# Aromatherapy... Sweet Smells Banish Pain - but only in women



## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

I reckon most of us deal with pain every single day! Maybe - for the women amongst us at least - having some roses around would help!







Here's an article from New Scientist magazine. *Sweet Smells Banish Pain * http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992424


> quote: 19:00 19 June 02 Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition The sweet scent of roses or almonds could take some of the pain out of your stay in hospital. But only if you're a woman.Serge Marchand and Pierre Arsenault at the University of Quï¿½bec in Abitibi-Tï¿½miscamingue asked 20 men and 20 women to keep their hand immersed in painfully hot water for as long as they could while smelling various odours. When given pleasant aromas such as almond extract to sniff, the women experienced significantly less pain. Foul smells such as vinegar seemed to slightly intensify their pain. However, the pain felt by the men was not affected by the smells.Both sexes reported feeling happier in the presence of good smells, while bad smells put them in a worse mood. But this effect on the emotions can't be what changed the women's perception of pain. If it was, the men should have responded in the same way. Women are typically more sensitive to odours than men. But this also can't explain why only women feel the pain-relief benefits, because the women in the study didn't rate the intensity of smells differently from the men. Pleasant sensations of touch are known to activate an area of the brain's frontal cortex used for taste and smell. So it's possible that smells could be altering the sensory processing of touch, pain and temperature by affecting this part of the brain in women. More at: Physiology and Behavior (vol 76, p 251) Betsy Mason










I think I'll go and sniff those roses I cut from the garden the other day.Here's another article on smells and pain. *Smell of Success * http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns9999149


> quote:Smell of success 12:01 08 November 00 Aromatherapy may really work, says a scientist from Italy. Anna Maria Aloisi of the Universita degli Studi in Siena found that sniffing lemon essence appeared to reduce pain and stress. There is anecdotal evidence that plants and their oils affect the mind and body but few data on how they affect pain perception.So Aloisi tested rats and found that those exposed to a lemon smell were less bothered by a chemical irritant that usually makes the animals flinch and lick themselves. They also had lower levels of a stress hormone."The results clearly indicate the ability of lemon odour to modulate persistent pain," she reports.Aromatic relief Aloisi put male rats in two types of cages. Under the floors of half was a petri dish with water. Under the other rats' floors was water spiked with 10 drops of lemon essence. All the floors had small holes for the rats to sniff through.Then she further divided the rats. Half received an injection in the foot of formalin, an irritant that makes the rodent flinch and lick. The other half got a simple saline injection. Aloisi observed the rats' behaviour, noting how often they flinched, flexed and licked the affected paw. She also measured blood levels of corticosterone, a stress hormone.Smelling lemon essence significantly reduced the formalin-treated animals' flinching and licking, she says. It also reduced levels of corticosterone, indicating lower levels of stress and anxiety It is not clear which brain circuits are involved in the pain relief. However, Aloisi suspects that the opioid system is being activated.Alison Motluk, New Orleans


I think I'll go and get some lemons to sniff along with the roses


----------



## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

Does anyone here use aromatherapy to help with CFS/Fibro pain relief and relaxation?


----------



## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing







Now does this explain why I like to eat sweets so much?







Not only does chocolate release endorphins, it smells sweet too


----------

