Fragrance Alters
Mood and Brain Chemistry.
(Health Risks and Environmental Issues)
Townsend Letter for
Doctors and Patients;
Fragrance
materials are added to give products a scent, to mask odors of other
ingredients, and in some cases to alter mood. Fragrance materials may be
synthetic, natural, or a combination of both. Using scented products causes
exposure to skin, upper airways, and olfactory pathways to the brain and lungs.
These are all entry points to the body, causing systemic exposure as well.
Fragrance inhalation through the nose goes directly to the brain where its
neurological effects can alter blood pressure, pulse and mood, as well as
having sedative effects. (1)
[ILLUSTRATION
OMITTED]
Volatile
Compounds
Fragrances are
volatile compounds that linger in the air adding to indoor air pollution and
contribute to poor indoor air quality. Fragrance formulations often contain
high concentrations of potent and long lasting synthetic chemicals for which
very little data exists regarding their health and safety. The United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledges that poor air quality
contributes to a host of physical and neurological problems including
headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and forgetfulness. Eighty to 90% of fragrance
chemicals are synthesized from petroleum products and are designed to disperse
quickly into the air where they can linger on fabrics and surfaces for months.
(1)
Fragrance is Everywhere
Fragrance
chemicals are unavoidable. They are included in every personal care product,
cosmetic, detergent, soap, fabric softener, pesticide, candle, car and room air-freshener. (1), (2) Hotels and motels
routinely spray with fragrance or use plug-in devices to disperse a scent. Most
modern facilities have windows that do not open, preventing fresh air from
entering. When making room reservations this writer has begun requesting that
no spray be used. Providing fragrance-free guest rooms has not yet caught on in
the hospitality trade. When more consumers ask for "fragrance-free"
rooms they may become more available, similar to the demand for tobacco-free
rooms.
Perfumes
Perfumes
contain neurotoxins, which have a causal link to central nervous system
disorders, headaches, confusion, dizziness, short-term memory loss, anxiety,
depression, disorientation, and mood swings. To avoid second hand exposure
among a growing population of sensitive individuals, some high schools,
workplaces, and public buildings have enacted policies banning the use of perfumes.
(2), (3)
Bach Flower
Remedies
Prior to humans
being exposed to modern synthetic petroleum derived fragrance products, and the
ensuing problems associated with such exposure, fragrances derived from flowers
and plants were used for millennia to soothe and heal. Historically, herbal
medicine has been used for the purposes of "clearing, consoling, quieting,
uplifting, and settling the mind and the emotions." Through his work in
homeopathy during the early 1900s, Edward Bach, MD, developed a specialized branch
of herbal medicine using only the flowers, which are the highly potent
seed-bearing part of a plant. Dr. Bach did not offer any scientific explanation
of how the flower remedies worked, and in fact, was wary of the trends in
scientific theories. He believed it was necessary to first improve a patient's
emotional state in order to bring about physical well being, and by careful
observation he developed what is now commonly referred to as the Bach Flower
Remedies. (4)
Aromas
Influence Body and Mind
The fragrance
of essential oils are claimed to enhance everything from emotional state to
lifespan. Throughout history aromatic oils have been used for their power to
influence emotions and states of mind. This is the basis for which oils have
been used for centuries as incense for religious and ritualistic purposes. (5)
Upon inhalation
of a fragrance, the odor molecules travel up the nose where they are captured
by the olfactory membrane. Each odor molecule fits into specific receptor cell
lining the olfactory epithelium. There are hundreds of millions of nerve cells
and they are each replaced every 28 days. Odor molecules stimulate the lining
of nerve cells which trigger electrical impulses to the olfactory bulb, which
then transmits impulses to the gustatory center (where
the sensation of taste is perceived), the amygdala
(where emotional memories are stored), and other parts of the limbic system of
the brain. Essential oils can have some very profound physiological and
psychological effects because the limbic system is directly connected to those
parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, stress
levels, hormone balance, and memory. (6)
Of the five
senses, only our sense of smell is linked directly to the limbic lobe of the
brain, our emotional control center. Fear, anxiety, depression, anger, and joy
all emanate from this region of the brain. A particular scent or fragrance can
evoke memories and emotions before we are even consciously aware of them. Our
senses of touch, taste, hearing, and sight, are all routed through the
thalamus, which serves as a switchboard for the brain, passing stimuli onto the
cerebral cortex and to other parts of the brain. (6)
The limbic
lobe, which encompasses a group of brain structures including the hippocampus,
can also directly activate the hypothalamus, one of the most important parts of
the brain, which serves as our hormonal control center. The hypothalamus is
responsible for the production of growth hormones, sex hormones, thyroid
hormones, and neurotransmitters such as serotonin. The hypothalamus has earned
the designation of "master gland" due to its many important
functions. (6)
The limbic lobe
and hypothalamus can be directly stimulated through the fragrance and unique
molecular structure of essential oils, which can exert a profound effect on the
body and mind. Inhalation of essential oils can be used to reduce stress and
emotional trauma, and to stimulate the production of hormones from the
hypothalamus that can result in increased thyroid hormone responsible for our
energy levels, among other things, and growth hormone known as the youth and
longevity hormone. (6)
Upon inhaling a
particular scent, the odor travels through the nose to the limbic section of
the brain that controls stress levels, heart rate, blood pressure and
breathing. Fragrance chemicals easily alter the brain's neurochemistry. Dr.
