There’s a beautiful way to relax and clear your mind – aromatherapy! The healing power of this therapy comes from essential oils.
A simple scent can bring back good memories, lighten up our mood and positively affect our emotions. For these reasons, more and more women are now turning to this precious therapy for menopause relief. And there’s a good reason why!
Using fragrant and essential oils, this therapy rids your body of stress, helps calm your mind and body, balances your energies and improves your overall well-being. If you want to try aromatherapy, find out how it’s done and the common essential oils used!
Why Aromatherapy for Menopause?
Aromatherapy or essential oils therapy uses extracted aromatic oils to harmonize mind, body and spirit. If you’re wondering how aromatic fragrances helps calm us down, imagine your body’s reaction when you see a citrus fruit or an unripe mango.
Let me guess! Your mouth starts to water. That’s exactly how it works in aromatherapy as well. Our sense of smell is one of the most primitive among all our senses. It has a deep connection with some parts of our brain.
When we breathe in aromatic molecules, they stimulate our olfactory nerves to send signals to our brain’s limbic system. This part of the brain is in charge of memory, mood and emotions. It also regulates our central nervous system. Aromatic molecules are said to calm the limbic system and activate the parasympathetic nervous response, which is responsible for relaxing our body.
Aside from all these, essential oils also have balancing properties. Menopause can drive our hormones out of balance and the use of essential oils is great in the regulation of hormone production.
These two mechanism of actions, plus the balancing properties of essential oils are the reasons why aromatherapy is good for menopause! This therapy specifically eases the following menopause symptoms:
- Depression and anxiety. Aromatherapy can stimulate the production of our happy hormones.
- Hot flashes and night sweats. It relaxes and soothes the body and regulates the hypothalamus which is incharge of our body’s temperature.
- Sluggish metabolism. It can boost metabolism, increasing energy levels and preventing fat gain.
- Low libido. Aromatherapy improves blood circulation, promoting libido.
- Sleep disturbances. Promotes better sleep by relaxing the body and calming the mind.
In addition to all these wonderful effects, essential oils can also increase our immunity and pain tolerance. They promote the production of antibodies and pain fighting compounds.
Today, it is widely used to enhance the senses and initiate the healing process. Most essential oils are taken from flowers, roots, barks and leaves.
Watch this interest video by Dr. Axe as he discusses how you can naturally balance your hormones with the use of essential oils! [4:15]
Other Significant Uses of Aromatherapy
The benefits of aromatherapy are endless! Aside from stress relief and relaxation, it can also:
- Fight infections
- Relieve burns
- Lower high blood pressure
- Treat insomnia
- Reduces muscle pain
- Eases headaches
- Resolves blood circulation problems
- Improves digestion
Although there are very few studies that can prove its effectiveness in healing diseases, aromatherapy targets a person’s psychological aspect, making him feel calm and relaxed, thus lessening the pain and perception of the disease.
Aromatherapy Applications
Basically, essential oils in aromatherapy can be used in a number of ways.
- Aerial diffusion. The oils are basically left to evaporate in the air, releasing its fragrance and/or disinfecting the surrounding air.
- Direct inhalation. Another way to do aromatherapy is to directly inhale the essential oil with the use of a cloth or from the bottle itself! Sounds easy right? According to many experts, this is the fastest and most effective way to do it if you have congestion, respiratory and psychological problems.
- Topical application. If you want to soothe your skin, you may also try topical application. This is used through aromatic baths, massage and skin therapy.
It is important to remember that essential oils should not be taken orally (by mouth) since they have potent properties that might cause harmful effects to the body.
Massage therapists, nurses and other alternative healing practitioners do not necessarily carry licenses to use aromatherapy in their sessions. Before trying aromatherapy, it is best to seek your doctor’s advice, especially when you have an existing health condition.
Aromatherapy is not rocket science. It is a simple therapy with huge health benefits! If you want other ways to relax and just be alone to think, you can also try yoga and meditation.
Commonly Used Essential Oils
You can use an essential oil of your choosing, but there are the ones commonly used in the therapy.
- Citronella – insect repellent
- Jasmine – known for its aphrodisiac properties
- Basil – for migraine, sharpens concentration, alleviates depression
- Black pepper – promotes good circulation, relieves muscle pains and bruises
- Bergamot – for treatment of urinary tract and digestive tract problems
- Eucalyptus – for congestion due to colds and flu
- Clove oil – topical pain killer, used for toothache, prevents nausea and vomiting
- Geranium oil – diuretic, astringent and antiseptic
- Lavender – antiseptic, commonly used for small cuts and minor burns, for relaxation, relieves headaches, insomnia
- Sandalwood – aphrodisiac qualities
- Lemon oil – mood enhancer, relieves stress and depression
- Thyme – for fatigue and stress
- Tea tree – antiseptic, used as mouth wash
- Yarrow oil – used for reducing inflammation of joint, influenza and colds
With proper use, essential oils are considered generally safe. But it is also important to pay attention to the purity, amount of oil to be administered and frequency. Know the possible interactions of using aromatherapy while taking other medications. Take high priority on the quality of the product. Ask a professional aromatherapist before purchasing one from retails stores.
Have you ever tried aromatherapy? How did you feel about it? We want to know your experience! Share your thoughts in the comment box below!
Gita is the founder of My Menopause Journey. Since 2014, she has been supporting midlife women by sharing hard-earned learnings from her own experience. To advance her knowledge, Gita puts a lot of her time and effort into understanding the broad spectrum of women’s health. She immerses in extensive research about the physical, mental and emotional aspects of menopause. Gita believes in the life-changing power of healthy, holistic living — this is where she anchors her message to all women. Learn more about her marvelous mission in About us - My Menopause Journey.