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Over the years, people have doubted the effectiveness of aromatherapy for weight loss. More recently, though, scientists have studied the relationship between weight loss and the sense of smell. And they’ve reached some interesting conclusions.

So… Can you use aromatherapy for weight loss? The short answer is “Yes”.

This is not to say that aromatherapy is a “magic bullet” or instant weight loss cure – there is no such thing. But aromatherapy can be a valuable part of a healthy, sensible weight loss program.

Aromatherapy does two things: It can help manage cravings and feelings of hunger, and it can also address some contributors to weight issues such as stress, anxiety and depression.

How Aromatherapy for Weight Loss Works

Research shows that appetite and the sense of smell are closely connected. In fact, studies have found that our sense of smell actually triggers feelings of fullness before our stomach does.

When you inhale an essential oil, its microscopic molecules directly affect a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. An area inside the hypothalamus called the “satiety center” controls feelings of hunger/fullness.

The satiety center ‘reads’ certain essential oil molecules as a signal that you are full. And the good news is, this happens much faster than your brain gets the signals from your stomach telling you you’re full – so you feel full sooner!

The most well-known essential oil for weight loss is Pink Grapefruit.

Basil, Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Ginger, Lemon, Marjoram, Patchouli, Peppermint, Sandalwood, Spearmint, Thyme, Vanilla and Ylang Ylang are some other appetite-suppressing essential oils for weight loss.

The trick to using these essential oils to curb your cravings and suppress your appetite is to inhale the appetite-suppressing essential oil for at least five minutes. Inhaling for less than five minutes can actually stimulate your appetite – not good!

Make Your Own Aromatherapy Weight Loss Inhaler

Use this handy aromatherapy inhaler any time you feel a craving come along. Carry it in your bag, keep one in your desk, your kitchen… wherever it will do the most good.

Pour a teaspoon of coarse sea salt in a very small dark glass or PET plastic bottle and add one of the following blends:

Aromatherapy for Weight Loss Citrus Blend

30 drops Grapefruit essential oil
4 drops Lemon essential oil
1 drop Ylang Ylang essential oil

Aromatherapy for Weight Loss Mint Blend

20 drops Peppermint essential oil
10 drops Bergamot essential oil
4 drops Spearmint essential oil
1 drop Ylang Ylang essential oil

Aromatherapy for Weight Loss Herb Blend

15 drops Basil essential oil
15 drops Marjoram essential oil
1 drop Oregano essential oil
1 drop Thyme essential oil

To use your aromatherapy weight loss inhaler, take three long, slow, deep breaths of the aroma. Take a short break, then take three more deep breaths. Do this three times. Sniff long and hard through each nostril. Really flood your nose with scent – in this case, more is better!

Use the aromatherapy weight loss inhaler before eating and whenever your appetite is triggered. Scientific studies show that the more often you inhale essential oils for weight loss throughout the day, the more effective it will be.

Some studies suggest that aromatherapy is more effective for weight loss if you change up the scents every day. You might try making an aromatherapy inhaler with each of the essential oil weight loss blends above, and then use Citrus on Monday, Mint on Tuesday, Herb on Wednesday and so on.

In these stressful, hectic times it makes sense to use every tool available to support our health – both mental and physical. Using aromatherapy for weight loss will not only help you meet your weight loss goals, but it will also help you feel happier, calmer and more able to cope every day. After all, that’s the nature of essential oils!

Further reading about aromatherapy and weight loss:

http://www.aromapatch.org/Hirsch_Weight_Loss_Smell.pdf

http://www.gritman.com/EO_Papers/Weightloss.html

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, prevent, diagnose, or cure any condition.

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is a complementary therapy to promote psychological and physical well-being as well as reducing the symptoms of a range of conditions. It is based on the use of concentrated essential plant oils. Essential oils are the pure essences which are found in herbs, flowers, grasses, roots, seeds, bark, berries and fruits. These are extracted mainly by steam or water distillation. There are about 400 essential oils but in general there are 40 which are commonly used.

These essential oils consist of tiny aromatic chemicals which aid in a variety of health, hygiene and beauty conditions. People can benefit from them via massage, vaporisation, bathing and inhalation. The theory is that each essential oil has its own specific health benefits. Aromatherapy is also used in preventative medicine.

In aromatherapy the essential oils are absorbed through the skin and have gentle physiological effects. It is especially effective for a variety of chronic conditions as well as stress related problems. As the oils stimulate your sense of smell it is also thought that this process may play a part in the effects of aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy and Childhood Cancer

As with other complementary therapies, both children and their parents choose aromatherapy for a number of possible reasons:
The feeling that they are doing something pro-active to help themselves
To reduce pain
To manage anxiety
To manage stress
To improve well being

In the case of childhood cancer when children are receiving chemotherapy it is the nausea and vomiting which remain as two of the most distressing symptoms. As well as the chemotherapy itself the anticipatory anxiety is a big factor.

Aromatherapy has been anecdotally reported to decrease vomiting and nausea as well as anxiety while also increasing the quality of life of the patients.

