We can definitely see that smell has a biological effect on our body and minds, but, it can also be argued that the mind can override these biological effects. Aromachology is still a baby in the science field and until more research is done into how smell affects the body, we can only speculate at what the true relationship between aromatherapy and our state of mind is.
References
Essential Oil Production. Simpler's Botanical Garden. Web. 28 May 2012.
Goodwin, Juliana. "The Science Behind Aromatherapy." RedOrbit. Professional Massage Training Center. Web. 23 May 2012.
Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Serotonin? What Does Serotonin Do?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 04 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012.
"Aromatherapy." Aromatherapy. NYU Medical Center, Aug. 2011. Web. 25 May 2012.
References
Essential Oil Production. Simpler's Botanical Garden. Web. 28 May 2012.
Goodwin, Juliana. "The Science Behind Aromatherapy." RedOrbit. Professional Massage Training Center. Web. 23 May 2012.
Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Serotonin? What Does Serotonin Do?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 04 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012.
"Aromatherapy." Aromatherapy. NYU Medical Center, Aug. 2011. Web. 25 May 2012.
I found it really interesting how it can be argued that conditioned responses can come to override biological responses triggered by the scent. However, I wonder whether these conditioned responses really have to do with merely psychological effects. It seems hard to believe that the biological responses triggered by certain smells can be overridden by scent associations (in terms of memory, etc.). Also when looking at the chart I noticed that smell directly effects the hormonal system which seems to suggest that it cannot be used as a remedy for medical ailments but more mood control. Although this cannot solve immediate medical problems it can certainly come to aid the process of recovery by fostering a positive healing environment. Here I see aromatherapy playing a large role in pre/post surgical operations to aid recovery and I wonder if aromatherapy, used during procedures, could increase the rate of effectiveness/success. I also wonder whether aromatherapy could be useful during psychotherapy as a tool for making patients more relaxed and possibly making them feel more comfortable to confide in their therapists.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is common to just take something for what it is and not look into the reasoning or explanation[s] behind it. I have always been involved in alternative medicine and have an interest in Aromatherapy, but never once (until I took this class, that is) considered HOW certain scents affect us in various ways. I know what to smell or which capsule to ingest when I am not able to sleep, feeling stressed, anxious, etc., but that is as far as I take it. I think that looking into the science behind how smells interact with our brain functions is interesting and perhaps should be of a greater interest to people involved in Aroma practices. You mentioned that Aromachology is still new in the field of science and more research needs to be done in order to fully understand the processes. I look forward to doing more research on this area of study on my own as I find it to be truly fascinating! It really is a fact that the human sense of smell is a mysterious and complex system.
ReplyDeleteBeatriz Valenzuela (not sure why it appears as anonymous)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amanda, I found interesting how the conditioned responses can override serotonin release. Could this be due to the response and release happening in different parts of the brain? If so, would this mean that conditioned responses reside in a more embedded or anchored part of the brain that is tied to memory? Although Aromatherapy, in the examples in other posts, is used for mood enhancement/suppresant but not necessary have curative properties, would it be possible to have that effect if these essential oils were ingested? As in the eucalyptus (cough drop) example, are these essential oils only limited to alleviate symptoms. In looking at the chart, if I'm reading it correctly, when an oils is smelled it reaches the limbic system first which ties into memory and emotion sooner than it travels to the glands which are responsible for responses. This would support the idea that your negative memory of lavender is arrived at first before it has a chance to release a serotonin response.
One of the most interesting facts about the Aromatheraphy blog is that fat is used to enhance scent in aromatherapy products.Who would have thought that it is such a major ingredient in soap?
ReplyDeleteHow we associate scents are dependent upon the chemicals that are released in our brain. For instance, the idea the lavendar helps to release seratonin, one is more susceptible to conjure images of happiness, pleasantness, and calmness, and therefore our when one smells lavendar it is those images that create new associations, while making memories and connections with the scent.
Since aromatheraphy has been considered to be not just something pleasent, but holistic medicine for the human body and brain, it is interesting to read about how certain scents, like lavendar, affect the body and brain, and work to create certain moods, emotions, and feelings, much like seratonin in the brain is essential to feeling good.
There are many studies in which several anti-depressants are created to "put back" the seratonin that most diagnosed depressed individuals are lacking. To think that scent has such a powerful effect on mental health and wellness is really shines through within this blog!
I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of aromas (doesn't mean I hate them!). Although I do perceive pleasant fragrances and aromas as pleasant scents, I found myself not really getting relaxed in the presence of scents. My roommate likes to use candles to get rid of bad air, and when I smell the candle scent, which is pleasant, indeed, I feel disturbed by this artificial smell that pervades the air (although essential oils are extracts from plants). I'm not saying I would prefer the bad air over the candle scent, but I feel more comfortable with just plain fresh air rather than scents. So I was wonder if getting an aromatherapy (lavendar, of course) will help me feel relaxed because I would rather smell lavendars in the nature than at my house or other places. I don't know. I guess I'm weird. Anyway, the fact that there is study of aromachology is interesting as it is my first time hearing about it. You do specify a lot on the benefits of aromas and aromachology seems to study the positive effects of aromas to the body judging from what you wrote. I was wondering if aromachology also studies or at least acknowledges the effects of bad odors to the body. I can guess that unpleasant odors may trigger certain hormones related to distress, but would such effect on the mind also worsen physical pains or disorders/diseases since the relaxed mind helps the body recover faster (kind of a reverse thought)?
ReplyDeleteI actually find it easy to believe that scent associations can override physiological process of serotonin releasing into the brain. Although serotonin can produce a positive state of mind, that positive state is fragile. The negative aspects that scent association can embody can be very strong and overwhelming at times. One time i ate an immense amount of ginger because my friend dared me to. Ginger can be used as an aromatherapeutic scent, however when i smell it now, it reminds me of the painful experience that eating all of that ginger had on me. When i smell ginger now, there may be a release of serotonin in my brain. However, the only thing that i can think about is that one time in that sushi restaurant when i got sick from eating a whole plate piled high with ginger.
ReplyDelete