Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Stress relieving mechanism of aromatherapy

A fine fragrance can make all the senses of the body feel relieved. Stress is not only considered a negative symptom but it also opens gates to various other pessimistic thoughts. As a result, it becomes truly vital to control stress and let it not aggravate further. With so many options to choose from, it becomes a tough decision to think which one to opt for. Aromatherapy is one such natural stress management alternatives that would touch the body and relieve the stress off the soul as well.

Origin of aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is an ancient technique of massage that was found to be originated in the earlier Egyptian period. It is a well revealed fact that the early Egyptians found the oils that are extracted from various plants, herbs and flowers which were to be used to massage and can help in rejuvenating the body. Their essence is one of the best stress relieving factors.

Limbic system stimulation with aromatherapy oils

The aromatherapy massage and its different oils work on the principle of stimulating the limbic system in the brain. This limbic system is used to control the various emotions and controls a large number of hormones. On inhaling or upon massaging with the various essential oils they stimulate the limbic system and thus stimulate it to release various neurotransmitters that affect the heart beat, blood pressures, breathing, digestion, stress, anger and many others. The oils that are used in aromatherapy are called the essential oils and are extracted by the distillation procedure from the various plants and herbs that are known to have significant health benefits.

These essential oils can be used in various ways and they can be either used by massaging over the various body parts, they can even be inhaled by just spreading evenly over the hands and they can be also poured in drops while bathing. The geranium, chamomile and essential oils are used for calming the mind and body. The rosemary oil has both energizing as well as cleaning action. There are several other essential oils that can be used in the aromatherapy like the eucalyptus oil, pine tree oil and rose oil.

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