Scent Therapy - Sticking Your Nose into Your Health

If you’re looking for a better, safer way to manage your moods and your life, the answer could be as plain as the nose on your face.

By Luke Vorstermans

Every morning before she leaves for work, 51-year-old Melissa Ryan puts on her lipstick, smoothes her hair and checks her reflection in the mirror. Then, as a final part of her daily routine, she places a small, transparent patch on the inside of her wrist and brings it up to her nose.

“I smell the patch every hour or so,” explains Ryan. “I felt my libido starting to drop when I started menopause, and was looking for a natural way to boost my sex drive. I still can’t quite believe that just smelling this little patch has saved my sex life, but it really works!”

At work, Linda’s boss is on yet another diet. But this time, she’s found some extra help sticking to it. Throughout the day – and especially when she feels the urge to snack – she sniffs a small patch hidden on the inside of her wrist. “I love it,” exclaims Maureen, 43. “Sniffing the patch keeps my cravings under control. It’s like having a little boost of will power on my arm!”

Just what are Linda and Maureen sniffing that’s making their lives better? Believe it or not, it’s completely legal. The patches have been created based on the principles of aromachology – which in plain English means the science of the sense of smell. If you want to know more, you don’t have to be nosy – we’re going to go ahead and tell you all about it right here.

Just as pharmacological science brought us medications targeting specific maladies from acid reflux to Restless Leg Syndrome, the science behind alternative therapies is also getting much more sophisticated. Leading the charge of these exciting new breakthroughs is Dr. George Dodd, one of the world’s leading aroma scientists and perfumers.

Dr. Dodd has devoted his life and career to the study of the sense of smell, including the development of an “electronic nose.” No, this isn’t about sticking your proboscis into an electrical outlet – ouch! - it’s about using your nose to solve a whole lot of common everyday physical and psychological problems all of us want answers to.

“Our sense of smell has amazing powers to affect our moods and feelings,” explains Dr. Dodd. “My work has been focused on devising ways for people to put their sense of smell to work to help them live healthier, happier lives.”

Let’s start with something that definitely shouldn’t be a problem, but sure can be - sex! While the nose isn’t the usual organ involved with this particular act, Dr. Alan R. Hirsch, the Neurological Director of the Smell and Taste Research Foundation in Chicago, has made some surprising discoveries on the link between scent and sensuality through his research. In his book “Scentsational Sex,” he’s got some surprising advice if you want to turn up the heat in a relationship. "If you're a woman and you want to induce male sexual arousal, start baking. And if you're a man and you want to induce female sexual arousal, throw away the cologne and buy some Good & Plenty."

But hold off before you go baking cake and chewing candy. There are easier, more scientific answers being developed for you that are designed to do exactly what you need them to do – and they’re nothing to sniff at.

Today, scientists are able to blend and engineer scent molecules to enter and affect the brain through the nose, sending messages through “smell receptors.” When a scent molecule arrives, its size, shape and electrical charge determine where it fits on your smell receptors. And where it fits tells your brain what the smell is and how you should react to it. Pretty smart little molecule.

To put it more simply, smelling a specifically scientifically-developed scent can make you control your eating, stop you from stressing out, and put you in the mood for an intimate evening. All by just using your nose. It sounds like science-fiction, but it’s very real. By fusing together science and nature, users can control diet, depression and sexual desire in a healthy, non-invasive way.
Dr. Dodd, as a matter of fact, has created a whole line of Sensual Scents and Diet Scents patches as part of the Scent Therapy line based on his research in aromachology. His extensive academic and corporate career in olfactory research includes his role as a founding director of the world’s first biotechnology company specializing in the sense of smell.

Complex scent molecules are designed, engineered and blended with natural essential oils by Dr. Dodd to create a unique scent structure. These ‘smart scents’ are then infused in a small, transparent patch and delivered directly to the mood centers of the brain through the sense of smell. No unwanted chemicals enter the body…only the message associated with the scent.

So if you’re looking for a better, safer way to manage your moods and your life, the answer could be as plain as the nose on your face. Maybe you can smell your way to a thinner, happier sexier you!