Aromatherapy = INSTANT Headache!

Amanda:
I'm sorry to disagree with those who believe in it but....
I thought one of the first thing us Migraineurs learned was that scents, especially perfumey, sweet, strong scents are migraine TRIGGERS!
I think aromatherapy is *RUBBISH*, as my English Friend would say!

Amy:
I would love to agree with this, but i don't. i may not believe in the power of aromatherapy. but how many people (honestly) are triggered by the smell of baking bread, or baking cookies, or a turkey in the oven, or the smell of a flower? so how is it so absurd that aromatherapy isn't a trigger? i mean,
personally, chamomile oil is the only one i could handle when i went for cranial sacral therapy, but still. and believe me, i am heavily heavily triggered by the most minor perfume, cologne (my poor bf) or cleaning product smell. so who knows. we all react differently. it happens.

Sue :
Hi Amy and Amanda!

Remember, too, that the smells that trigger HAs are from *many* sources - bleach, imitation floral aromas as well as some authentic botanical essences.
Not all smells trigger for everyone, and certain smells will certainly trigger for almost everyone. For example, I've found that peppermint won't for me, **as long as it is _authentic_ peppermint and NOT *imitation*. It is usually the artificial things that are erroneously labelled "aromatherapy" that will sicken you - at least that has been my experience. But, as always, everyone is different, and with some HAs I can't stand any smells!
bye for now!

Suzi:
Some smells are triggers, but some do help me (like rosemary and lavender).

Eve:
Well I'll disagree with you that aromatherapy is rubbish. Although a few smells will add to the sickness I feel with a migraine, I don't get this problem with most essential oils, and there is a mixture I use often to help with a migraine. It won't do anything instantly, nothing does, but it is one of the many things in my arsenal to deal with the headaches, and I do find that peppermint oil (only a drop) will help with the nausea. It's like anything else, sometimes it works more than others. I have heard people talk of instant cures, but that's going a bit far.
Don't anyone confuse perfume and other chemical smells with essential oils. They are different, though it's hard to explain why. Many chemical smells will either make me feel a bit worse with a migraine or trigger my asthma or hayfever, but essential oils do not. Perhaps it has something to do with their composition; I'm not enough of a chemist to have that one figured out yet.
To help with migraines I use a combination of lavender and peppermint, with a bit of marjoram. I just put a couple drops on my temple and perhaps a few drops in my burner if I'm going to be in one place for awhile. As to where I buy them, well, my suppliers are all in the UK, so may not be much help to you. I know there are good suppliers on the net, but don't know which ones. I'm on a couple of aromatherapy mailing lists where suppliers have been discussed, and
one of these could help you; if you're interested in subscribing to one of them let me know and I'll post the information as to how to do that. Hope this helps.

Thelma:
If I can throw in my 2 cents worth:

Last time I had a real bad migraine, I thought of lighting my aromatherapy candle. I didn't though because I was afraid of developing an aversion to the scent. I use the candle to relax at night or for romantic evenings with my hubby. I was afraid that using it while suffering a migraine would make me associate it with pain and I wouldn't be able to use it for pleasure anymore.

On the same theme, ie smells & migraines, I had an incident at work just a week ago. I work for a biology department at a Canadian university. Across the hall from my office is an animal dissection lab. One day, the ventilation fan in the lab was broken so the prof propped the lab doors open. Odour of dead cat and formaldehyde crossed the hall into my office. I was over exposed to formaldehyde twenty years ago and ever since the smallest amount can cause a migraine. I complained to my supervisor that if my exposure to formaldehyde continued I would have to go home. I was invoking the "refusal to work in unsafe conditions" clause we have in Ontario, Canada. My supervisor was sympathetic but the two of us had trouble with our safety and maintenance departments. The maintenance division denied that the ventilation fan was broken! The safety department said that since the students in the lab weren't complaining there was no health problem! Fortunately, lots of other people on my floor backed me up. While formaldehyde didn't cause migraines for the others, they verified my claims that the smell exceeded safety levels. Students not complaining just means they don't know any better (that is how I was overexposed 20 years ago). The ventilation fan is now fixed & the prof has promised not to prop the doors open again.

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