Scientists are now discovering certain smells playa role in much more than mood, and may even have the ability to ease migraines,improve cognitive performance and prevent anxiety. So can you use fragrance toinfluence your health, outside of a research lab? “You can absolutely use scentday-to-day to improve your wellbeing”, says Dr Alan Hirsch from the US’s TheSmell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation.
The pain of a throbbing headache may, in some cases, bebrought on by certain fragrances; however, the scent of green apples may reducethe severity of a migraine, found Hirsch. “The scent seems to reduce musclecontractions, which are the main cause of pain in migraines,” he says. If youfeel a headache coming on, Hirsch suggests trying to eat a green apple orbathing with green apple-scented bath salts.