Diffusing And Our Emotional Health

Have you ever entered a room and noticed the aroma and how it made you feel? Sometimes we have emotional ties to a scent. For example, the smell of cookies in the oven may remind you of growing up in your childhood kitchen with your mom baking cookies just for you. You felt loved and special. If you smell cookies baking today, you may be flooded with your emotional memories. However, there is more going on. Even if you can’t detect a scent, something in the air, you may have an emotional or physical response to it. Today I am going to share with you the emotional benefits, and therefore health benefits, from diffusing essential oils.

I am emphasizing emotional health for three reasons: 1) because it impacts how we feel in our daily lives, 2) it influences our relationships, and 3) the consensus in the medical community is that our emotional health may dictate up to 85% of our physical health. Working to eliminate stress and treating your emotional health as you would your physical health is extremely important.

I stated the statistic that 85% of our health is related to emotional wellness. Our emotional wellness is what keeps much of our genetic material (DNA) in check. Research appears to support that many, if not most of us are born with genetic predispositions to many diseases, or how healthily we age for example. We can do our best to eat properly and eliminate toxins in our environment, but keeping emotionally healthy is perhaps the tantamount way to stay physically healthy. Maintaining emotional health is a key benefit of many essential oils. When emotionally healthy, we don’t release hormones and chemicals in our bodies that may activate gene expression harmful to our physical health, that would otherwise stay dormant. This is the budding field of epigenetics, the study of gene expression or the opening of the door of genetic material in our DNA.

Let’s see how diffusing specific oils can impact our emotional health. When we inhale essential oils, we breathe them through our nostrils. If you pinch the top of your nose, that is the location of your olfactory nerve. When inhaled essential oils are received by the olfactory nerve, this nerve then delivers neural information to the amygdala.

The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped cluster of nuclei located deep within the brain's temporal lobe, and it plays a crucial role in emotional processing and emotional health. The functioning of the amygdala is complex and involves various chemical and neural processes. Key neurotransmitters and chemicals involved in the functioning of the amygdala include; glutamate the key excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) the key inhibitory transmitter in the brain, serotonin the regulatory neurotransmitter, dopamine which is involved with reward or punishment processing, norepinephrine which is a neurotransmitter and hormone involved with the “flight or fight” response, and endorphins which are a natural opioid produced by the brain for regulation of pain and emotions.

The chemical processes in the amygdala involve the release, reuptake, and binding of these neurotransmitters in response to various emotional stimuli. When the amygdala perceives a potential threat or emotionally salient event, it can initiate a cascade of chemical signals that result in the generation of an emotional response. This response can include increased alertness, heightened fear, or the initiation of the fight-or-flight response.

Here are critical aspects of the amygdala's role in emotional health in more detail:

1. Emotion Processing: The primary function of the amygdala is to process and regulate emotions, particularly those related to fear, threat, and reward. It helps to assess the emotional significance of various stimuli, including facial expressions, environmental cues, and sensory information.

2. Fear Response: The amygdala is particularly well-known for its role in the fear response. When the amygdala detects a potential threat, it initiates a cascade of physiological and behavioral responses, such as increased heart rate, sweating, and the release of stress hormones like adrenaline, all designed to prepare the body to respond to a perceived danger.

3. Emotional Memory: The amygdala is involved in the formation and storage of emotional memories. It can enhance the consolidation of memories associated with emotionally charged events, both positive and negative, which can influence future emotional responses and behavior. Remember my reference to cookies baking in an oven?

4. Social and Interpersonal Function: The amygdala also plays a role in social and interpersonal interactions by helping individuals interpret the emotional states and intentions of others. It helps in recognizing facial expressions, vocal tones, and body language, which are essential for understanding the emotions of those around us.

 5. Emotional Regulation: While the amygdala is primarily associated with the generation of emotional responses, other brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, help regulate and modulate these responses. This regulation is crucial for emotional health, as it enables individuals to manage and control their emotional reactions in a healthy and adaptive way.

 6. Mental Health: Dysfunction or abnormal activity in the amygdala has been implicated in various emotional and mood disorders, including anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and mood disorders such as depression. These conditions often involve dysregulation of emotional responses and heightened sensitivity to emotional stimuli.

 With these attributes the amygdala plays a crucial role in the functioning of the limbic system, of which it is a part. The limbic system is a complex network of brain structures (including the amygdala) involved in emotions, behavior, motivation, and memory. The limbic system is often referred to as the “emotional brain” or the “emotional processing center.” The amygdala is considered a key component of the limbic system because of its central role in processing and regulating emotions, particularly those related to fear and the formation of emotional memories.

The amygdala is situated within the temporal lobes of the brain and is adjacent to several other limbic structures, making it well-integrated into the overall limbic system. As part of the limbic system, the amygdala has extensive connections with various parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and prefrontal cortex, all of which are critical components of the limbic system. These connections allow for the integration of emotional responses with memory, motivation, and decision-making. For example, the amygdala can influence the release of stress hormones through its connections with the hypothalamus, affecting the body's physiological responses to emotional experiences. Having an adrenalin rush is something we have all probably experienced. The hormone release demonstrated in an adrenalin rush shows the power of the amygdala and the limbic system.

CPTG essential oils are all about the chemistry. Limonene is a powerful chemical constituent found in all citrus essential oils, which make it a part of the compound group Monoterpene Hydrocarbon. A January 2021 study released in Behavioral Neurology concluded that the antidepressant-like effects of limonene are probably mediated through inhibition of neuroinflammation and attenuation of nitrite levels in the hippocampus. That means limonene, found in CPTG citrus essential oils, through diffusion of these oils is excellent for mood enhancement, creates uplifting emotions, and aids in motivation. Limonene is but one of the many constituents found in various essential oils that can impact our emotional health in a positive way.

 The neurotransmitters and chemicals used in the brain to elicit the role of the amygdala are critical, and you just read how limonene found in citrus oils impacts the limbic system.

Think about the ramifications of finding a safe, all natural, effective way to support your body to heal on the emotional and subsequent physical level. It is mind-boggling and all about the chemistry!