Aromatherapy and Depression

When artiste Leslie Cheung committed suicide, he left behind a trail of speculations amidst sighs of regret. News of his "depression" arose. The realisation that even a superstar could be plagued by such problems abruptly heightened the "suffering index" of ordinary folks. Incessant natural disasters, bleak economic outlook, fear of unemployment, adolescent worries about schoolwork?these pressures from life make "depression" one of the most serious civilised diseases of this century.

"Insomnia" is also a common problem faced by people living in modern society. According to a survey conducted by the American National Sleep Foundation, three in every four women aged between 30 to 60 years are suffering from "insomnia". "Insomnia" has already become an epidemic disease for females. The Shanghai Chinese Medical Hospital has been conducting surveys on epidemic diseases since 1996 and results indicate that 15% of Shanghai residents have serious insomnia symptoms.

These figures are concrete proof that there is a huge market demand for products that relieve stress and insomnia. The beneficial effects of aromatherapy in soothing emotions and enhancing sleep quality have long been deep-rooted in the minds of ordinary folks and have been proven in numerous clinical literatures. These constitute an important reason for the active development of "psycho aromatherapy" products, as undertaken by Yangsen Biotechnology Institute in close collaboration with Bel'Air.

Depression: Disease of the Century, Alongside Cancer and Aids Unless patients commit suicide, depression is usually not life threatening. However, one's quality of life will suffer a drastic decline and loved ones will also be deeply affected. According to a survey report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 3% of the world population are suffering from depression at present. The report also predicted that Depression, Aids and Cancer will become the three main diseases of the 21st century. By 2020, depression will only be secondary to cancer in causing the inability to function normally and even death.

To most people, perhaps the degree of nervousness and anxiety has not reached the stage where they must receive medical treatment and advice. However, it is an undeniable fact that long-term nervousness and anxiety will affect the balance between one's body and mind. Taipei Lian-An Clinic conducted a survey of 1164 white-collar workers who went there for health examinations. Results showed that two thirds of the patients felt worn out by life and close to 40% of the patients needed to receive professional psychiatric treatments due to depression and anxiety. Symptoms of nervousness and anxiety derived from work-related stress have reached the scale of an epidemic in America. 43% of adults feel threatened by it. Absenteeism, falling productivity and increase of medical bills, which can come about as a result of occupational nervousness, are predicted to cost the American economy several hundred billion US dollars.

Understanding the Importance of Sleep

"When I am sleeping, my mind is resting!" Many people have this misconception. However, the likely truth is that when you sleeping, only the rest of your body is resting. Your brain continues to be active as it labours on making preparations for the next day. Sleep is as essential to a healthy body and mind as food. If you have insufficient hours of sleep or lack quality sleep, your body will continuously accumulate "sleep debts" and you will have to pay for it one day. Do also note that rest is not a substitute for sleep!

Another misconception is that most sleep disorders can heal without medication. Many people who are plagued by sleep disorders do not realise that this is actually a disease, much less understand that it can be healed. Methods of healing include medication, operation, psychiatric treatment and combined therapy. Sleep disorders will not disappear naturally. If allowed to develop at its own pace, it would only worsen one's quality of life, damage interpersonal relationships, affect one's conduct and result in huge negative impacts, to the extent of causing accidents or deaths.

Psycho Aromatherapy

To examine the mental effects of "aromatic essential oils", results can be basically categorised into the psychological effects deriving from aromatic scents and the physiological effects deriving from the impact of essential oil molecules on the central nervous system. Both psychological and physiological effects can cause changes in the central nervous system, internal secretion system and immunity system, hence giving rise to complex biological consequences.

Modern "psycho aromatherapy" utilises analytical tools like Micro Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Electroencephalogram (EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) to research on the direct impact of aroma on the central nervous system. It can be used to examine the effects of aromatherapy on health problems such as insomnia, depression, nervousness, mental fragility, headaches, fatigue, dizziness and memory deterioration.

According to popular understanding, aromatherapy can indeed achieve the effect of soothing emotions. People's interest in aromatherapy is aroused when certain essential oils can genuinely alleviate the conditions of some illnesses which are hard to cure even in hospitals, such as mental fragility, depression and insomnia. According to clinical studies, besides using medication and supportive psychiatric therapy to cure depression, many doctors also encourage patients to adopt the method of aromatherapy. Both consumers and professional medical practitioners recognise the positive effects of essential oils for stress relief.

