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Background: Aromatherapy is widely used in women's health as a complementary therapy. Objective: This review aimed to critically evaluate clinical evidence of the effectiveness of aromatherapy in managing menopausal symptoms. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A total of 11 electronic databases were searched up to November 5, 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating any type of aromatherapy against placebo in menopausal individuals were eligible. Two authors independently assessed the study eligibility and risk of bias as well as extracted the data for each study. Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to evaluate the methodological quality of each included studies. No ethical approval was required for this manuscript as this study did not involve human subjects or laboratory animals. Results: Seven RCTs met our inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Most of the included RCTs had low risk of bias in most domains except for blinding. Four studies tested the efficacy of aromatherapy for menopausal symptoms. The results showed that aromatherapy (lavender or low dose of neroli) inhalation had superior effects on reducing the total menopausal symptom score compared with the placebo. One study presented that aromatherapy massage with mixed oils reduced menopausal symptoms. Three studies investigated the effects of aromatherapy inhalation on sexual desire, and all of the studies showed that aromatherapy inhalation (lavender or low dose of neroli or mixed oils) had superior effects compared with the placebo. Conclusion: This review indicates limited evidence of the benefit of aromatherapy (lavender or low dose of neroli) in improving total menopausal symptoms and sexual desire. Further studies are highly warranted to validate the findings.

Objectives: Aging is one of the phenomena in the field of global health. It is very important to pay attention to older adults psychologically and physically. This study aims to evaluate the effect of mindfulness therapy combined with aromatherapy massage on the psychological functions of older women with chronic pain. Methods & Materials: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, follow-up design using a control group. The study population consists of all older women with chronic pain referred to hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers in the west of Tehran, Iran in 2017. By using a convenience sampling method, 30 women were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly divided into two matched groups. The intervention group underwent mindfulness group therapy plus aromatherapy massage at ten 120-min sessions while the control group received no intervention. Their pain perception, sleep quality, and quality of life as psychological functions were evaluated at baseline, at the end of intervention and 45 days later. Collected data were analyzed using the analysis of covariance method in SPSS v. 19 software. Results: The mindfulness therapy/aromatherapy massage significantly reduced the pain perception and its components and improved quality of life and sleep quality in the intervention group compared to the control group (P

Objectives Hemodialysis (HD) patients suffer more sleep problems (poor sleep quality and restless leg syndrome [RLS]). Complementary therapy, especially massage with aromatherapy oil is one of the non-pharmacological treatment options with less adverse effects than routine methods. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of foot massage with of lavender and orange essential oil on HD patients’ sleep quality and RLS. Methods This is a double blind randomized controlled trial on 105 HD patients was conducted at a large educational hospital in Iran, Hamadan province between January and September 2017. Patients divided into three groups with random allocation (35 participants per groups in lavender, orange, and control group). Foot massage during HD with lavender and orange essential oil was administered to the patients three times a week for three weeks, and every massage lasted half an hour. The control group received routine care. Before the intervention, the end of the first, second, and third weeks Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and RLS questionnaire were completed for all three groups. Data were statistically analyzed with Independent Samples t-test, chi-square test and repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) by SPSS version 16. Results The mean score of sleep quality and RLS in the intervention groups were significantly different compare with the control group in all three time of data collecting (p Conclusions Aromatherapy prepared with lavender oil and sweet orange may be recommended to increase sleep quality and RLS level of the HD patients.

A dismenorreia primária é considerada um distúrbio álgico em região suprapúbica associada também a outros sintomas, que ocorrem no período menstrual, provocando redução da qualidade das atividades de vida diária, atenuação da produtividade laboral e absenteísmo, constituindo-se um problema de saúde pública, o que torna imprescindível a busca por tratamentos eficientes. Diante dessa problemática e do grande número de mulheres que sofrem e são prejudicadas por esse distúrbio a pergunta norteadora desta pesquisa foi: “Quais as terapias não farmacológicas que podem combater ou amenizar a dismenorreia?” O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar na literatura evidências científicas sobre terapias não farmacológicas que podem ser utilizadas para o alívio da dismenorreia primária. Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa de literatura, que explorou artigos nas bases de dados Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde e Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online. O corpus da revisão foi composto por 29 publicações. Os métodos não farmacológicos relevantes para a redução da dismenorreia primária encontrados foram: acupressão; acupuntura; aromaterapia; bandagem elástica funcional; estimulação elétrica nervosa transcutânea; exercícios físicos; massagem aromaterapêutica; massagem terapêutica; moxabustão; pilates; raios infravermelhos; termoterapia e yoga. Os estudos apontaram que estes métodos foram efetivos para o alívio da dismenorreia primária. Nesse âmbito, é importante que os profissionais de saúde, tenham conhecimento acerca da efetividade destas terapias, o que contribui para a integralidade do cuidado, orientação eficiente e assertiva quanto aos inúmeros métodos alternativos existentes para estes quadros dolorosos.

Aromatherapy is a therapy that utilizes steam from the essential oils of certain plants. Essential oils are oils produced from plant parts, such as roots, bark, stems, flowers, leaves, and seeds that have volatile properties at room temperature without undergoing decomposition by means of distillation. This study aims to determine the effect of a comparison of the concentration level of essential oils on physical properties and consumer preferences and to find out the aromatherapy massage oil formulation that produces the best massage oil. This study uses a completely randomized design (CRD) with 1 factor, namely the difference in the ratio of the essential oil of the nightly flower to the essential oil of lime. The experiment was carried out 2 times. The usual dilution was 1 ml of essential oil in 50 ml of carrier oil. The treatments are P1 (0.2 ml of nightly essential oil: 0.8 ml of lime essential oil), P2 (0.4 ml of nightly essential oil: 0.6 ml of lime essential oil), P3 (0.5 ml nightly essential oils: 0.5 ml lime essential oil, P4 (0.6 ml nightly essential oils: 0.4 ml lime essential oil), and P5 (0.8 ml nightly essential oils), 2 ml of lime essential oil). The parameters observed were pH, specific gravity, viscosity, refractive index, color, and hedonic test.

