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Away on Business: Sniff Your Jet Lag Away?

 

By Michael Conlon

Reuters

 

CHICAGO - Business travelers dragged across time zones by

their jobs are being handed vials of aromatic oils and

extracts that promise to dispel jet lag with a whiff or

two.

 

Do they work?

 

``Everyone is looking for something because it's a problem

every time you move across more than three time zones,''

says Bradley Connor, a physician at New York

Hospital/Cornell Medical Center and spokesman for the

International Society of Travel Medicine.

 

Aromatherapy, Connor says, ``is one of those things that

some people swear by, but for the most part it has really

not been subjected to highly intensive clinical trials of

the type we'd like to see before recommending it. It's

really anecdotal.

 

``But it's intriguing because people who have used (it)

seem to think it works. It's something that's crying out

for some kind of critical examination,'' he adds.

 

Connor says people respond differently to jet lag problems

and solutions, and some recommended treatments -- such as

exposure to light or using the hormone melatonin -- work

for some but not for others. As a result, he's not willing

to rule out aromatherapy.

 

``I am also a gastroenterologist and I've noticed that some

people can fool themselves mentally (about jet lag) but

their digestive tract is behind schedule. We often tell

people to avoid fats, or other things that sit in the

digestive tract, for a couple of days before travel,'' he

adds.

 

There are a number of different aromatherapy approaches

being offered by the hospitality industry for arriving

international travelers. The Park Hyatt Tokyo, for

instance, gives guests a pouch with three vials of

essential oils.

 

``The different aromatherapy blends help guests readjust

their body clocks quickly and gently by stimulating the

body's circadian rhythms,'' the hotel says.

 

The Park Hyatt's treatments include a blend of juniper,

eucalyptus, lemongrass and rosemary to refresh the senses

after a flight; basil, juniper, lavender and sweet marjoram

to promote sleep; and bergamot, black pepper, eucalyptus

and lemongrass to combat fatigue. The traveler is advised

to put a few drops on a tissue, in a vaporizer or in

bathwater.