We pay attention to one or two but we are at the same time completely unaware of a number of others that silently impact us, causing a smile or bringing back a deeply stored memory. I think it is amazing how many various things affect our wellbeing, our moods and quality of life! One of such „things“ is smell.
In my constant search for new ideas and partners that could join in our growing and expanding Wellbe team, I’ve come across a person who has spent more than a decade exploring the limits and opportunities that smell can bring to humans. „The smell will be the first thing that will move your emotions, before the sound or the picture“ is her strong standpoint.
In the Croatian North Adriatic area we have abundance of aromatic herbs, we know them well and we use them for a number of occasions – for pleasure, healing, calming pain or unpleasant sensations, for food, or those special moments full of joy and relaxation…
Here you can even visit especially created scented homes where experts for fragrant herbs will explain and show how we use these herbs and even better, how they help you create your own fragrant product to take to your home.
Of course, there is much more in smells and scents to be told and still more to be discovered. I read about an innovative tool that harnesses the power of scent to evoke emotional memories among Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Alzheimer’s and memory loss caused by dementia affect 35.6 million people worldwide. Our sense of smell is one of our most visceral instincts. Within this innovative project the research uses an instant and powerful connection of scents to memories, especially emotional ones. By using scent ingredients relevant to the area of a person’s environment, including herbs and spices from everyday dishes, for example, tea, coffee, incense from local woods, beaches, bars…people are reminded of school, holidays, family and work life.
Although olfactory sensitivity generally declines with age, pleasant fragrances have been found to have positive effects on mood in all age groups.
Your sense of smell is one of your most primeval senses and exerts a surprising influence over your thoughts, emotions, moods, memories, and behaviors. Scents are experienced long before words.
Scents can have a powerful influence over how you think, feel, and behave. Aromatherapy allows you to harness the olfactory power of plants for healing, or even simply enhance your state of well-being.
The use of fragrances has been around for thousands of years, although traditions and methodologies have changed through the ages. Back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, physicians promoted the therapeutic use of scents. It wasn’t until the early nineteenth century that the medicinal use of aromatics was largely discredited by scientists who favoured drugs. Fortunately, aromatherapy is now making a strong comeback, moving steadily in the direction of the mainstream.
Aromatherapy can be a beneficial adjunct to your overall health plan. It’s not a replacement for wise lifestyle choices such as good nutrition and exercise, but it is an excellent way further to enhance your physical and emotional health. Aromatherapy is also one more tool you can keep in your tool bag for managing everyday stress, balancing out mood swings, and improving your sleep.
