Post 2: The Difference Between Aromatherapy and Therapy

Aromatherapy has become a trend in the mental health setting, with therapists highly recommending essential oil diffusers or inhalants. While the smell of peppermint is refreshing and lavender is relaxing, where do we draw the line of how beneficial these treatments are for physical and mental health? Aromatherapy is the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize, and promote health of body, mind, and spirit. It also proves to have benefits for conditions like wrinkles, sprains, memory, fear, depression, stress, and insomnia. It is true that a warm lavender bath or massage will make you feel relaxed enough to get a deep sleep, but it is important to note that aromatherapy treatments are temporary responses to an ailment and are not a total remedy. Aromatherapy is essentially an adjunct for total health: If you have anxiety or depression, lavender will relax your stress symptoms, but won't make your anxiety or depression completely dissipate. With many mental illnesses, the most beneficial ways of gaining long term health of the body, mind, and spirit is through therapy/ talking to a professional, eating healthy, making healthy daily routines, and possibly medication depending on the severity of your illness. Aromatherapy is a wonderful treatment to incorporate into your daily routines, and although it isn't a complete remedy on its own for illnesses, it still has lots of beauty in its essence and helps many people. Below I added a really cool essential oil diffuser I found while looking up aromatherapy.