Aromatherapy?

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Been doing a lot of research lately on essential oils and their efficacy, and it has me wondering what my fellow nurses believe. I have the book Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Healthcare by Jane Buckle, RN and I find it very interesting.

I personally use essential oils for myself and my friends & family. I believe that there really is some legitimacy to certain claims. However, I think there is also a lot of misinformation out there that certain companies are largely responsible for, making it somewhat difficult to easily obtain fact vs fiction.

What are your thoughts????

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

I think they smell nice, and I know from personal experience that pleasant scents can be calming and contribute to a feeling of wellbeing, which can aid in a person's healing. We have many patients who like to use aromatherapy in labor. Beyond that, I'm skeptical of any medical claims of the efficacy of aromatherapy.

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Specializes in ER.

They are a pleasant smelling placebo in my opinion.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

It's far nicer than smelling staph epidermidis feet.

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2 minutes ago, klone said:

It's far nicer than smelling staph epidermidis feet.

Truer words have not yet been spoken ?

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Many of them are evidenced based for some things, but not the catch all many claim. You have to use essential oils, versus fragrance oils, in order for them to work. The most common misuse of essential oils is to over-use the scent. The oils are supposed to be used for short bursts rather than a constant infusion.

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Specializes in OB.
12 hours ago, klone said:

I think they smell nice, and I know from personal experience that pleasant scents can be calming and contribute to a feeling of wellbeing, which can aid in a person's healing. We have many patients who like to use aromatherapy in labor. Beyond that, I'm skeptical of any medical claims of the efficacy of aromatherapy.

Agree 100%! I have a diffuser and have a few scents that I love that are calming and pleasant. When people start rubbing a particular oil on a particular square inch of a particular body part to cure a particular health problem, or even ingesting them, they lose me. I also have grave concerns about the predatory nature of the big name EO companies and consider them pyramid schemes, but that's neither here nor there.

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1 hour ago, LibraSunCNM said:

Agree 100%! I have a diffuser and have a few scents that I love that are calming and pleasant. When people start rubbing a particular oil on a particular square inch of a particular body part to cure a particular health problem, or even ingesting them, they lose me. I also have grave concerns about the predatory nature of the big name EO companies and consider them pyramid schemes, but that's neither here nor there.

Certainly! I've met people who use some of these big name companies exclusively and they sound straight up brainwashed. I've heard things like "put this oil on your feet and it will help such and such!"-Doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

On the other hand, I have an oil blend that I use as a muscle rub if I've had a particularly long day and am sore, it seems to help. I do think that EOs have some valuable uses, but I don't buy into the cure all thing either.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
14 hours ago, Emergent said:

They are a pleasant smelling placebo in my opinion.

Since you know that I love you, Emergent, I believe you will not take it as a personal affront should I argue your premise.

Just about all medicines works as either catalysts or inhibitors. For example, analgesics, anti-psychotics, anti-hypertensives, and the list goes on, block certain synaptic clefts or inhibit a chemical in the body's production or absorption. Other medications increase the body's natural state, like amphetamines, etc.

What if essential oils stimulate or inhibit a body's natural process? Would essential oils be any more of a placebo than an SSRI which theoretically keep the serotonin levels high in the brain's synaptic clefts lessening the symptoms of depression?

I believe essential oils have their place in the treatment and cure of some ailments.

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I went to an aromatherapy class (taught by an RN) at my last hospital. The hospital was doing an aromatherapy trial for just lavender for calming and ginger for nausea. The RN that taught the class said that aromatherapy had peer-reviewed scientific evidence to back it up, but did not offer any.

My thought is, if much of the info out there is offered by an MLM (multi-level marketing) company, then "buyer beware". I don't buy it. I find the oils pleasant, but I remain skeptical that there is any medical value.

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I never used essential oils to cure or remedy anything with the exception of my dog's anxiety. When we first adopted my dog he had periods of anxiety especially when he thought he was alone. I put some lavender essential oil in the diffuser (I bought it as a candle alternative) and played instrumental Christian hymns for him, and he calmed down right away. I later found out that lavender oil is toxic to dogs...oops.

I think aromatherapy has its place (along with herbal therapy, meditation, massage, music/art therapy, etc) as complementary medicine and should not be used in potentially life-threatening situations. It'd be interesting to see more medical research done on essential oils and aroma therapy.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

My Sweet Petunia has some type of lighted boiling bubbling cauldron device she runs to diffuse various essential oils into our bedroom air. She says the result is therapeutic so I'm saying it's therapeutic too...cuz if she is happy the entire home environment is happy...that certainly is therapeutic for me and the kids and the dogs.

From a school nursing point of view, I have observed essential oils are not a successful treatment for ADD/ADHD.

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