aromatherapy and migrraines?

Sometimes I go to my chiropractor, who also does acupuncture, and I have had varied results. I also go to a masseuse. Has anyone ever tried aromatherapy for olfactory migraines? Seems like if smells can cause migraines, then they could alter/alleviate them to some degree. We have no official aromatherapist here. I've experimented a little, but nothing touches an acute attack.

Any time they use aromatherapy when I go for massage it definitely gives me a migraine. I can't stand any of that stuff any more. It makes me feel like such an old fuddy duddy.

i have been using peppermint oil. very cooling. hasn't stopped the pain but definately feels nice.

There are a few smells which calm me down and that reduces the pain of my migraines. There's no smell which would get rid of a migraine tho.

Lavender, patchouli, ylang ylang. Patchouli is a very earthy smell and that with a touch of some of the other ones is good for me - but I can't stand the sharp ones like lemon or lemongrass - they're like 'screeching' - i'm sure you know what I mean. Having said that, eucalyptus and clove are really good for me - but they would have to be soaked into wood or fibre or something rather than straight in oil.

I wonder if you find the smells that relax you it brings down your blood pressure and the pounding pain reduces. That kind of makes sense. But then it's a fine line between a smell that relaxes and it getting too overpowering. But if it's just nice and weak so that you have to sniff a bit to catch the smell, you should never get overpowered. That's my theory anyway lol.

I don't use oils at all anymore but I used to when I did massage. I do love them and might look into it again.

A mixture of lavender and peppermint is suppose to help migraines. I tried it and can only say "maybe". A few years back, there was a study saying the scent of sour green apple, I think the artificial candy scent, would reduce migraines.

I also have tried lavender and peppermint essential oils. I have a little carrying thing I mixed them with olive oil and put it in there. Also have another I put several in - can't remember which. I have a whiff now and then, and it helps maybe for a few minutes. I have tried rubbing them into "pulse points" too. It's just that the scents that bother me, which is most perfumes and body lotions, cause that immediate ice pick to the brain, and then it's too late to prevent. Thought about wearing some when I go to work so they don't give me a headache there, but I don't know. Feels kinda hopeless. I'll look some more. Be interested to see what a true aromatherapist would recommend. I'll have to study up on it and get back to you.

Hey newagemarie! Nothing's hopeless..where there's life there's hope they say Whoever 'they' are lol. *hugs*

Here's recipes from an aromatherapist. I know I can't stand neroli except in a very weak form but that said, that last recipe does sound nice with the marjoram if you ignore the rubbish about the cause of the migraine (negative emotion) or past life repressed anger (i might have made that one up). If there was one there that said migraines related with a chronic neurological disorder I'd be more convinced they knew what the heck they were talking about but even if it doesn't work, it will make you smell yummy

*************************
Aromatic Blend #1
Migraines related with negative emotions
*********************

-3 drops Roman Chamomile
-8 drops Lavender

Massage the forehead, temples, solar plexus. Breathe it in deeply. Pour 15 drops of this aromatic blend into the bathtub and soak for at least 15 minutes.

*********************
Aromatic blend #2
Migraines related with muscular tension
*********************

-4 drops Lavender
-5 drops Peppermint

Massage the forehead, temples, neck and shoulders.

*********************
Aromatic blend #3
Migraines related with nervous tension
*********************

-3 drops Roman Chamomile
-3 drops Neroli
-5 drops Marjoram

Massage the forehead, temples and solar plexus. Breathe it in deeply. Pour 15 drops of this aromatic blend into the bathtub and soak for at least 15 minutes.

```````````````````````````````
Visit http://aromalchemy.com/aromatherapy/ouroils.html to purchase, read about and enjoy even more recipes about the featured essential oils.
```````````````````````````````

In Good Health,

Francoise Rapp
www.aromalchemy.com
francoise@aromalchemy.com

This article was originally published by internationally renowned aromatherapist and alchemist, Françoise Rapp, in "The Arom'Alchemy Newsletter," a weekly ezine dedicated to educating and inspiring people to live a life of total harmony through the use of aromatherapy and flower essences. To have her free newsletter delivered to your email, visit www.aromalchemy.com/education/index.html.

I wanted to try green apple, but couldn't find any on the internet. I didn't know it was the artificial kind.
I'll look for some sour apple candy the next time I'm in the sweet shop.

Thanks for the essential oil combinations. Already have peppermint oil and lavender mixed up but will try the other one. Appreciate it.

lentils wrote:I wanted to try green apple, but couldn't find any on the internet. I didn't know it was the artificial kind.
I'll look for some sour apple candy the next time I'm in the sweet shop.

I looked up the study, it seems really weak:
"Out of the 50 headache patients, 35 of them did not like the green apple odor. Among these, inhaling the green-apple device while suffering a migraine did not produce any statistically significant improvement in the severity of their headache. However, among the 15 volunteers who found the green apple odor to be pleasant, they did experience a significant reduction in the severity of their migraine."
http://www.smellandtaste.org/index.cfm?action=research.apple

I think I'm wrong about "sour" green apple, like in candy. It just says "green apple odor". Here's a website that sells it:
http://www.scentoils.com/SCENTED_OILS-Fresh_green_apple_Scent_Oil.html

Thanks for the link. I going to try it.