We all know the meaning of the phrase " breathe deeply " and we felt well in taking in the fresh mountain air or the iodine sea breeze. With the support of aromatherapy we can recreate this well-being even at home.
We define aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is part of natural therapies and uses for therapeutic purposes the volatile and odorous substances produced by some vegetables and defined essential oils . Essential oils are molecules soluble in oil and not in water present in some special glands of the flower, fruit, bark or other parts of the plants.
Aromatherapy is a very ancient technique and the effects of essential oils on our body are many, both in terms of inhalation and cutaneous, for applications with massages .
Breathing, essential to life
Through breathing our body frees itself from the waste molecules and acquires oxygen that will be carried, through the blood, to all the cells that compose it. This vital function is associated with the perception of odors through the nose. The smells are in fact perceived inside the nasal cavity, on whose surface the olfactory hairs are found. The olfactory hairs are connected by a nerve fiber directly to the central nervous system, which communicates directly with the hypothalamus, seat of the instincts, with the limbic system, the seat of emotions, and the hippocampus, the place of memories .
The sense of smell is therefore a very powerful sense, capable of arousing memories, emotions and immediate reactions, without the "filter" of rational thought .
There are seven primary odors perceived by man: ethereal, camphoraceous, musky, floral, lying, pungent and putrid. The others are derived from these. Let's now explore the link between aromatrapia and respiration.
Aromatherapy and breathing: beneficial effects
Through breathing, aromatherapy stimulates the areas of the brain connected to memory, intuition and instinct.
The immediate effects of aromatherapy on breathing are important on a physical and physiological level, different depending on the aromatherapy technique used:
- Dispersion : vaporisation of the essential oil in the environment with the help of a spray, or through the special perfume jars in which to add water and essential oils, which are heated by the candle below.
- Diffusion : with the help of a diffuser for spraying
- Inhalation : place a few drops (maximum 6) of essential oil in a bowl of warm water (60 degrees maximum). Inhale for 10 minutes. Repeat 3 times a day. In this way the body takes essential oils through the mucous membranes of the respiratory system . Inhalation of hot water vapors with a few drops of essential oil stimulates secretion in the bronchi, with beneficial effects in all breathing problems.
And, lastly, a curiosity for mothers: the pacifier was patented with essential oils to facilitate the breathing of cooled babies . The invention is by the Spanish Francisco Javier Garcés, who won a medal at the Universal Exposition in Geneva, in collaboration with the IBI Toy Technological Institute. It is a pacifier with two holes, inside which essential oils can be introduced in the form of a gel.
While the baby sleeps the gel vapors dissolve and facilitate breathing. The essences used are pine and rosemary, you cannot use eucalyptus and mint as they are too irritating.
