How to Use Aromatherapy to Combat Depression

Aromatherapy, an ancient Asian art, is vastly becoming more acceptable as proven alternative medicine in the West. Aromatherapy works by either absorbing healing essential oils into the skin by massage, or inhaling the fragrances through infusers that heat up the essential oils and cause you to breath in the fragrance. The essential oils get into your blood stream and nervous system and release endorphins that can cause healing for many different ailments, including depression.

More and more people are running to the doctors with symptoms of depression. Doctors in the West are very quick to prescribe anti-depressants as an "instant cure" for depression. As someone who has suffered from depression on and off for most of my life, I can honestly tell you that there is no "instant cure." No "magic pill" ever cured me from depression. When I tell my doctor this, they are quick to say that I just haven't had the "right" medication. Let's see, I've tried Paxil, Cymbalta, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, and Buspar over a ten year period. Did any of them "cure" me of depression? Not really. It still kept turning up like a bad penny.

Aromatherapy is one way to treat depression naturally. It can be used in many ways and essential oils are available in many health food stores as well as various places online. There are over 150 essential oils that are used in aromatherapy. They can be put in air fresheners, diffusers, or massaged into your skin. You can even add these oils to your bath where you can not only soak them into your skin, but breathe in the fragrance.

Essential oils used to combat depression and other ailments are made from natural herbs, flowers, plants, trees, bark and other organic substances. There are several combinations of essential oils that can be inhaled or massaged into your skin that are supposed to combat depression. Like any "cures" for depression, these do not work like magic. It takes several treatments for you to feel the real effects of aromatherapy for depression.