The power of suggestion impacts a number of areas of day-to-day life, but according to some researchers and recent studies, it can even influence your asthma and allergies.
While it may sound far-fetched to think that asthma and allergy attacks can be caused simply by thinking about triggers, but the truth of the matter is that it is possible. According to Pamela Dalton of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, people who are hypervigilant about the elements they know to be triggers to their disease tend to suffer more acutely than those who take a laissez-faire attitude. This is especially true of people whose allergies and asthma incidents are caused by intense odors like perfume or chemical cleaners.
On the other hand though, if the power of suggestion can be used to bring on acute attacks, then it can also be used to prevent them, researchers say.
In her first study examining the impact of suggestion, Dalton offered the same smell to two separate groups of individuals. One group was told that the scent was that of a chemical solvent. The other group thought they were smelling a rain forest plant. After 15 minutes with the smell, the group that thought they were smelling a solvent reportedly felt sick, while the other group felt rejuvenated and relaxed.
With this idea in mind, and the results of her first study, Dalton then went on to conduct another small study in which 17 people with chronic asthma were split into two groups. Both groups were given a pure rose scent for 15 minutes each. One group was told that the smell should help them breathe easier, while the other was told that it may cause problems.
The findings from this later study, Dalton told NPR, were interesting. While the group that was told that the scent could help reportedly said they enjoyed the smell and felt okay after the test – as expected – the other group had both mental and physical adverse effects. Not only did the smell make them feel sick, but it also caused their airways to become inflamed, which is a common trait of asthmatics. This inflammation lasted for 24 hours, according to the study.
The researchers had anticipated a reaction to the smell from the latter group, but were surprised to see that there was a medical change in their physical wellbeing as the result of a suggestion.
The results of the study have some medical professionals wondering if this could lead to new developments in asthma therapy. If there are scents that can work against the health of asthmatics, then perhaps there are some that can alleviate some of their asthma symptoms.
"Take, for example, lavender. Most people think of lavender as a nice, soothing smell. If a sachet of mild lavender could be associated with regular asthma medicine that made patients get better, [Gailen Marshall, chairman of the department of allergy and immunology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, told NPR], "after a while it may be that simply smelling the lavender sachet would have the same effect as an inhaler." And reducing reliance on an inhaler is a good thing, says Marshall, because over time people's lungs get less responsive and the inhaler becomes less effective," writes NPR contributor Patti Neighmond.
Until any more studies and research have been conducted, it will be difficult to show the positive effects that thought, suggestion and certain scents can have on the human body for sure. To ensure that your health is maintained to the best of your ability, employ the best allergy control and prevention products that you can. To learn more about how Allergy Be Gone can help, visit us today!
