Thursday, August 6, 2020
Topic 2: Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is purported to utilize science and art to promote harmonious well being to anyone who partakes in the olfactory overload of scents that waft around you. Proponents of this all natural scent scenario believe that the sense smell is the quickest route to the brain and therefore indulging in the fragrances they have purposed helps soothes a problem is linked to the daily application of essential oils throughout a users day. However, while these calming lavenders and soothing sage aromas might be pleasant; there are no proven scientific studies that link the usage of essential oils/aromatherapy to the relief of pain or discomfort associated with the prescribed function of these practices. Surely it is nice to smell nice things and enjoy the comfort they bring; but to sell these products under the guise that they will soothe actual physical ailments is ethically and morally negligible. I work at a Whole Foods where they fully “drink the koolaid” in regards to the manly nuanced uses of essential oils and I believe it’s a total scam on lackadaisical millennials who buy into their scheme. After all, some of these essential oils they are selling cost approximately $15-25 a small bottle and claim to bring about clarity, resilience, or any other vague adjective that sounds desirable. I’m all for a nice candle to heighten the atmosphere of a room when company is over, but to claim such broad statements without anything to show is silly.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Ben, I agree that many people take pseudo-scientific beliefs to insane levels. To these people, they experience a strong placebo effect that makes them think they work, when they really don't. A room that smells like flowers is way more welcoming than one that smells like last night's dinner though, so to a certain length, smells do affect our mood. The high prices on these scents comes along with the labels that they are "made for" relieving the symptoms the consumer wants to remove. Many of them are willing to pay exorbitant sums of money for their scented relief.
ReplyDelete