• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Get a Whiff of Health ; Skeptics May Smell a Rat, but Aromatherapy Proponents Believe in Its Healing Powers

Posted on: Tuesday, 25 January 2005, 03:00 CST

If you want to fend off a cold, a little dab will do you, says Dr. Raphael d'Angelo.

A dab of tea tree oil, that is.

"What I tell my patients is to put a little tiny dab into the saliva of the mouth and swallow it," he says. By doing that repeatedly at the first sign of a cold, it will stop that bug in its tracks, he says.

D'Angelo, a Denver-area family physician who combines mainstream and holistic medicines, believes in the benefits of aromatherapy. He's the state representative for the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, a nonprofit group dedicated to boosting public awareness of the practice.

The association defines aromatheraphy as "the art and science" of using essential oils such as tea tree to promote the health of body, mind and spirit. Essential oils are highly concentrated aromatic essences distilled from plants.

The history of aromatic medicine dates to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Rene Maurice Gattefosse is considered the father of modern aromatherapy. The French chemist stumbled across the healing benefits of lavender after suffering a burn and coined the term "aromatherapie" in the 1920s. Today the practice is part of the booming alternative and complementary medicine movement.

Proponents offer a long list of the health properties of various essential oils, from eradicating headaches to battling viruses and bacterial infections.

But Quackwatch, a nonprofit group that combats health-related frauds and fallacies, lifts its nose at those claims. "There is no evidence that aromatherapy products provide the health benefits claimed by their proponents," the Quackwatch Web site states.

D'Angelo disagrees. "There is a good body of evidence to back up the health claims," he says. He acknowledges little research has been done in the United States, but says other countries, particularly France and Germany, have taken the lead.

Aromatherapy can be administered in several ways, d'Angelo says, from combining essential oils with bath salts for a healing soak to putting a few drops in steaming water and inhaling.

At times -- generally under medical supervision, d'Angelo cautions -- oils may be ingested.

Pamela Jones, an aromatherapist in Colorado Springs for almost 20 years, uses essential oils in hair oils and shampoo, body lotion, massage oils and bath salts, as well as in a diffuser for home fragrance.

"People notice it as soon as they walk into our home," she says.

Jones bought the Body Scenter in Old Colorado City in 1986, keeping it open until 1997. It continues as a mail-order and online business (http://firejock.com/bodyscenter/bodyscenter. htm), selling essential oils and body-care products treated with the oils.

Jones says she has found many benefits from aromatherapy. Her skin, she says, is incredibly smooth. "People say I'm not aging."

She also thinks it gives her immune system a boost. "I have not had a cold in five years."

JoAnn Gaston, who teaches aromatherapy classes for Memorial Hospital HealthLink, turned to aromatherapy to help her mom's health problems. Aromatherapy also helped ease her own problem, a sporadically racing heart. Gaston has long had an interest in alternative therapies. She cites many benefits from aromatherapy, but cautions that not all essential oils are equal. Some aromatherapy products are made with synthetic fragrances or adulturated "recreational quality" oils, which may result in a pleasant smell but little else, she says.

"In the United States, there's no regulation of the sale and production of essential oils," Gaston says.

She suggests finding someone at a healthfood store who is knowledgable about the oils sold there, or researching Internet sites; two she trusts are Young Living (www.youngliving. us) and Nature's Sunshine (www.naturessun shine.com).

Manufacturing your own essential oils probably isn't an option, Gaston says. It takes, for example, about 5,000 pounds of rose petals to produce one pound of rose oil.

Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist and psychologist who directs the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, believes in the power of scent, but not necessarily in aromatherapy.

"If you like a smell and it brings a smile to your face, you'll be happier," says Hirsch, the author of numerous books and articles on the psychological impact of scent. "And if you're in a happier mood state, everything is better."

But that's too generalized of an effect to be called therapy, he says. Besides, "one odor that works for me might not work for you."

Still, he thinks some odors have more than just a general effect on spirit. The scent of green apple, for example, has been shown to ease some migraines. With more research, Hirsch expects aromatherapy will find a role in traditional medicine.

"For most people, it doesn't hurt to try it," he says. "If you try it and it makes you happier, wonderful."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0272 or comics@gazette.com

RESOURCES

The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy offers information about aromatherapy and a guide to schools and correspondence courses at www.naha.org.

For Quackwatch's view of aromatherapy, go to www.quackwatch.org/ 01QuackeryRelatedTopics/aroma.html. The Holistic Networkers Association of Colorado Springs includes a guide to members, including aromatherapists, at www.hna-colorado.org.

"A Guide to Holistic Living in the Pikes Peak Region" includes categories for aromatherapy and essential oils. Free in various locations. Call 748-1139 or go to www.holisticliving.net.

TOP 10

OILS

Here are the top 10 essential oils and their benefits, according to the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy:

Eucalyptus: Helps treat respiratory problems such as coughs, colds and asthma. Also helps boost the immune system and relieve muscle tension.

Ylang-ylang: Helps with relaxation and can reduce muscle tension. Antidepressant. Geranium: Helps balance hormones in women. Can be relaxing and uplifting.

Peppermint: Useful in treating headaches, muscle aches and digestive disorders such as indigestion and flatulence.

Lavender: Relaxing. Also useful in treating wounds and burns and for skin care.

Lemon: Uplifting yet relaxing. Helpful in treating wounds and infections and used for house cleaning and deodorizing.

Clary sage: Natural pain killer. Relaxing; can help with insomnia. Also helpful in balancing hormones.

Tea tree: A natural anti-fungal oil good for treating infections including vaginal yeast infections, jock itch, athlete's foot and ringworm. Also boosts the immune system.

Roman chamomile: Can help with sleeplessness and anxiety. Also good for muscle aches and tension and treating wounds and infection.

Rosemary: Stimulating and uplifting. Helps stimulate the immune system. Good for muscle aches, tension.

Source: Gazette, The; Colorado Springs, Colo.

More News in this Category