A lot of scientific studies continue to revolve around the use of aromatherapy and how it affects the body, but the practice of aromatherapy still is considered alternative medicine. The reason is, that without a doubt the sense of smell does have a reaction to the body, there is still no evidence-backed research that shows that aromatherapy actually cures any illnesses, according to the National Institute of Health.
Yet, the idea of aromatherapy has been around for a long time in medical history. The simple belief is that smells can stimulate the olfactory system and cause a response in the body and make them relax, cheer up and even heal.
In a 2014 study by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, they found that aromas can cause both sedation and stimulation of the body. Nerves in the nostrils that detect scents can connect directly to the brain and set off a variety of physical reactions such as calmness or increased heart rate.
What Does Science Think About Essential Oils?
Research over the use of essential oils has been studied over and over, even with cancer patients. The National Library of Medicine study showed that it was 95 percent effective in helping with the cancer patients sleep.
Studies also showed success in helping with depression and memory loss, but nothing shows that it can actually cure any illness or ailments.
Overall anxiety from pain and stress was reduced according to a study by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. The U.S. Patent Office states that aromatherapy causes direct access to the limbic brain and provides mental support and neurological stimulation that creates calming for stress disorders as well as anxiety, depression and other emotional conditions.
Sometimes, the essential oils are rubbed on the skin specifically to treat aches or pains, and it is absorbed into the skin and eventually to the bloodstream.
Part of the reason that scientific studies have been far from showing a cure for any illness or ailment includes that it is difficult to tell if different scientists are using the same exact essential oil compound, and that the tests have involved smaller amounts of people than most large-scale scientific medical research does.
And, just because two things happen, doesn't mean it is a cause and effect. For example, if a study found that people who smell lavender feel less anxious, it does not necessarily mean that the smell made the symptoms less. The truth is that there must be a proven correlation.
Who are the Scientists Supporting Rin'GO?
Rin'GO Aroma rings are a nasal inhaler that was developed as a one-time use with cellulose material that uses natural essential oils. It's an easy way to introduce those essential oils into the body, and those combinations of natural oil scents can have a reaction to the human body.
This was proven by scientists Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 2004 by proving that smell can have an intense effect on the body. So, the Rin'GO rings have a great deal of science behind them, with two Nobel Prize-winning Laureates discovering how to bring these natural essential oils to the general public in a safe and easy way.
Axel and Buck focused their research on the olfactory system involving nose and smell. Axel is a scientific investigator at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Buck works at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. There is a short documentary showing how the couple worked on their research.
In 1991, Buck and Axel discovered how hundreds of genes in a human's DNA code work. They also showed how the genes send electric signals to the brain and how it affects the body. They discovered how a group of cells on the wall of the nasal cavity is the clearinghouse for the sense of smell. None of those genes had ever been discovered before. They tried to trace how the brain uses the smell responses and differential between the odors.
The initial discoveries were using the DNA of rats and led to the discovery of the odorant receptors. The discovery with the 100 different genes and their research, they say, are just the tip of the iceberg to how scents affect the human body.
And that is some of the science behind what makes a Rin'GO Aroma ring work.