Aromatherapy and nursing practice

Hello DZCarrie,

I have some experiences with aromatherapy in a nursery home for elderly people. I am a male nurse. I used Lavander for sleeplessness and Basil for patients who anxious. The results were great. Most of the time the patients became better.

Greetz,

Kristjaan Panneman

The Netherlands

Hi, I am a student and I am interested in aromatherapy and nursing. I am having a tough time finding articles or websites that describe what a nurse aromatherapist does or how to integrate aromatherapy in the nursing practice. any help would be greatly appreciated!

thanks :)

I would be very surprized if you can find any scientific evidence for the effectiveness of aromatherapy beyond that of placebo effect and of being a "comfort measure". There is a wealth of support for comfort measures. Comfort measures have been the core of traditional nursing practice. Many of the things we do are not really necessary to healing the illness. Changing bed linins daily is not on the same level as keeping the IV patent. The patient's broken leg will heal without a smooth clean sheet but not without the cast or traction. Pleasant smells will make the patients feel better and be happier. Calling it "therapy" is a bit much.

Scientific evidence is the result of rigorusly designed double blind studies that are replicable by those who do not believe in or support the thing being studied.

Where is that Zen, when ya need him???

If it works, if it causes no harm, and if it causes comfort... then why not? We are Scientists and Humans who want only the best for our Clients. We are Nurses.

Personally, I could care less about scientific support. If it makes someone happy, that's all I care about.

you know you are absolutely right girl. When patients write to facilities to compliment the staff, it is about the attention to personal detail, they want the human touch. Most of the time the patients don't care about our clinical skills if we are cold as ice. The human touch is where the difference is.

The mind is a very powerful tool. With all the "scientific facts" , the one thing they don't or can't understand the healing powers of the mind. Something as simple as aromatherapy works so well that it can surprise alot of people that only believe in modern type of medicine. The old ways still work and is practiced by those who believe in treating all of the person, and not just the ailment.

Native

In my micro lab last semester, we did a disc diffusion assay against a staph aureus and e. coli. We were allowed to bring in chemicals to see if they inhibited bacterial growth. I tested lemon, tea tree, and thyme essential oils against staph aureus. Results:

Lemon oil: no zone of inhibition

Tea tree oil: 11 mm clear zone

Thyme oil: 25 mm clear zone

Control: peroxide 40mm clear zone

I have often heard the term clinical aromatherapist mostly in the massage 'journals' (loosely used) so am not sure about credentials.

see http://www.naha.org/schools_level_one_two.htm but I am not sure about the organization NAHA - I know nothing about it.

Charlie.....can you deny the benefits of Vicks VapoRub when you have clogged nostrils? Yes, it may be a drug, but the main ingredients ARE used in aromatherapy. Remember that....:)

Suebird3

I have the book by Jane Buckle, its excellent.

She has training courses in aromatherapy too.

http://www.rjbuckle.com/BIOS/J-goin.html :heartbeat

and for your reference-----

http://www.naha.org/about_naha.htm

When you guys use aromatherapy, do you place drops on the sheets and pillows or do you use a diffuser?

The cheapest and quickest diffuser I have found is an index card. Just add a few drops and vigorously fan and it will fill a room instantly. After fanning, just "tent" the card and leave it in the room. It can be safer than a heat producing diffuser or an expensive fan-type diffuser.

Be very careful about what oils are allowed to come in contact with skin without a carrier oil. Pretty much lavendar is the only essential oil that can be allowed to touch skin for most people.