SMELL YOUR WAY TO WELL-BEING!

Our sense of smell is one of our five senses. It tells us what we like and dislike, who we love, it stimulates our appetite and makes eating an enjoyable experience (try enjoying a meal when you have a bad cold!). The sense of smell triggers memories and it has the ability to affect our moods. It warns us of danger and the loss of smell (anosmia) can lead to a state of depression.

The olfactory system which is responsible for processing odours has a direct link to the limbic system deep within our brain. The limbic system is one of the oldest parts of the brain and is our emotional centre, associated with our moods, behaviour and long-term memory. Smells in our homes, place of work and institutions, such as hospitals, have a measurable effect on how comfortable or how anxious we feel within these places.

Smell has such a profound effect on our well-being making aromatherapy one of the fastest growing fields of complementary medicine, and in France it is incorporated into mainstream medicine. Research into the sense of smell and how it affects us physiologically and psychologically is still in its infancy but the use of aromatics to improve health dates back thousands of years to the Greeks, Romans and ancient Egyptians. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine is said to have used aromatic fumigations to rid Athens of the plague.

The problem lies with the quality of scents we are inhaling. Air fresheners and personal care products contain a cocktail of chemicals, some of which are known to be toxic. Whilst essential oils are products of nature they are potent but with careful use they can enhance mood and health. Some essential oils have been found to have antibacterial and antiviral activities, whilst others have the ability to reduce stress and anxiety or to produce a sedative effect. Recent research in America found the stress related to claustrophobia during MRI scans was reduced by up to 63% by the use of natural vanilla scent.

If you like the smell of an essential oil the chances are it will do you good. When using essential oils we need to be guided by our natural preferences- even though lavender is an excellent aid to a good nights sleep if you cannot stand the smell or it evokes bad memories for you it will not have the desired effect.

The natural smells of essential oils enable us to bring nature into our homes and workplace helping to raise our spirits, especially in winter when we do not have as many natural odours outdoors. Aromatherapy and essential oils can affect our mood, reduce stress, enhance our sleep, and boost our self-confidence as well as improving our physical and cognitive performance.