Interior and Health

A recent episode of the Oprah Winfrey show focused on the health impact of too much clutter. Hopefully, the show will emphasize what health professionals have known for years — an unhealthy home can mean an unhealthy body and mind. Although most of us know that clutter is unsightly, few of us realize the health impact it can have on us. When relaxing, cleaning, or decorating up our homes, we do not always take into consideration the heaps of clutter — the unused decorations, the old collectibles, burnt out candles, the extra stuff — that each of us have in our homes.

The truth is, though, clutter can mean an unhealthy breathing environment as well as poor health overall. Clutter can mean:

1) Poor sleep. If you cannot find your things because they are buried under piles of junk, you may not be able to get through everything on your to-do list every day, and this can mean you start heading to bed later and later. If you cannot make your dinner until you clean off the table encounters, or if you cannot complete your take-home work until you’ve cleared off a space for yourself in your office, you are wasting time, and that can cut into your sleeping time. Poor sleep, in turn, can lead to fatigue, headaches, irritability, and increased blood pressure.

2) Breathing problems. If you have lots of clutter, you can be sure that you also have lots of dust — and possibly other pests as well. The truth is, clutter easily accumulates dust and other allergens. Plus, clutter provides an excellent space for bacteria to grow and an excellent nesting space for pests such as mice, spiders, and other unwanted guests. All of these problems can impact your sinuses and can lead to allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems. If you notice that your air quality does not seem to be quite what is should be, try lighting some candles to eliminate any odor of associated with dust. Then, get cleaning and start getting rid of unwanted items quickly.

3) Stress. Just looking at piles of unwanted items is stressful. It is even more stressful if those items are keeping you from doing what you need to do. For example, if you no longer work out because your treadmill is covered with piles of clothes, or if you no longer use your kitchen for making healthy meals because the kitchen is too cluttered, you may be experiencing stress – and your clutter may be coming between you and a healthy lifestyle. This in turn can mean high blood pressure, can cause you headaches, and can result in many other ailments. If you are stressed out, start by de-cluttering your home as much as possible. This does not have to be unpleasant. Light a candle, put on some soothing music, and try filling up just one garbage bag a day to take to either a local charity or the local junkyard. Set aside 15 minutes a day to relax with some candlelight and some soothing music or tea while you appreciate your new surroundings. This will go a long way towards reducing the level of stress you may be living with right now in your cluttered home.

In the midst of rapidly growing variety of alternative medicine treatments that you’ve heard about recently, you may have noticed that aromatherapy is mentioned a few times. Many people dismiss the idea of using scents to bring medical results as groundless, and that’s understandable in many ways. There is a lot of information on aromatherapy that comes from people who speak about it based on their spiritual beliefs and a lack of information coming from detailed medical studies. As a complementary health treatment in Western culture, it’s still a little new, so there’s still plenty to learn about it. Let us explore some of the ways through which aromatherapy can help and support our wellbeing, so that you know how to better incorporate it into your life.

Aromatherapy as a Medical Practice

The basis of aromatherapy is in use of essential oils, which are extracted from plants though distilling processes, resulting in concentrated liquids that are often very fragrant. In France, the aromatherapy is used as a complement to the traditional medical practices, but it’s for the antiseptic properties of the essential oils more than anything. In France, essential oils are sometimes prescribed by a physician to target harmful organisms that might lead to bacterial, viral, or fungal infections.

If you’re wondering about the fact when the “aroma” part of aromatherapy comes in, there are traditional health practices in the United States in which the scents of various compounds result in alleviation of symptoms of illness. The product majority of people are familiar with is the use of things such as Vicks or Halls cough drops to help drain clogged sinuses and throats. Aromatic chemicals compounds such as menthol and eucalyptus bring an alleviation of those symptoms, which are often associated with colds.

Aromatherapy as a Stress Therapy

When one starts to venture out of such applications and begins to talk about alleviating stress with aromatherapy, then one starts to get ideas that come less from observed scientific evidence than from common theories. Aromatherapy is often suggested as a way to alleviate symptoms of stress in people and for numerous other effects. For instance, basil oil is often recommended to ease the effects of depression and to help you to concentrate, whereas lavender is used for relaxation.

While many of these effects aren’t determined through scientific study, it’s easy enough to notice that pleasant scents make people feel cheerier. Taking that into consideration, it wouldn’t hurt to practice a little aromatherapy at home -it really will help and at worst, you still end up surrounded by nice scents. So, whether you’re using it for medical purposes or just to relax, aromatherapy offers something for you. The best way to start experimenting is through aromatherapy candles such as Aromatherapy Interventions, or some other, top quality candle brands.

Latest Scientific Research Findings on Aromatherapy Effects:

Aromatherapy positively affects mood, EEG patterns related to alertness and math computations. A study by the University of Miami School of Medicine, USA indicated the following.

EEG activity, mood and alertness, were monitored in 40 adults given 3 minutes of aromatherapy using two aromas, lavender (considered a relaxing odor) or rosemary (considered a stimulating odor). Participants were also given simple math computations prior and after the therapy. The lavender group demonstrated increased beta power, suggesting increased drowsiness, they had less depressed mood (POMS) and reported feeling more relaxed and performed the math computations faster and more accurately following aromatherapy. The rosemary group manifested decreased frontal alpha and beta power, suggesting increased alertness. They also had decrease in anxiety scores, reported feeling more relaxed and alert and they were only faster, not more accurate, at completing the math computations after the aromatherapy session.