Children can easily self administer depending on their age and the form of aromatherapy which also means that outside of a scheduled session the child or perhaps parent can administer the essential oils.

Research

1. A Nursing Times survey of nurses in relation to complementary medicine found that aromatherapy massage was overwhelmingly the most popular complementary therapy employed by nurses. The reasons for this are the demonstrable therapeutic benefits including the alleviation of anxiety, chronic tension headache, cancer pain in addition to reducing stress perceived by patients in intensive care units.

2. In 1993 a study took place with palliative patients for six months which comprised of 42 female and 27 male patients. None of them had previously had the treatment. The results revealed that 81% stated that they either felt better or very relaxed after their treatments. 25% reported that the benefits lasted for more than one day.

3. A study at a UK cancer centre to evaluate an aromatherapy service had 89 initial patients. The study required six aromatherapy sessions and 58 out of the 89 patients completed these. The authors of the study reported significant improvements in anxiety and depression (measured by HADS)*.

4. Another small study focused on the physical and psychological effects of aromatherapy massage on 8 patients with primary malignant brain tumours who were attending their first follow-up appointment after radiation therapy. Although the authors reported no psychological benefits but did report a statistically significant reduction in blood pressure, respiratory rate and pulse.

*HADS Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

What Happens in an Aromatherapy Session?

Firstly the aromatherapist will ask you questions about your medical history as well as your general lifestyle and health. Through this the aromatherapist will be able to decide which essential oils are most appropriate for the client.

The chosen oils will then be combined with what is called carrier oil, normally vegetable oil, as the essential oils are very concentrated so it needs to be diluted. The aromatherapist will then massage the oils gently into your body. The session normally takes from 60 to 90 minutes. Most people find aromatherapy massage to be very relaxing and soothing.

A Brief History of Aromatherapy
Aromatic or essential oils have been used for thousands of years as treatments for a wide range of disorders, as well as stimulants and sedatives. Historically essential oils can be linked to the Bible as infused oils and unguents as well as ancient Egypt, as remedies throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

In the 20th century the French chemist and perfumer Rene Gattefosse coined the term aromatherapy and published a book of that name in 1937. Gattefosse and his colleagues in Italy, Germany and France spent 30 years studying the effects of aromatherapy but then it went out of fashion around the middle of the twentieth century. It was another Frenchman, Jean Valnet who was a physician, who rediscovered it and he published his book The Practice of Aromatherapy in 1982.

Today aromatherapists publish their own journal, the International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics.

Certain scents bring on sense and memory responses from your body. Using scents to help improve your mental state or your health is the basis of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy products, including oils and lotions, can be used to help promote your physical and mental health. Bring the power of aromatic scent into your home, car or office with aromatherapy products.

Quality aromatherapy oils are called essential oils. Aromatherapy oils are concentrated oils that the skin can absorb quickly, or the oils can be used in an aromatherapy diffuser to add scent to a room. Aromatherapy essential oils also come in small vials so that they easily fit in your purse, briefcase, or workout bag, allowing you to bring your aromatherapy treatment with you wherever you go.

Adding a little bit of heat to the oil aromatherapy helps to diffuse the oil throughout the air in a room. Heat can be added via candles or electric light bulbs lightly heating the oil held in a small dish above the heat. If you want to spread these heady scents throughout a larger space, you could choose an electric aromatherapy diffuser. Small diffusers will also fit into your car cigarette lighter, or can be worn like a necklace around your neck for personal aromatherapy. You can even find small diffusers that are glass jars with a reed inserted into the mouth of the bottle, where you simply put a little oil into the jar and the fragrance is diffused via the reed.

You can also use aromatherapy lotion> after your next showeror bath to renew your skin’s moisture. Oils can be used for a blissful combination of aromatherapy and massage as well, and add to the massage’s ability to relax your body and relieve pain.

The fun comes in experimenting with all of the different scents of aromatherapy essential oils. If you love Earl Grey tea, then you might also enjoy smelling the scent of Bergamot essential oil, because bergamot is used to add the distinctive flavor to this variety of tea. Eucalyptus essential oil can help you breathe a bit easier the next time you have a cold or your allergies are acting up.

Lavender oil aromatherapy can take you mentally, at a minimum, to the south of France. Lavender is said to have a calming effect, so it can be appropriate for use during stressful situations. It is also helpful as an aid to sleep when a little oil is added to a sachet and then placed under your pillow or hung on the bedpost.

The clean scent of lemon lends itself particularly well to aromatherapy. It smells great when blended with other scents, too.

Aromatherapy products make practicing aromatherapy a simple, and simply luxurious, process.

You want to learn about aromatherapy but don’t know how to start? Why don’t you sign up for aromatherapy courses. With aromatherapy courses, you’ll learn the ways of using scents to elicit deep relaxation, pain relief and more. It’s a fascinating science and it’s all natural, using your senses alone to help heal and relax your body. Aromatherapy classes can be had as a group or you can sign up for home classes, which allows you to learn about aromatherapy in the comfort of home, using yourself and your friends and family as test subjects; which they will no doubt love very much.