Alan Hirsch of the Smell and
In the 1970s, however,
there was a classic case of synthetic fragrance causing widespread health
problems. The chemical, AETT (acetylethyltetramethyletetralin)
was included in numerous personal care products. A series of animal studies
showed it to cause significant brain and spinal cord damage, but the United
States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to ban the chemical. After
years of allowing its distribution in consumer products, the cosmetic industry
finally withdrew it. (6)
Essential Oils
Essential oils
are components of hundreds of different chemicals that can exert many different
effects on the body. This completely prevents pure essential oils from
disrupting the body's natural balance or homeostasis. If one constituent exerts
too strong an effect, another constituent may block or counteract it, thereby
preserving homeostasis. Synthetic chemicals, on the other hand, usually have
only one action, which often disrupts the body's natural homeostasis. (6)
Brain Oxygen
Researchers at
the Universities of Vienna and
Weight Loss
Essential oils
are capable of stimulating the ventromedial nucleus
of the hypothalamus, a portion of the brain that regulates our feeling of
satiety, or fullness after a meal. In a clinical study conducted by Alan
Hirsch, MD, at the Smell and
Lavender and
Libido
Appetite is not
the only thing that essential oils have been successful in stimulating. A
second double blind randomized study by Dr. Hirsch documents the ability of
certain aromas to enhance libido. The study included 31 males who were exposed
to 30 different essential oil aromas. The scents that produced the most
excitement in the study, and among the subjects, were a combination of lavender
and pumpkin. (6)
Therapeutic
Standards
Essential oils
are the volatile liquids distilled from plant components including flowers,
fruits, seeds, leaves, bark, stems, and roots. The purity of an oil is
determined by its chemical constituents which can be affected by any number of
variables such as, which part of the plant was used for extracting the oil,
geographical region, altitude, climate, soil, growing conditions, harvest
method and season, and distillation process.
Approximately
200 types of oils are distilled from which several thousand chemical
constituents and aromatic molecules have been identified and registered. The
perfume and cosmetic industry uses 98% of the extracted oils. The remaining two
percent is used for therapeutic and medicinal applications. (6)
Therapeutic
grade essential oils require the preservation of as many of the delicate
aromatic compounds as possible. High temperature and pressure, plus contact
with chemically reactive metals, such as copper or aluminum, can easily destroy
the fragile aromatic chemicals in the volatile liquids. All therapeutic grade
and medicinal essential oils should be distilled only in stainless steel
cooking chambers at low pressure and low temperature. Agri-chemical
pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers can react with the essential oils
during distillation to produce toxic compounds. (6)
Essential oils
are among the oldest medicines used by humankind and are beginning to enjoy a
renaissance among holistic health consumers. But not everything sold as
"essential" oils are pure therapeutic grade products. Most
distillation procedures are designed for maximum profit and may use solvents,
high temperatures, high pressure, or reactive metal equipment. The main
constituents and fragrances of some oils are synthetically produced. They
should not be used for therapeutic applications, and may even carry risks. Only
the purest quality essential oils should be used for therapeutic purposes.
