Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils, the vital essence of aromatic plants and flowers in a concentrated form.

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[PuddlesMcNiggley]

@tyciol If you are making the point that a "sucker is born every minute," or "desperation breeds delusion," then...uhm, yeah. Has it been going on forever? Yup. Will the FDA catch every quack? Nope. Is much of this harmless? Yup. To some people who are terminal get feel-good points sniffing hibiscus?  Yup. Do patients who should get proper treatment get suckered by bad people to their detriment? Yup. Is there much more of life in this dead horse? Probably not.

[tyciol]

@PuddlesMcNiggley That's what we have the FDA for, to go after guys making unproven claims like that. =) Besides, people will always find something to gamble on, if I want to prevent it I'd rather spend time educating them than worrying about what people pander. Although, teaching them how to deconstruct snake oilers could be an educational experience... =)

[PuddlesMcNiggley]

@tyciol True points. I would not worry about the price of dandelion healing oil if I were starving in the Sudan. A problem remains, though, as desperate people can get duped into many alternate treatments that do nothing when they should be getting proper medical treatment for critical ailments. False hope aside. I have seen some of these guys claim to cure cancer...hey, that is where I want to see accreditation and studies. Time lost on useless treatments, in those situations, can kill.

[tyciol]

@PuddlesMcNiggley lol I know, but it doesn't seem worse than other religions so like, dealing with them doesn't seem like a huge priority. I'd rather deal with the guys banning stem cell research or suicide bombing. Compared to those extremes, people who want to rub rocks and oil on themself seem pretty harmless. Offering false hope to the ill is a problem best pointed out by identifying their lack of evidence of efficacy.

[PuddlesMcNiggley]

@tyciol I would go one further...I would say that many of these guy have a whole belief system built around this type of thing. Not all...some just think that there are beneficial effects, and in some cases, i would not disagree. Some smells do calm, for instance. Others are making a buck selling high priced stuff with a new age twist and they know it. Lavender sells for more if it helps my chakras! Ha! Others are TRUE believers, believers in "mystikal majyk," hobbitsies, & crystal earth bunk.

[tyciol]

@PuddlesMcNiggley My point's that in spite of doubts occurring I think there's a possibility these guys genuinely believe in what they're peddling much like there's a possibility most religious people believe in the religion they're spreading.

[PuddlesMcNiggley]

@tyciol So your point is?

[tyciol]

@PuddlesMcNiggley I agree that some would experience doubts, but in my experience doubt is often temporary and not enough to rid people of superstitious beliefs and practises. So long as the major religions are around and well populated, the practise of scented oils which seems more reality-based doesn't surprise me.

[PuddlesMcNiggley]

@tyciol Admittedly, it is cynical to state that all proponents of treatments such as these are knowingly state falsehoods. I cannot prove that all do so. One would think, however, that with many so-called professionals performing dubious cures to no good effect, that even the most misguided would doubt the power of their techniques. As to efficacy, I worked with many pharma companies. They often make efficacious things without being technically "positive." It depends on testing boundaries.

[tyciol]

@PuddlesMcNiggley Hm, one def I found for falsehood is "A false statement, especially an intentional one; a lie" Certainly you're right to call a false statement this, yet I might conservatively term it an error as an alternate, since I do think many of the proponents of these things believe in them, even if their conclusion-reaching is erroneous.

I don't think proof of efficacy prevents harm (effective things can have harmful side effects for some) but it's a good idea for getting value.