Debunking the Debunkers - The True Medicinal Value of Aromatherapy

Debunking the Debunkers - The True Medicinal Value of Aromatherapy

Has aromatherapy been wrongly accused?

Searching for the term “aromatherapy” brings up several sites claiming that aromatherapy is a scam. That essential oil manufacturers and retailers make “dubious” claims about the effectiveness of essential oils. These people don't seem to have done their homework or compared the validity of scientific research to that of conventional medicine, which in fact could easily be labeled "doubtful" using the same criteria. Okay, actually no criteria are used, just a few blurbs portraying aromatherapy as a gentle science that should be ignored along with everything else that comes under the "New Age" heading.

How about we agree on this: That SOME of aromatherapy is actually a “soft science”? That SOME people feel more relaxed when inhaling lavender, for example, and others don't? Aromatherapists won't disagree on this point - but they will balk if the medicinal uses of essential oils are dismissed with the softer side of "aromatherapy." Science SUPPORTS many aromatherapy claims with valid data, even beyond the “soft science” of the practice. Here's a look at the science behind aromatherapy, the holes in the arguments of popular debunks, and why aroma medicine has its place in today's medical practice.

The image problem of aromatherapy

We see that aromatherapy's image problem is this: most people hear the word and think it has more to do with the "smell of things" than with "things that smell." It's a small but very important difference. Aromatherapy is really the entire branch of medicine that uses the chemically volatile (easily evaporated) components of plants to treat a variety of ailments. IT DOES NOT just have to do with the effects of these plant chemicals on people who smell them. Almost any professional aromatherapist will tell you that the great medical promise of aromatherapy lies not in its pleasant aromas, but in its ability to successfully treat a variety of infectious diseases (such as MRSA, the 'superbug'), its effects as chemotherapy agents, anti-inflammatory agents, wound-healing agents, and other "hard" medical uses.

Find real data on the effectiveness of essential oils

A quick look at the research results from Pub Med, a database of thousands of peer-reviewed life science and medical journals freely available online, reveals thousands of citations of research conducted using essential oils. Yes, there are actually some studies that found no convincing evidence that hand massages with lavender cream didn't make people feel better than hand massages with unscented lotion. But there are studies that show that people sleep better after inhaling lavender. And there is one study that shows that immune system stressors remained unchanged after inhaling linalool (an isolated component of lavender), but there are also 15 studies (at last count) that show positive significant results when you search for “lavender” and “axiolytic.” (the technical term for stress reducer). The results for “acetaminophen” and “pain” MAY be just as strong; those for 'minoxidil' and 'hair' almost certainly are not.

The unfounded view of the skeptics

Aromatherapists even admit that there are mixed results. While the naysayers use this data to say "aromatherapy doesn't work," the reasonable statement seems to be, "Everyone is different. Some people respond and some people don't. They may respond to a different fragrance, or they may not respond at all." From Robert T. Carol of skepdic.com: "...I must conclude that aromatherapy is primarily a pseudoscientific alternative medical therapy. It is a mixture of folklore, trial and error, anecdote, testimony, New Age spiritualism and fantasy. " Stephen Barrett, MD of Quackwatch, doesn't seem to actually have anything to say about essential oils, just sounds like it upset about the whole idea.

Sure, there may be some unsubstantiated claims floating around, but let's play fair. How many deadly drugs have been taken off the market after drugmakers paid for rigorous scientific research that claimed they were “safe and effective”? A table ranks deaths attributable to "properly prescribed and used drugs" between those caused by alcohol and those caused by alcohol - these just above the "preventable medical" mishap and all these above the traffic fatality. How many died from using essential oils? Can you draw a circle? How about the letter that stands between 'n' and 'p'?

The latest in aroma medicine research

On to the cutting edge of aroma medicine: The big news is that essential oils, yes, the very same ones used in aromatherapy (this is the idea we want to convey!), are highly effective antibiotics and antivirals. Here, too, we invite you to search for “essential oil” and “mrsa” – this is the “superbug” of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that has become resistant to commonly available antibiotics (the MR in the name stands for “methicillin resistant”). You'll find studies supporting the effectiveness of tea tree essential oil in clinical applications and positive laboratory results with several other oils. And so far, these oils are believed to have no negative effects in effective doses.

Essential oils identified as cancer destroyers

Then there are the countless studies proving the effectiveness of essential oils in destroying cancer. A recent study published in the journal Chemico-Biological Interactions found that linalool, a common ingredient in essential oils, completely eradicated a particular liver cancer cell line at very, very low concentrations. Try 'essential oil' and 'cancer' in Pub Med and you'll get results like "Frankincense oil from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell-specific cytotoxicity" (perhaps this is the terminology of "New Age spiritualism" which I don't yet know). Another result is “Anticancer activity of an essential oil from Cymbopogon flexuosus” (Lemongrass essential oil) with the conclusion “Our results show that the oil has promising anticancer activity and causes loss of tumor cell viability by activating the apoptotic process, as determined by electron microscopy.” Of course, the list goes on (in fact, there are 388 results for this search today).

Then why all the criticism?

Why is this criticism of aromatherapy so popular, at least in the eyes of Google? Why do some people like horror movies and car crashes – not sure, really. It may have to do with the fact that in many people's minds there is a closer relationship between "aromatherapy" and "Glade Plug-in Air Freshener (TM)" than between "aromatherapy", "incense" and "tumor cell-specific cytotoxicity". One reality is that the Glad Plug-in concept spends a lot more money. Since essential oils cannot be patented as medicines, the amount of money Really Big Business can make is negligible.

Changing the popular view of aromatherapy

So it's up to small natural health companies, solo practitioners, and the wonderful educational and research institutions that do the technical work to get the word out. And most importantly, to rock the boat a little when so-called authorities make really dubious claims about the dubious nature of aromatherapy. Plant medicine has kept humans alive for thousands of years - essential oils are just very active molecules produced by plants, and aromatherapy is so named because it deals with the therapeutic uses of these aromatic molecules. Aromatherapy. Get the word out!