Happy Holidays! Aromatherapy anyone?

So...Happy Passover, Happy Easter (Resurrection Day), Happy Mother's Day and Happy Memorial Day...might as well lump them all together since I already missed most of them and skipped posting for many weeks! So Happy Holidays!


Now...let's talk about aromatherapy...aromas affect us and our bodies in many ways. Our nose will tell us if food is bad before we eat it and most of our enjoyment in eating our food comes from smell (80%). Who doesn't LOVE the smell of fresh baked bread coming out of the oven (hello...Elena)? Or brownies (hey ya...Carissa)?


We enjoy the smell of food without even eating it! And it's not just food. We all know what that favorite "man" cologne (or perfume, for you guys) does when we catch a whiff! All these smells become personal or learned through association. And did you know that our whole planet has been estimated to boast somewhere in the neighborhood of over 400,000 different odors? So, yes, something could be said about what we expose our sniffers to.

The sense of smell...it all has to do with the wonderful way our noses are designed. We sniff on purpose, catch a whiff, or maybe we don't...whether we realize it or not, our noses are always CONSTANTLY smelling, pleasant or unpleasant aromas. We can smell SO many things that we don't even have the language to describe some of them. We may say things like, it smells like...it kinda reminds me of...it smells like how "xyz" tastes...(and by the way, as a side note, animals are able to smell thousands of times better than we do...)

Odors or aromas enter through the nostrils, as we all know, and reach the olfactory bulb which has a direct link to the brain. That's the simplified version. A wonderful invention, really, don't you think? The brain, of course, becomes the "interpreter". And those scents become part of history within our memories.

Aromatherapy originally made use of the two senses of smell and touch. Aromatic or all natural essential oils would be applied or massaged into the skin and depending on the oils used, would cause a positive reaction within the body according to its need, hence, the therapy part of the equation. And yes, the more natural the ingredients used, the better for the body. So, further down the line I will get into essential oils and their properties and reputed aid to certain ailments.


However, for all intents and purpose, I would like to submit to you that any aroma that is pleasing to you personally can have a positive cause and effect response for you . So, start sniffin' and start paying attention to your reaction to those wholesome sucks of air and you will find out what really pleases you...


... so that you can quite easily take therapy by aroma any time you like!