Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Can Essential Oils Help with Depression & Anxiety? Using Aromatherapy as a Mood Regulator

Can Essential Oils Help with Depression? Using Aromatherapy as a Mood Regulator
More and more these days, plants are finding a medicinal purpose in our lives, people like natural cures rather than subjecting themselves to harsh man-made chemicals and pills.

"A depressed emotional state is a common reason for using complementary and alternative therapies today. A wide range of psychological, physical, and energetic issues can lead to feelings of depression and a pervasive outlook of negativity. Moreover, once in a state of depression, patterns can arise that make relief all the more difficult to find. The use of essential oils for uplifting the psyche and spirit is becoming more widespread because of the oils' broad and dramatic effects. While the oils themselves may not directly affect the underlying cause of depression, they may help individuals break free from depressive cycles - they may provide the impetus to 'get off the couch', so to speak, and begin creating long lasting change. Many natural healers believe depression to be a result of, like many other ills, of being out of balance; being unable to 'synch up' with the natural state of harmony that permeates the universe. For relieving this is-harmony, aromatherapy can be a very powerful means to infuse one's body and mind with the most concentrated, sublime botanicals nature has to offer."- Ananda Apothecary

Can essential oils help with anxiety?
The short answer is yes. The how and why are a bit more scientific, but suffice to say that it's true what they say, "your nose knows". You've definitely experienced this before. A good example would be smelling a freshly baked apple pie and remembering Grandma's house in the country when you were just a kid. That's your limbic system at work. Basically, your sense of smell is the shortest and quickest way into your brain, including your memory banks, through the limbic system ( which is the seat of the emotional center and is partly responsible for our our emotional reaction to something, our fight or flight response, our hormonal secretions, motivation, pain reflex and our mood fluctuations). Some essential oils have thousands of chemicals contained within a tiny drop, and some have only a few, but they all have purposes, and can all cause strong reactions when inhaled or used on the skin.

Can essential oils help with depression?
Again, the short answer is yes they can, in the same way they can help with anxiety, essential oils can also aid in reducing melancholy and heightening happy feelings or uplifting your mood by pure science of chemistry. Just knowing what chemicals to use, and that they are pure therapeutic grade essential oils can really 'make or break' the deal. Essential oils are really just natural science by God, given to us as "medicine" whether it be for the body (physical), mind (mental), or spirit (emotional and spiritual).

Read the rest of my article on Associated Content

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