Aromatherapy for relief from chronic pain?
April 12, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Can aromatherapy really help provide relief from chronic pain? It’s been known for a long time that scents like peppermint can help relieve or reduce the pain from migraines, so it makes sense that there may be other scents that may help manage pain. As well, if aromatherapy can help you relax, it’s likely that your pain may be reduced as well.
If you want to read a primer on aromatherapy, check out this post: Aromatherapy 101 at Lively Women.
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Seems reasonable, if smells can help you relax then they should help with the pain. And the part of the brain that deals with the sense of smell is closely related to that part of the body that deals with emotions.
Yes, if you get your leg chopped off by a freak accident, aromatherapy probably won’t help reattach your leg, but it might help you deal with the feelings involved in the situation. (Disclaimer: I have never had my leg chopped off, nor do I play someone on TV who would think that a viable option on a network channel.)
Hey Merry.
Nice to see you here. Thanks for the smile.
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