Adulterated or inferior oils may not produce the desired therapeutic results
and could possibly be toxic. (6)
Synthetic
Chemicals Impair Essential Oils
Essential oils
are very diverse in their effects and can perform several different functions.
They are described as chemically heterogenetic.
Synthetic chemicals are quite the opposite having basically just one action.
Our pervasive exposure to perfumes and petroleum based synthetic chemicals in
cosmetics and personal care products may interfere with some individuals'
ability to fully benefit from using essential oils, and may even cause allergic
reaction in sensitive individuals. (6), (8)
When
considering daily use of essential oils for health improvement it is strongly
advised to avoid personal care products containing ammonium or
hydrocarbon-based chemicals. Found in a variety of hand creams, mouthwashes,
antiperspirants, after-shave lotions, and hair products, these chemicals
include quarternarium 1-29 and polyquarternarium
1-14. Commonly used benzalkonium chloride can be
fatal if ingested. These chemicals can be toxic in small concentrations and may
possibly react with essential oils creating by-products of unknown toxicity.
Sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol and aluminum
salts found in many deodorants should also be avoided. (6)
Additional
synthetic preservatives and fragrances to avoid in personal care products
include methylene chloride, methyl isobutyl ketone, and methyl ketone. Not
only are these chemicals toxic in their own right, but they can react with
compounds in natural essential oils, resulting in a severe case of dermatitis,
or even septicemia (blood poisoning). (6)
Labeling
Some products
that purport to be "fragrance-free" or "unscented" may
still contain fragrance chemicals, which may not be listed as an ingredient on
the label. Though it is practically impossible to avoid fragrance chemicals in
our culture, and in spite of the fact that a growing number of Americans are
showing signs of chemical sensitivity, there is very little regulation or
monitoring. Fragrance ingredients are not listed on product labels. By claiming
fragrance formulations are trade secrets, industry is not required to disclose
the compounds to anyone, not even to governmental regulatory agencies who are
supposed to protect the public from toxic substances. When an individual
experiences an adverse effect from fragrance, it is nearly impossible to
pinpoint the specific ingredient responsible. (1)
The Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) on many fragrance chemicals clearly state they have
not been thoroughly tested, however, no fragranced
product carries a warning label. Any material may be used as a fragrance with
only a few substances prohibited. The individual components included in a
fragrance do not have to be listed along with product ingredients. The only
requirement is the word "fragrance" must appear on the label. The FDA
now has in place a program to report adverse reactions to cosmetics and there
has been an increase in the number of reported adverse reactions to fragrance
chemicals. (9)
Reporting
Adverse Events
Consumers who
believe they have suffered an adverse reaction to fragrance or other chemicals
in a consumer product should report their experience to the FDA by calling
their local FDA office, or 800-535-4555 (non-emergency), or 301-443-1240
(emergency), or 888-463-6332 for product information.
References
(1.) Bridges, B, "Fragrance Products Information
Network," N.E.E.D.S. newsletter (1-800-634-1380), Nov 2003.
(2.) Williams,
RM, "Cosmetic Chemicals and Safer Alternatives," TLfDP,
#247/248, Feb/Mar 2004.
(3.) Coleman,
J, PhD, "Cosmetics and fragrance products pose high risk for breast cancer
and other illness," www.cancerresearchamerica.org.
(4.) Bach, E,
MD, The Bach Flower Remedies, Keats Pub., Inc., CT,
1997.
(5.) Lawless,
J, The Encyclopaedia of
Essential Oils, Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1995.
(6.) The People's
Desk Reference for Essential Oils, Essential Science Pub., 1999.
(7.) Heuberger, E, "Effects of Chiral
Fragrances on Human Autonomic Nervous System Parameters and
Self-Evaluation," Chemical Senses, 26:281-292,
(8.) Higley, C&A, Reference Guide for Essential Oils,
Abundant Health, KS, 1998.
(9.) Bridges,
B, "Fragrance by Design," Fragranced Products Information Network,
www.fpinva.org,
by Rose Marie Williams, MA
COPYRIGHT 2004
The Townsend Letter Group. To subscribe please visit: www.townsendletter.com – The Power
Hour highly recommends this subscription!