Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Coffee Hour at Street Prophets. This is an open thread where we can discuss what’s happening in our lives, what we’ve been working on, and our opinions on current events. I thought we might talk about aromatherapy today.
As modern American medicine has become more expensive, more business-like, more bureaucratic, and more impersonal, many Americans have been turning to alternative medicine. Some people are seeking pain relief or mood enhancement without expensive drugs; similarly, some want to improve their cognitive function and quality of life, again with resorting to expensive prescription drugs. One of these forms of alternative therapies involves the sense of smell.
Many ancient traditions, including those of the Chinese, Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and American Indians, have included stimulating the sense of smell as a part of the healing process as well as a part of maintaining good health. Different scents were used to stimulate wakefulness, sexual arousal, sleepiness, and mystical experiences.
The use of natural oils extracted from plants to enhance physical and psychological well-being is generally known as aromatherapy. It is felt that the sense of smell from these natural oils can stimulate brain function which can lead to reduction in pain, changes in mood, and improved cognition. While there is a great deal of anecdotal accounts of the effectiveness of aromatherapy, there is a lack of any rigorous scientific studies of this therapy.
In Native American healing traditions, there is an emphasis on maintaining and restoring balance and harmony. The sense of smell is often used in traditional healing ceremonies. In the sweat lodge, for example, the ceremonial leader will sprinkle certain natural plants on the red hot stones to create smudge with specific smells which are intended to facilitate harmony and balance.
How do you feel about aromatherapy? Is it a real therapy or simply a placebo? Have you ever tried it?
This is an open thread. Discussions of the smell of good food is welcome as well as comments about current events, politics, religion, hobbies, pets, or whatever else is on your mind.