Has aromatherapy been wrongly accused?
Searching for the term ‘Aromatherapy’ brings up several pages claiming that aromatherapy is a fraud of some kind. That essential oil manufacturers and retailers are making “dubious” claims about the efficacy of essential oils. These people do not appear to have done their homework, nor did they compare the validity of scientific research with that produced by conventional medicine, which in fact could easily be claimed as ‘dubious’ using the same criteria. Ok, well, no criteria actually used, just some comments presenting aromatherapy as a soft science, to be ignored along with everything else that has come under the ‘new age’ heading.
How about we start to agree on this: that SOME part of aromatherapy is, in fact, ‘soft science’? That SOME people may feel more relaxed when inhaling lavender, for example, and others may not? Aromatherapists will not disagree on this point; however, they will defend themselves when the medical applications of essential oils are dismissed with the softer side of “aroma” therapy. Science IS SUPPORTING many of the claims of aromatherapy with valid data, even in the ‘soft science’ of practice. Here’s a look at the science behind aromatherapy, the holes in the arguments of popular detractors, and why aroma medicine has its place in today’s medical practices.
The aromatherapy image problem
We see that the problem with the image of aromatherapy is this: most people hear the word and believe that it really has to do with ‘the smell of things’ rather than ‘things that smell’. It’s a small but very important distinction. Aromatherapy is really the entire branch of medicine that uses the chemically volatile (easily evaporated) constituents of plants to treat a wide variety of ailments. It does NOT just have to do with the effects these plant chemicals have on the people who smell them. Virtually every professional aromatherapist will tell you that aromatherapy’s great medicinal promise lies not in its pleasant aromas, but in its ability to successfully treat a wide range of infectious diseases (such as MRSA, the ‘superbug’), its action as chemotherapy anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and other “hard” medical applications.
Finding Real Data on the Efficacy of Essential Oils
A quick look at the research available at Pub Med, a database of thousands of peer-reviewed medical and life science journals freely available online, reveals thousands of citations of essential oil research. Yes, in fact, there are some studies that did not provide convincing evidence that hand massages with lavender cream did not make people feel better than hand massages with unscented lotion. But there are studies that show that people sleep better after inhaling lavender. And there is one study showing that immune system stressors remained unchanged after inhaling linalool (a component isolated from lavender), but there are also 15 studies (at last count) showing significant positive results if one searches for ‘ lavender’ and ‘axiolytic’ (the technical term for stress reducer). The results for ‘acetaminophen’ and ‘pain’ MAY be just as strong; those for ‘minoxidil’ and ‘pelo’ almost certainly are not.
The unfounded view of skeptics
So aromatherapists will even concede that there are mixed results. While detractors use this data to say that “aromatherapy doesn’t work,” the reasonable statement seems to be: “everyone is different. Some people respond and some don’t. They may respond to a different scent, or maybe not at all.” . From Robert T. Carol of skepdic.com: “…I have to conclude that aromatherapy is a mostly pseudoscientific alternative medical therapy. It is a mixture of folklore, trial and error, anecdote, testimony, New Age spiritualism and fantasy.” Stephen Barrett, MD of Quackwatch, doesn’t actually seem to have a point about essential oils, but he does sound unhappy with the idea.
Sure, there may be some unsubstantiated claims floating around, but let’s play fair. How many deadly drugs have been withdrawn from the market after rigorous scientific research paid for by drug manufacturers claimed they were “safe and effective”? One table places deaths attributed to “prescribed and correctly used drugs” between those caused by alcohol and those caused by alcohol, just above “medical preventable” mishaps, and all of them above deaths from traffic accidents . How many died from using essential oils? Can you draw a circle? What about the letter that comes between ‘n’ and ‘p’?
The latest in aromamedicine research
On the cutting edge of aroma medicine: The great news is that essential oils, yes, the same ones used in aromatherapy (this IS the idea we’re trying to get across!), are highly effective antibiotics and antivirals. Again, we invite you to search for ‘essential oil’ and ‘mrsa’ – this is the ‘superbug’ of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that has become resistant to commonly available antibiotics (the MR in the name stands for ‘methicillin resistant’). . You will find studies showing the efficacy of Tea Tree essential oil in clinical applications and positive results in the laboratory using various other oils. And so far these oils are believed to have no adverse effects at effective doses.
Essential oils identified as cancer destroyers
Then there is the myriad of studies showing the efficacy of essential oils in destroying cancer. A recent study in the journal “Chemico-Biological Interactions” noted that linalool, a common essential oil, completely eradicated a particular liver cancer cell line at very, very small concentrations. Try ‘essential oil’ and ‘cancer’ at Pub Med and you’ll get results like “Boswellia carteri-derived frankincense oil induces tumor cell-specific cytotoxicity” (perhaps this is some “New Age spiritualism” terminology I’m not yet familiar with). ) . Another result is “Anti-cancer activity of an essential oil of Cymbopogon flexuosus” (lemongrass essential oil) with a conclusion of “Our results indicate that the oil has promising anti-cancer activity and causes loss of tumor cell viability by activating the process.” apoptotic identified by electron microscope.” The list, of course, goes on (in fact, today there are 388 results for this search).
So why all the criticism?
So why are these criticisms of aromatherapy so popular, at least in the eyes of Google? Why do some people like horror movies and car crashes? I’m not sure, actually. It may have to do with the fact that there is a closer relationship between ‘aromatherapy’ and ‘Glade(TM) Plug-in Air Freshener’ in many people’s minds than there is between ‘aromatherapy’, ‘incense’ and ‘specific cytotoxicity’. tumor cells’. One reality is that there is a lot more money driving the Glad Plug-In concept. Because essential oils cannot be patented like medicines, the amount of money Really Big Business will earn is negligible.
Changing the popular view of aromatherapy
So it’s up to the small natural health companies, the individual practitioners, and the wonderful education and research facilities that do the technical work to get the word out. And particularly to rock the boat a bit when so-called authorities make truly dubious claims about the dubious nature of aromatherapy. Plant medicine has kept humans alive for millennia: essential oils are highly active molecules produced by plants, and aromatherapy is so named because it deals with the therapeutic applications of these aromatic molecules. Aromatherapy. Spread the word!