Research and Development of Nepenthe Bio-tech Pure Essential Oil It was 5pm in the afternoon. In a resting house in Taipei suburb, about 40 old folks were leisurely enjoying the uplifting scents of Bel'Air's Nepenthe essential oil. They seemed at ease with themselves, immersed in a state of peace and tranquility away from the hassles of the world. This is the result of a test on Nepenthe essential oil, conducted over a week by a research team from Yangsen Biotechnology Institute to examine the therapeutic effects of aromatherapy in soothing the depressive emotions of old folks.

The research team members applied a depression scale to evaluate the subject's level of depression. During the research process, the subject inhaled the aroma for 4 hours daily. Seven days later, the depression scale was again used to evaluate the subject's level of depression. At the same time, the heart rate variability (HRV) was also measured to evaluate the subject's sympathetic nerve activity and parasympathetic nerve activity. Earlier research has already shown that the higher the marks on the depression scale, the higher the level of sympathetic activity and the lower the level of parasympathetic activity. From the table below, we can see that after seven days of aromatherapy with "Nepenthe Bio-tech Pure Essential Oil", the depression score has evidently decreased and sympathetic activity, which stands for anxiety, has declined dramatically. On the other hand, parasympathetic activity, which stands for calmness, has increased greatly.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Do Natural Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Supplements Really Work?

Unfortunately, millions of Americans currently suffer from the debilitating effects... Read More

Depression: Escape Your Mental Prison

There is an illness all around me in modern society... Read More

Are the Benefits Worth the Costs?

Schizophrenia suffers around the world have benefitted greatly with the... Read More

New FDA Approved Therapy for Depression: Timeline from Prescription to Procedure

On July 18, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA)... Read More

Depression - Causes and Treatments

Depression has long been considered a character flaw indicative of... Read More

FDA Approves Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Treatment for Depression

On July 15th, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA)... Read More

What is Neurotransmitter Deficiency Disorder and How Can It Cause Depression, Anxiety, and...

Neurotransmitters (NTs) are essential chemical messengers that regulate brain, muscle,... Read More

Control Your Own Level of Motivation

When I first mention this to most people, they really... Read More

Psychiatrist Begin Training About Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression

The manufacturer of the vagus nerve stimulator has begun face-to... Read More

Depression is a Choice

There is one very simple reason for all emotional depression.In... Read More

Mood Disorders And Depression

We all suffer with bad moods from time to time.... Read More

Natural Remedies For Depression

It is true that forms of depression cannot be avoided,... Read More

Depression: Bringing Yourself Down

Sometimes it's hard to see the forest from the trees.... Read More

How You Can Learn To Treat Depression

When a person undertakes a course of therapy through their... Read More

Depression-My Story

What is depression?Depression is a serious medical illness; it's not... Read More

Depression is the Number One Cause of Disability in the United States

According to the World Health Organization, 4 of the 10... Read More

Is it ADHD or is it Depression?

During the assessment process it is of great importance for... Read More

Get Rid Of Depression Once And For All

Depression is something that will occur in many people's lives,... Read More

Depression Keeps 19 Million Adults From Being Productive

Approximately 19 million American adult workers allow depression to limit... Read More

Depression And Celiac Disease

Depression is a condition which affects about 15% of the... Read More

American Indian Youth and Depression - Using Traditions To Heal The Wounds

When most people hear the words American Indian, visions of... Read More

Dont Be Surprised!

Life wasn't easy for cave men. They had to hunt... Read More

FDA Deems Vagus Nerve Therapy Approvable as a Treatment for Depression

On February 3, 2005 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration... Read More

Seven Steps to Good Mental Health

Psychological well-being is something that we all have a right... Read More

Do You Think You Have Depression?

Do you have days where nothing can make you happy?... Read More

Recognizing Depression

Depression is a serious issue. There are simply hundreds of... Read More

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Should be Used Early in Treatment when Traditional Antidepressants Fail

Lifetime Prevalence of Depression and the Age-of-Onset Report Distributions of... Read More

Depression Explained

Depression is a mental state marked by melancholy, pessimism or... Read More

Recognizing Depression?s Warning Signs

Depression is a serious illness, not a harmless part of... Read More

St Johns Wort and Depression

The bright yellow flower of the St Johns Wort (hypericum... Read More

Your Daily Struggle With Depression

If you have been diagnosed with depression or feel that... Read More

Are You Someones Puppet? Four Ways People Manipulate Others

With the current interest in mental health topics, a mental... Read More

Can You Overcome Depression?

There are many things that happen within the body when... Read More