Soothing Scents started on the premise that natural remedies could be used as a legitimate and effective complementary addition to the medical setting, and to prove that, when used correctly, they do in fact help a lot of people, particularly those looking for more natural alternatives to help with recovery and healing.
So we set out on a science-informed mission to bring essential oil therapy into the medical space, and for almost 12 years we’ve been creating EO inhalers for hospitals, clinics, and nurses across the country.
A WORD ABOUT DESIGN
Another problem we had was that traditional anti-nausea medication was often out of touch with the people who used it. Same goes for essential oil containers. We have a saying here that ‘nausea is the sickness of active people’, and by that we mean you get queasiness from doing things: from flying, or having kids, or summiting mountains, or actively fighting life-threatening diseases.
So what was needed was a product that fell in line with that lifestyle: one that could be used and taken anywhere, that acted fast, that could be shared, that could be thrown in a backpack or purse without fear of leaking or causing an entire plane to smell like lavender. A product that looked nice helps too.
We’ve designed our inhalers to work for the people that buy them, and to look nice in addition to working well.
OUR SCIENCE: THE ABBREVIATED VERSION
Despite being a millennia-old practice, essential oil therapy is a relatively new concept within the medical profession.
It should be said, first and foremost, that essential oil therapy is a complementary medicine practice, in that, when implemented properly, it can work wonderfully to help ease pain and discomfort associated with illness, but itself is not a cure for that illness.
We use essential oils to replace the job that isopropyl alcohol-soaked prep pads did in surgery, and they work in a very similar way: by interrupting the nausea cycle with a high dose of natural alcohol. Through inhalation, the chemical components emitted by essential oils travel directly up the nasal cavity and into the olfactory tract, where they bind themselves to receptors in the olfactory bulb, influencing the limbic system in the brain i.e. the emotional part.
Those essential oil vapors all possess strong anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and analgesic properties. When used in the smart combination with each other, these oils work together to target areas that encourage queasiness. This is why we combine oils like ginger and lime oil (both of which have anti-inflammatory properties, while lime acts like a 5ht3 antagonist to block receptors in the brain) with peppermint oil, which works on the gastric lining and colon through its alcohol compounds, menthone, and menthol. Pregnancy-related stomach upsets respond particularly well to compounds in citrus oils, which is why lemon and lime oils work so well for women who are expecting.
HOW WE TEST IT
Essential oils are notoriously difficult to test using the usual, gold standard ‘double-blind, randomly controlled’ model. At Soothing Scents, we partner with independent researchers to validate the effectiveness of our products. We test the effectiveness of our inhalers through clinical trials that use both objective data (for example, we tested the need for additional medication to treat nausea after receiving QueaseEASE, which was up to 60% lower in QueaseEASE users), and subjective data based on patients’ responses and experiences using the product (partial or complete nausea relief was show to be up to 85%) as well as increased satisfaction with their nausea treatment (82 – 97%).
A study conducted by Madigan Healthcare System in Tacoma, Washington, revealed that QueaseEASE was significantly more effective at relieving nausea than a placebo. Similarly, a study done at the University of Colorado Hospital found that QueaseEASE outperformed isopropyl alcohol, relieving nausea in 74% of patients (versus 56% with the latter option).
You can view more of our case studies and trial conclusions over at our medical page.
HOW WE CHOOSE OUR ESSENTIAL OILS
It took us nearly a year (beyond our initial research) to source partners that we felt could produce the ideal essentials oil, and worked with transparency and integrity, which is crucial when you are in an industry that can be prone to producing misguided information and bogus accreditations.
Our essential oils come from various different regions, including India, Australia, and France, and we work with established companies that are reputable, and adhere to high-quality manufacturing practices.
You can purchase all of our inhalers right here. Standard shipping is free in the US.