Whether you decide to join a class or you choose a home course, your aromatherapy course will guide you through the many different types of aromatherapy products. There are, for instance, aromatherapy candles, herbs, neck wraps, incense sticks, scented oils and many more. The aromatherapy course will also educate you about the various aromas used and what effects they are meant to elicit. For example, in aromatherapy, a patchouli scented candle will cause the person to become very relaxed and is an herb used often for help in meditation.

Massage

Some aromatherapy courses also teach you how to use aromatherapy in combination with a deep tissue massage. By using aromatherapy candles in the room, as well as essential oils when performing the massage, you will leave the person completely relaxed, as you will be easing all the tension out of their bodies. It’s for this reason that many masseuses use aromatherapy during their sessions. Aromatherapy courses teach you how to apply the aromatherapy as well as which massage techniques to use in combination with them. After you take your aromatherapy course, you will want to show everyone what you know. Try your techniques on your friends, family and even co-workers. Some people go into business for themselves, offering relaxation sessions that incorporate aromatherapy along with massage in a truly unique, relaxing experience. You can make good money using what you learned in your aromatherapy course because, let’s face it, we live in a very hectic, busy world and, as a society, we’ll take any techniques for relaxation we can get.

All you have to do is find a good aromatherapy course and you could be on your way to becoming well versed on this ancient principle, using scents to elicit relaxation and other responses. A quick search online will show you what’s available in your area or you can take your course online. Either way, by taking an aromatherapy course and learning the ways of deep relaxation, you will be gaining a skill set that everyone covets, and nearly everyone needs.

The term “aromatherapy” was first heard from the lips of Rene Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist who discovered the healing method in the 1920s. Referred to as the practice of using aromatherapy essential oils derived from different parts of certain plants in a healing process, aromatherapy has become one of the common practices of people in relieving physical and psychological pains.

Since the discovery of aromatherapy and aromatherapy oils, more and more have become associated with the process. Commonly administered through inhalation or massage, aromatherapy products such as essential oils, candles, incense, lotions and the like, have become a household name in reducing stress, easing sleep process, aiding sensual harmony while relaxing sore and tires muscles.

USING THE RIGHT AROMATHERAPY ACCESSORIES

Being an art and science of using pure plant extracts or essential oils in relaxing, balancing, and rejuvenating a person’s body, mind, as well as the spirit, aromatherapy is also now valued for having holistic qualities and nature that are proven to effective in certain conditions and for self-care.

In order to achieve the maximum benefits of aromatherapy oils and aromatherapy candles, various accessories were created to aid in the process of healing. One of the most in demand products associated with aromatherapy today is aromatherapy diffusers and oil nebulizers.

Aside from visiting various aromatherapy stores, surfing the Internet is one of the effective ways of finding the perfect aromatherapy diffusers for you. By surfing the net, you can find great selections of quality essential oil diffusers or aromatherapy diffusers at great prices.
Aside from aromatherapy diffusers, you can also find great selections of aromatherapy fan diffusers, nebulizing diffusers, tea candle diffusers, lamp ring diffusers, car diffusers, essential oil diffusers, nebulizers, essential oil burners, aromatherapy burners, essential oil warmers, aromatherapy and other aromatherapy accessories.

Experts such aromatherapists, massage therapists, spa owners, and healing arts practitioners say that it is more agreeable to aromatherapy diffusers that use no heat compared to those that uses heat. This is to ensure the quality of the scent diffused by the aromatherapy essential oils. The following are just some of the aromatherapy diffusers available in the market today.

1. Aromatherapy Inhaler. This refers to eth high quality and sleek aromatherapy diffuser that is usually available in various colors. This is quite handy and you can even put it in your bag or purse.

This kind of aromatherapy diffuser can separate itself into four pieces to enable easy filling. This kind of aromatherapy diffuser is a quite convenient way to take aromatherapy especially for people on the go.

Aromatherapy inhalers also come in plastic packs where you can place tiny drops of aromatherapy essential oil. You can also bring it whenever you go and you can easily benefit from power of aromatherapy oils whenever you want it.

2. Aromatherapy diffuser for Tea Candle. If you want you aromatherapy diffuser to be unique, opt for diffusers that use agate slab as a base.

This unique design of aromatherapy diffuser also completes the mood for total relaxation and is also economical because you just have to use a couple drops of pure therapeutic essential oils and combine it with water in the reservoir. It creates a slower and longer lasting diffusion that you can enjoy.

3. Aromatherapy diffuser and nebulizer with or without timer. This type of aromatherapy diffuser is perfect for people who need to cover more space than a regular home model aromatherapy diffuser.

This diffuser can also be used non-stop and can last for over 24 hours of use. Since there is no possibility of over-saturation, the use of this aromatherapy diffuser will result to a more enjoyable and healthy surroundings.

These are just some kinds of aromatherapy diffusers available in the market. Just remember that when you purchase any aromatherapy diffuser, you will use therapeutic grade aromatherapy essential oils or candles so you will achieve greater results.