Time for New Year Resolutions

Lemon (Photo credit: Moyan_Brenn)

The new year provides a chance for us to evaluate ourselves, to consider what we do well and what we need to work on.  I love this tradition. I like the opportunity to make small changes (or big changes) every year.  Sometimes the resolutions stick and sometimes they only last for a few weeks but every January we have the chance to look squarely at ourselves and try to be better people.

This year I wondered, could scent help people stick to their new year resolution?  If so, how?  Here are some common new years resolutions and how scent can help.

“Smell” your headache off!

Photo Credit office headache image by John Keith from Fotolia.com

You know that annoying feeling when your head hurts and you feel you can’t think or do anything? Of course you do.

Aromatherapy can be very useful when it comes to natural methods to cure headaches and helps reducing the use of drugs. Livestrong.com specifically said that “essential oils can be used to treat almost any ailment whether physical or emotional”, so

How do we Know that Scents are Safe? Part 2

Whether the flavors or fragrances are constructed of natural or synthetic ingredients we have established that both can contribute to the list of safe ingredients and to the list of un-safe ingredients.  The origin of the ingredient is a moot point – it is the structure of the ingredient that determines its toxicity / safety profile.  [To be clear, the source can be a differentiating factor IF there are multiple ingredients associated with one source or the other including but not limited to structural isomers of the principal ingredient(s). For instance nature frequently creates l (or d) isomers while synthetic versions are usually racemic mixtures (containing both d & l isomers in equal quantities).]

In the group of ingredients that are routinely used by many to construct fragrances and sometimes flavors there are items for which their safe use has been observed for decades and even longer and yet there are still detractors who claim that

Scent of a Winner?

Last week I wrote about cinnamon, this week I would like to turn to peppermint. Now I know that it is a little early to be thinking about peppermint as it does bring on memories about the winter holidays and yet another one of my favorite Starbucks creations the Peppermint Mocha (which I’m also super excited for this season). This blog post is about the athletic performance that peppermint can enhance.

Many athletes turn to supplements and sport drinks to enhance their performance, as well as banned pills, but new research might suggest that another performance enhancer might be right under their noses.

Scents of the Forests

For many, forests and woodlands are special places, some are considered sacred, and they are also associated with wellbeing. Being surrounded by trees, with the sounds of the air moving through the branches and leaves, or absolute stillness, can be a profoundly relaxing experience, and the diverse and complex scents of forest and woodland undoubtedly contribute to this feeling. It is recognised that being in touch with nature provides a sense of comfort and wellbeing. In this blog, I would like to talk about some of the scents of the trees that dominate these forests, and look at the role they may play in evoking such responses.

In my early days practising aromatherapy, I would use

Meditation and the Smell of Relax

Have you ever closed your eyes with the hope to open them and finding yourself in the middle of a forest, where everything is natural, untouched and pure?  Or at least, in some other amazing destination…? The answer is probably YES.