Aroma? Therapy?
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat. It’s called aromatherapy. And it does have aroma. But does it have therapy? Janice Kiecolt-Glaser of Ohio State University checked by having people smell lemon and lavender. Her study in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology was supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study tested healing on skin where tape was applied and removed, and pain by having people keep their feet in 32-degree water for a minute. The study also looked at immune markers and other substances in blood. The study found the smells had no effect on the biological measures, although lemon did seem to improve people’s mood. Kiecolt-Glaser’s conclusion: ``I think of aromatherapy like perfume. I use it because I like the smell. I think it’s fair to use aromatherapy in the same way. But don’t use it if you’re really expecting to change your health.’’ (8 seconds) Learn more at hhs.gov. HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss. Last revised: April, 15 2008 | 
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