Post #3: Aromatherapy and Meditation for Healing

    I often would go to spas and get massages as well as going to Philly to do some hot yoga and meditate early before class began. My perspective on how aromatherapy and meditation as a method of “curing” things was questionable but I soon realized later it's more of something that I believe is more mental than healing things directly like cancer. I can see how the idea of aromatherapy can be silly and how certain smells can help heal and rejuvenate. But the way it is advertised is probably what got lost in the message. But how it has been advertised to relieve certain symptoms may just be a small part. Maybe associating smells triggers certain memories and that is what brings us the healing depending on that certain memory. Meditation also is said to be just another yogi cult but most athletes start to incorporate it into their training routines. So although I may fall for the ideas that meditation and aromatherapy can help cure insomnia I think that everything is connected somehow and if it is something that can be natural and drug free, that is the best medicine to me. That is a mantra I would like to continue to hold especially if I am to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Americans are so reliant on opioids and painkillers, they fail to realize their bodies can easily heal themselves whether it is through their mind or their stem cells. 

Post #1 - Wiccan and Native American Beliefs

In my personal life, my mother believes, and has believed, in the Wiccan religion and Native American spiritual arts. She keeps a certain gemstone around her neck, amethyst, to help ward her depression. My mother loves to burn incense when times get stressful, and even has a wolf painting pinned to her wall. When I asked her about how her beliefs affect her everyday life, she said "I believe that each stone helps out in different ways, but to science, stones or crystals are just that. No powers... but one has to believe." Mom still takes man-made medicine for her medical problems, such as her epilepsy, as she understands that proven science is just as important as spiritual beliefs. To her, the balance between spirituality and reality is what keeps her afloat, even in times of great tension. 

A wolf's head exhaling smoke in a field of flowers, with a mountain in the background.

A painting hung on my Mom's, Carol Andrescavage's, wall.

Essential Oils: Not So Essential

Essential oils have become a very popular trend over the past decade. Companies such as doTERRA and Young Living Essential oils are growing rapidly as they are promoting alternatives methods to health and wellness. And in the world of pseudoscience, people’s health is a huge target as everyone is looking for alternative methods that bring quicker and more effective results.

           

             Essential oils can be used on the skin or in some cases taken orally. They are said to be able to heal burns, headaches, and basically all other illnesses. The only issues is that none of these companies provide controlled tests that prove their oils to be effective. They also make claims of these oils for doing things that cannot even be tested such as balancing a person’s chakras and restore harmony to their “energy” flow. I put quotes around energy as this word is frequently used in pseudoscience claims as it sounds scientific but has no scientific value. They also claim that essential oils have been used for centuries, which is also a big indicator of pseudoscience.

            I wanted to bring this to everyone’s attention in this blog because I had personal experience with this and wanted to share it. My mother was a huge advocate of these oils and I remember growing up with it. When I would get a headache or an injury she would apply her oils to the area. They never did anything but burn and produce an unusual smell.

Can You Smell That Smell?

The day we went over the powerpoint "What's That Smell? Subliminal Self-Help", I could not help but laugh throughout the lecture. Aromatherapy has taken the simple pleasure of smelling certain scents and has made it into another money making business. I did my research and found several websites that are dedicated to selling essentail oils, incencse, massage oils, and even accessories and jewelry. Did you know that you could buy a piece of jewelry that comes with "inner peace oil"? There are even directions on how to use this product. Apparently, you are supposed to pour the oil into the locket and say the following affirmation, “As I breathe in Inner Peace, I am reminded to live with love and forgiveness towards myself and to others.” Wow! For only 20 bucks, I may have to consider investing in such a product. If you would like to take a look, here is the website where I found this amazing discovery... http://www.puritan.com/accessories-and-jewelry-682/celtic-cross-locket-scent-chamber-jewelry-with-inner-peace-oil-031345?NewPage=1

Aromatherapy often uses the term "essential oils". But are these oils really that essential? According to our lecture, benefits of aromatherapy include stress, depression, insomnia, and so on. These findings may be due to the confusion of correlation and causation. For example, what if a person lights up incencse or plugs in a diffuser, lays in bed, and suddenly feels better after a long, exhausting day. Wouldn't anyone feel better laying down with or without the use of aromatherapy?

Even the definiton of aromatherapy used in our lecture makes me a skeptic. If you take a look back on the powerpoint "Whats That Smell? Subliminal Self-Help" you will see all kinds of sophisticated words are used like "aromatic essences". It even says that the use of these smells help with the "health of body, mind, and spirit". I find it very hard to believe that something so simple as the sense of smell intergrates my mind, body, and spirit. According to Wikipedia, "The effectiveness of aromatherapy is yet to be scientically proven, however some evidence exists that essential oils may have therapeautic potential." http://http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromatherapy

Yes, it is nice to "stop and smell the roses". Certain smells like laundry detergent, candles, and so on may remind us of certain things and may have a calming effect. In the end, is the sense of smell so powerful enough to make a therapy out of it? We must stop and examine the different claims that are made for aromatherapy. There are endless amounts of correlations that can be found between aromatherapy and everyday aspects of our lives.

Brandi Reinhard