Aromatherapy May Help Reduce Anxiety

Essential oils can be very therapeutic.  They have been used in traditional medicine all over the world for centuries.  Essential oils contain biologically active compounds from flowers and plants in a highly concentrated form.  

There are about as many uses for aromatherapy as there are essential oils, but one of the most exciting areas of research is for anxiety.  Research indicates that essential oils may help relieve symptoms without the side effects of anti-anxiety drugs.

An estimated 40 million US adults have feelings of anxiety that may occur even when there’s no real threat, causing unnecessary stress.   Many people who suffer with anxiety either do nothing or resort to pharmaceutical drugs.  Commonly prescribed drugs include benzodiazepine drugs like Ativan, Xanax, and Valium.

Many of these anti-anxiety drugs exert a calming effect by boosting the action of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the same way as opioids (heroin) and cannabinoids (cannabis) do.   This in turn activates the gratification hormone, dopamine, in your brain. Since the identical brain "reward pathways" are used by both types of drugs, they can be equally addictive and also may cause side effects like memory loss, hip fractures, impaired thinking, and dizziness.  Ironically, the symptoms of withdrawal from many of these anxiety medications include extreme states of anxiety.  some of which are far worse than the original symptoms that justified treatment in the first place.

Research shows that aromatherapy may be a natural therapy to treat anxiety.  You may want to talk to your doctor about these natural alternatives.  If you are taking anxiety medication, you should never go off of your medication without consulting with the prescribing physician.

For More Information:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/03/06/aromatherapy-essential-oils.aspx