If I saw a physician using aromatherapy, rather than tranquilizers, I'd say that's inappropriate at this point. But Hirsch predicts that by 2010 aromatherapy will be a part of mainstream medicine. If we ever find the odor associated with the greatest impairment, we could potentially use that to diagnose the recurrence of disease. You'll go to the kitchen, where an odor will be released to increase or suppress your appetite. Your office may be scented to make you more productive.
Alternative medicine is offered now in quite a number of medical schools.
Even though there's been some interesting work done in Japan and Germany, it's one thing to get results once. But it doesn't appear that researchers have been able to duplicate these results again. While I believe there's a scientific basis for aromatherapy, and enough basis to show that physiological reactions occur in the body when individuals inhale certain fragrances, there's also a tremendous range of subjective reasons for reactions. For instance, If someone's had a negative experience with fragrances in the past, and it's caused anxiety, that person will react negatively, even though other people may react positively. Smell the Roses Generally, insofar as odors and topical essential-oil preparations are pleasurable, they are healthful.