Aromatherapy is another popular alternative treatment for reducing
stress. It is based on the theory that scent influences the way people feel. Aromatherapy uses candles scented with essential
oils extracted from plants. It also uses aroma lamps and diffusers
that spray the oil into the air in a mist. These oils are derived
from plants such as jasmine, chamomile, vanilla, lemon balm, and
lavender and are believed to have calming properties. Indeed, people
report feeling calmer and less stressed after inhaling them.
Studies into the effectiveness of aromatherapy are limited. However,
neurologists at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research
Foundation in Chicago have been conducting research on aromatherapy
for seventeen years. Their findings support the theory
that scent has a powerful effect on an individual’s mood and behavior.
The reason for this, they say, is that inhaling certain scents
alters brain waves and affects the pleasure center of the brain.
One study in particular investigated how aromatherapy can
change an individual’s mood. In this study, which was conducted
in 2002 at the University of Southampton School of Medicine in
England, fifteen extremely nervous psychiatric patients inhaled
lavender oil for two hours a day every other day for ten days. On
these days, 60 percent of the patients were reported to be calmer
and happier. On the alternate days, however, when the patients
inhaled a mist of pure water, there was no change in their mood.
Many acne patients report that aromatherapy has a similar effect
on their response to stress. A former acne patient explains:
“Even now, I still get an occasional acne breakout. It seems to happen
most when I’m under stress at work. One of the ways I handle
stress is by filling my oil lamp with lemon balm, and lighting
it up right beside my hot tub. The combination of the warm bubbling
water and the scented oil drains away my worries. No worries
means no frown lines, and no pimples.”
