Here are two articles concerning the use of aromatherapy in unusual places: Got Peppermint? shows that even schools are experimenting with the benefits of aromatherapy.
CPMC Gives Aromatherapy a Whiff: Having a positive attitude toward aromatherapy helps it work better: "You have to have the belief that aromatherapy is going to work. There's a lot of mental stuff going on." Of course, it's not just the "aroma" part of aromatherapy that's important - the essential value of each plant oil comes wrapped up in the same molecule that happens to contain the plant's scent - hence the root of the word "aromatherapy." So the word is not so much telling us that it's the smell that's affecting our mood - but rather the properties of what's affecting our mood happens to smell.
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