The smell of cure: How aromatherapy soothes your senses

Aromatherapy is built around the idea that scents can strongly influence thoughts, actions, and behavior through the olfactory potency of essential oils. Essential oils from the flowers, stems, barks, leaves, and roots of plants are extracted and distilled into its purest for use as a stress reliever, mood booster, odor remediation, and antiseptic. As a natural medicine, essential oils promote mind and body wellness when inhaled, applied topically, diffused, or combined with lotion and other essential oils during a massage. The health benefits of aromatherapy are endless, as there are many different types of aromatics that have healing properties. Some of these are:

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• Lavender – Provides relief from headache, insomnia, nervous tension, and stress
• Lemon - Contains antibacterial properties and helps relieve sore throat and colds
• Chamomile - Reduces inflammation, relieves restlessness, and heals rashes, wounds, and burns
• Oregano – Good for people with carpal tunnel syndrome, fungal infection, weak immune system, intestinal parasites, and muscle pain
• Rose oil – Contains aphrodisiac, antidepressant, anti-phlogistic, anti-spasmodic, and anti-viral properties.

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The strongest of the senses, smell, bears a powerful connection to people’s emotions and plays a vital role in a host of physiological functions. Studies show that odor receptors are not just found in the nose but also throughout the body, particularly in skin cells where it’s said to induce healing and cell regeneration when exposed to a certain type of odorant. Scientists suggest that chemical stimuli like odorants alight with the matching receptor to set off a chain of biochemical reactions that help to inhibit mechanisms that can lead to health problems. This insight underlines the importance of olfactory receptors in the essential aspect of biochemical processes at the cellular level. It’s in this function that aromatherapy can support a person’s physical and emotional well-being and provide additional supplementation as a natural medicine to specific types of conventional treatment options.
  

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Aromatherapy is an expertise of Massage Envy Spa, a recognized leader in affordable wellness services with over 1,000 branches nationwide. Click here to learn how you can benefit from a personalized aromatherapy massage offered by the spa service.