Aromatherapy for a Healthy Body and Mind

Using Aromatherapy for a Healthy Body and Mind

You know that feeling when you breathe in a bunch of blooming flowers? Or the uplifting sensation of smelling freshly squeezed oranges? Good smells smell good; but they can also have a significant impact on your health and wellbeing.

Stress can cause physical pain, migraines, fatigue, mental distress and has a direct impact on your digestive system. By stimulating your body’s natural ability to rest and restore, you can prevent, relieve, and reverse symptoms of stress.

Your smell receptors send information to your olfactory bulb, which is snuggled near the front of your brain, and is very closely linked to the limbic system. Your limbic system is involved in memories, behaviours, and emotional responses. This means that using smell can be a very powerful way to positively calm your nervous system, decrease a stress response in your body, and prevent, relieve, or even reverse symptoms of stress.

Many people have personal associations with specific smells, but generally you’ll find that flowers, such as lavender and chamomile are calming and heal the heart; citruses such as lime and orange, cleanse and uplift the mood; leaves, such as peppermint and rosemary, open the airways and revitalise a sluggish system.

Aromatherapy is a practice that utilises plant extracts and essential oils as a healing modality. But one of its key advantages is its accessibility. Simply finding something that smells good can be used in your day-to-day life to improve your overall wellbeing. Try having a relaxing smelly bath with your favourite scented bath salts; take in the olfactory pleasures of the foods you make and eat; luxuriate over the aroma of a herb tea. And, of course, stop every now and then and smell the roses!!  

Aroma Touch is a very gentle massage technique that combines the power of smell to evoke a sense of calm, with the healing power of touch.

You can book an appointment with Jeni Howland at The Apothecary Shop in Ledbury, Herefordshire or at the Cheltenham Holistic Health Clinic in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.