What are the benefits of aromatherapy?

One of the biggest benefits of aromatherapy is that it works quickly, says integrative medicine specialist Dr. Tasneem Bhatia. To find out how to use the power of scent for immediate stress relief, watch the video.

Transcript

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What aromatherapy is doing is when you inhale the different essential oils, that smell is traveling right to the amygdala, which is sitting

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in the brain, but you're bypassing the digestive tract, which medications and supplements need. You're bypassing other brain centers,

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so that the brain instantly calms down. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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So there are a lot of benefits to aromatherapy. To understand why aromatherapy works, it has a lot to do with the brain,

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and how the brain functions in an anxiety state. What aromatherapy is doing is when

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you inhale the different essential oils, that smell is traveling right to the amygdala, which is sitting in the brain, but you're bypassing

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the digestive tract, which medications and supplements need. You're bypassing other brain centers, so that the brain instantly calms down,

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sort of an instant quick fix. So that's the way aromatherapy works.

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Now, there are some oils, obviously, that are going to work better than others. Some of my personal favorites are lavender, eucalyptus,

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bergamot, sandalwood. These are all very healing oils that if you carry them around, or you know you have a big event, or you know you have a really bad week coming up,

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you can sort of Inhale those throughout the day. There's really not a limitation on how often you can or cannot inhale them. And it helps to ease the mind and calm down