It has long been known that stress accounts for a staggering amount of illness in modern society, and aromatherapy offers one of the finest ways of combating the ravages of stress without having to resort to drugs which can be habit forming and damaging to your health. This is yet another reason that aromatherapists believe taking an holistic approach with aromatherapy promotes positive physical and mental balance.

Scientists and doctors have known for a long time that negative and positive emotions really can change the complex chemistry of our bodies, and these changes can have a negative or positive effect on the immune system. For example, research has shown how prolonged stress can cause the body to over-produce cortisol and adrenalin which are hormones produced by the adrenal glands.

These two hormones are normally secreted to produce a burst of energy as part of the 'fight or flight' response, and of course this response is an essential tool for survival. Prolonged periods of emotional and psychological pressures however, means that the over-production of these hormones can begin to weaken the integrity of the immune system because they reduce the level of T-helper cells, and inhibit the production of natural killer cells.