- Aromatherapy for anxiety.
How does it work? Is it real?
That's what I'm gonna be talking about today.
I'm Dr. Tracey Marks, a psychiatrist,
and I publish weekly videos
on mental health education and self improvement.
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Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils
to treat illnesses or promote relaxation.
Essential oils are taken from plants
and you can use many parts of the plants,
including the flowers, the stalk, the bark, the roots,
and these oils are usually mixed with another substance
such as a base oil or an alcohol and applied to the skin,
they could be sprayed in the air or inhaled.
You can also put it into a diffuser
without mixing it with any other oil
and then inhale it in the room.
Many massage therapists will use it
as a part of a therapeutic massage.
Aromatherapy's been around since the early 1900s,
so this isn't something that's new.
Here's the connection between inhaling oils
and it having an emotional impact on you.
The nerve in the brain that controls your sense of smell
is called the olfactory nerve.
The end point of this nerve is in your nose
and it runs to the back of your nose to your brain.
The part of your brain
that connects to it is the temporal lobe.
Well, it just so happens that the temporal lobe
has the hippocampus and the amygdala.
The hippocampus plays a role in memory of past experiences,
the amygdala is the emotional center of your brain.
Why would something you smell affect your brain?
Because the essential oils contain
volatile organic compounds that exert
a pharmacological effect when they penetrate the body,
either through your skin or through your olfactory nerve.
Volatile just means that the oil
can vaporize and become a gas.
So, the oil of these plants are made up of molecules
that can be absorbed through the skin in oil form
or through your nose as a gas.
By inhaling these molecules, you send them directly
to the emotional part of the brain.
This is why inhaling gases and fumes is a big deal,
there's a direct pathway from your nose to your brain.
Now, not everything you inhale has molecules
that have a pharmacological effect on you,
so I don't want you to get worried
about everything you smell,
but inhaling things is a faster route
to effecting your brain than eating something
because when you eat it, it has to be digested
to then get into your bloodstream
and your bloodstream is like the highway
to take things to your organs.
But a gas can be absorbed directly by the nerve
and have a straight shot to the brain,
bypassing the blood highway.
It's like being beamed aboard, if you're a Star Trek fan.
Certain oils are known to be more activating
versus sedating or relaxing and here are a few,
but I'll have a longer list in the description.
Some popular essential oils
that are used to promote relaxation
are lavender, sandalwood, clary sage, and roman chamomile.
A study from Wesleyan University in 2005
showed that the study's subjects
who were exposed to lavender experienced
an increase in slow wave or deep sleep.
I think that's pretty cool.
How can you use Aromatherapy to relax?
Aside from using a diffuser,
you can put a few drops of the oil on a cotton ball
and sniff it or you could put it under your pillow
if you're trying to go to sleep.
If you're wanting to use it for massage,
I wouldn't recommend putting the oil directly on your skin,
as some people are sensitive to it.
Even if you can't get a full-fledged massage,
you can massage your own feet with the oil
by using a carrier oil such as jojoba, oil or coconut oil.
These oils are safe to put on your skin
and you can mix a few drops of the essential oil
with the carrier oil to then put on your body.
Another application is to put
a few drops in your bath water.
I'll have some references to some studies in the description
of the use of Aromatherapy and how it affects your senses.
Like this video if you like it
and leave me a comment or question if you have one.
Take care. See ya next time.
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♪ I am what I am today 'cause I did it my way ♪
♪ Nothin' y'all can say ♪
♪ In this life or the next one ♪