Aromatherapy Studies

Anxiety

Aromatherapy, utilizing essential oils such as lavender, mint, and citrus, provides a natural approach to ease anxiety by promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and uplifting mood through inhalation or topical application, fostering a sense of calm and emotional balance.

The Use of Therapeutic Inhaled Essential Oils (TIEO) as a Holistic Approach to Decrease Preoperative Anxiety in ERAS Gynecological Surgery

Conclusions: The use of TIEO demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in preoperative anxiety scores within the ERAS gynecological population. TIEO can be used as an adjunct intervention to manage preoperative anxiety. TIEO can be successfully administered in the preoperative area. Decreasing anxiety in the preoperative period may lead to many perioperative benefits such as improving surgical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and quality of care.

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Implementation of Aromatherapy, a Nonpharmacological Intervention, to Reduce Anxiety During the Preoperative Period

Findings: Pre- and postaromatherapy (STAIAD) Short Form Y-1 questionnaires indicated that exposure to aromatherapy significantly reduced preoperative anxiety. There was a statistically and clinically significant difference in state anxiety score after aromatherapy exposure, with a mean state change of 17.42 points (P < .001). This exceeded the effect size benchmark derived from the evidence, which defined a significant change in state score as 5 points. Participants above the median age exhibited the most profound decrease in anxiety regardless of gender. Qualitative survey responses indicated that 96% of patients would use preoperative aromatherapy in the future and 91% experienced increased satisfaction with their perioperative care.

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Ambient odor of orange in a dental office reduces anxiety and improves mood in female patients

Discover the calming power of orange essential oil! In a study with 72 dental patients, we found that exposure to the scent of orange led to lower anxiety levels and increased feelings of calmness and positivity, especially in women. Our findings support the traditional belief in the soothing properties of this natural remedy.

Aromatherapy in Symptom Management in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Several symptoms caused by the disease itself and the treatments that are provided may be observed in cancer patients. It is important to eliminate or minimize these symptoms.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate usage of aromatherapy practices in cancer patients for symptom management.

Methods: For the last 5 years (2014-2019), the keywords “cancer”, “pain”, “anxiety”, “depression”, “sleep management”, “aromatherapy” and “nausea and vomiting” were searched on the “PUBMED”, “CINAHL”, “Google Scholar” and “Web of Science” databases, and a total of 72 studies were reached. It was found that twelve of these studies were on usage of aromatherapy in symptom management in cancer patients, and these studies were examined.

Conclusion: It was observed in the reviewed studies that aromatherapy practices were utilized as a safe method in symptom management in cancer patients. Whether topically or in form of inhalation, aromatherapy is used in management of patient’s pain, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, nausea and vomiting and improvement of their general health status.

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Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice

The effect of Bergamot orange essence on anxiety,salivary cortisol, and alpha amylase in patients prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy:

Material and methods
This clinical trial with pre-post design was conducted on 60 candidates for cholecystectomy. The participants were randomly divided into an intervention and a control group. The intervention group participants underwent aromatherapy using two drops of 3% Bergamot orange essence, while the control group ones inhaled two drops of odorless grape seed oil. Anxiety mean score and salivary cortisol and alpha amylase levels were measured before and after the intervention.

Results
A significant difference was found between the groups regarding anxiety (F = 9.00, p = 0.004) and alpha amylase level (F = 9.46, p = 0.003) after the intervention.

Conclusion
Bergamot orange essence decreased anxiety and salivary alpha amylase level. Therefore, this method can beused as a complementary technique to reduce patients’ anxiety prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery.

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Headaches

Aromatherapy, using essential oils like peppermint and lavender, offers a natural remedy for headaches by reducing tension, improving circulation, and providing soothing relief through inhalation or gentle topical application.

Discover the Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage for Migraine Patients

Conducted in a State Hospital's Emergency Department, our randomized controlled trial included 70 migraine patients. Those in the experimental group received 15-minute massages with aromatic oils on the temple and neck root for three weeks alongside medical treatment.

Results showed significant improvements in pain severity and quality of life for the experimental group compared to controls. Experience firsthand the positive effects of aromatherapy massage on managing migraine symptoms and enhancing overall well-being.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to improve your quality of life through aromatherapy!

Effect of lavender essential oil as a prophylactic therapy for migraine

There is no cure for migraine, but preventive treatments are usually applied to reduce the frequency and severity of headache attacks. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lavender as a
prophylactic therapy for migraine in a randomized controlled clinical trial. This double-blind and placebo-controlled study was conducted over a period of three months. Patients were assessed for migraine impact at the baseline and at the end of the study, using the Migraine Disability Assessment Scores (MIDAS) questionnaire. In the case group, after three months of lavender therapy, the MIDAS score was reduced. The reduction in MIDAS score was significant (P < 0.05), when compared to the baseline and also control group. During the treatment, participants did not report any complaints or side effects. The results of this present study report that the frequency and severity of migraine incidents were reduced in those participants using lavender therapy during the three month trial.

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Aromatherapy for the brain: Lavender’s healing effect on epilepsy, depression, anxiety, migraine, and Alzheimer’s disease

Neurological diseases affect the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junctions, and muscles. Herbal medicine has long been used to cure these diseases. One of these plants is lavender, which is composed of various compounds, including terpenes, such as linalool, limonene, triterpenes, linalyl acetate, alcohols, ketones, polyphenols, coumarins, cineole, and flavonoids. In this review, the literature was searched using scientific search engines and databases (Google Scholar, Science Direct,
Scopus, and PubMed) for papers published between 1982 and 2020 via keywords, including review, lavender, and neurological disorders. This plant exerts its healing effect on many diseases, such as anxiety and depression through an inhibitory effect on GABA. The anti-inflammatory effects of this plant have also been documented. It improves depression by regulating glutamate receptors and inhibiting calcium channels and serotonergic factors, such as SERT. Its antiepileptic mechanism is due to an increase in the inhibitory effect of GABA and potassium current and a decrease in sodium current. Therefore, many vegetable oils are also used in herbal medicine. In this review, the healing effect of lavender on several neurological disorders, including epilepsy, depression, anxiety, migraine, and Alzheimer’s disease was investigated. All findings strongly support the traditional uses of lavender. More clinical studies are needed to investigate the effect of the plants’ pharmacological active constituents on the treatment of life-threatening diseases in humans. The limitations of this study are the low quality and the limited number of clinical studies. Different administration methods of lavender are one of the limitations of this review.

Review of aromatherapy essential oils and their mechanism of ac tion against migraines

Aim of the study
This study was conducted to review the pathogenesis of migraine, the application of plant essential oils in the
treatment of migraine, and further explore the material basis and mechanism of action of plant essential oils against migraine.

Materials and methods
Search the electronic literature of essential oils with anti-migraine effect in Google Scholar, PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and further search the research situation of the monomer
components of essential oils in migraine, inflammation, pain and other aspects.

Results
Studies show that there are 10 types of plant essential oils that could relieve migraine symptoms, and that 16 monomers may play a role in migraine treatment by effectively inhibiting neurogenic inflammation.

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