Context There is little evidence of the effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in palliative care despite its popularity. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 30-minute single session of aromatherapy massage at night time on quality of sleep and fatigue in palliative care. Methods A randomized controlled trial from January 2018 to March 2019. After being stratified by sex, participants were randomly assigned to an aromatherapy massage group and a control group. The effects of aromatherapy massage were evaluated on the massage day and the next day using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire and the Brief Fatigue Inventory. Results Of the 74 participants, data of 27 participants in the treatment group and 30 participants in the control group were analyzed. Analysis of covariance indicated that quality of sleep and fatigue did not improve owing to the aromatherapy massage, although usual fatigue in preceding 24 hours and enjoyment of life subscales of the Brief Fatigue Inventory showed signs of contribution (P = 0.07 and 0.09, respectively). Post hoc analyses indicated that higher age and performance status were factors with moderate correlation with better sleep (P = 0.03; r = 0.45 and P = 0.03; r = 0.40, respectively), and that older patients tended to experience greater improvement in fatigue (P = 0.02; r = −0.47). Conclusion A single aromatherapy massage session is no more effective than not having a massage in improving sleep quality in palliative care settings. However, older patients and those in poor health conditions may benefit from aromatherapy massage.

This study aimed to compare the effects of reflexology and aromatherapy massage on the severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in 105 female patients undergoing hemodialysis. A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in a hemodialysis center with 48 beds in a high turnover hospital in an urban area of Iran. Intervention groups received reflexology (n = 35) and aromatherapy massage using lavender essential oil (n = 35) for 24 sessions, and the placebo group (n = 35) received simple foot massage. The restless legs syndrome rating scale was used to assess RLS severity in the groups before the intervention and after 4 and 8 weeks of the interventions. Results obtained by the mixed model analysis 3 * 3 (3 groups * 3 times) revealed the significant effect of time, group, and the time–group interrelationship (p = 0.001). Aromatherapy massage reduced the RLS severity, but reflexology did not appear to cause any significant reduction in it. Therefore, we suggest that aromatherapy massage be incorporated into routine care for relieving the ailment and suffering of patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Background: Aromatherapy is one of the non-pharmacological methods, it is safe and effective for improving postoperative pain. Aim: This study was aimed to investigatethe effect of aromatherapy massage on postoperative pain among school age children. Design: A quasi- experimental research design was utilized. Setting: The study was conducted at the pediatric surgical unit in Assiut University Children Hospital. Subjects: It included 100 school age children who are suffering from postoperative pain. They were divided into two groups the experimental group (50 children who received aromatherapy massage beside the hospital routine ward care) and the control group (50 children who received the hospital routine ward care).Tools: Two tools were used to collect necessary data which included structured interview questionnaire for personal data and pain assessment scale.Results: It was found that the mean pain score of children in the experimental group was less than mean pain score of those in the control group with statistical significant difference. As well as statistically significant differences were found between the two groups as regards first, second, third, and fourth posttest of pain score post-operative. Conclusion Aromatherapy massage with lavender oil was an effective therapeutic option for postoperative pain Recommendation: Using aromatherapy massage as routine interventions for reducing postoperative pain in children.

In the pursuit of wellbeing, relaxation, and health, mankind has resorted to massage since prehistoric times.(1) The term “massage”, probably derived from the Greek word “massein” (to knead), today indicates a wide range of therapeutic or relaxing techniques which uses body manipulation, alone or in combination with herbs, water, salts, and muds.(1) Aromatherapy massage (shortened to “aroma massage”) or massage with essential oils that are plant-derived oily substances with volatile and fragrant properties,(2) has been practiced for many years too, mostly by diluting essential oils into a massage carrier oil or diffusing them in the environment during the treatment.(3) In particular, among essential oils derived from plants with sedative and calming properties, lavender has always been known in traditional medicine as a remedy which helps to achieve psychophysical relaxation. Evidence from in vitro and in vivo laboratory studies indicates that lavender essential oil, whose main bioactive components are linalool and linalyl acetate, can interact with several neuropharmacological targets, including the serotonin transporter and the MAO-A, GABA-A, and NMDA ionotropic receptors, thus exerting a central anxiolytic, antidepressive, and relaxing action.(3) From a pharmacokinetic point of view, the two main bioactive compounds (linalool and linalyl acetate) of lavender essential oil administered through massage are absorbed both through inhalation and through skin penetration. Their blood concentrations can be detectable 5 minutes after the massage, they tend to peak after 20 minutes, and they are usually eliminated within 90 minutes after the end of the treatment.(4) In general, aromatherapy massage is quite popular as a relaxing technique and has been reported to be one of the most commonly used complementary therapy in the UK.(5) However, evidence on its efficacy is not fully clear to date, and some reports have cast doubts on its clinical safety.(6) The aim of the present work is to outline the efficacy, safety, and tolerability profile of aromatherapy massage with topically applied lavender essential oil, based on a critical overview of available scientific evidence on the topic.

Background. Aromatherapy is one of the non-pharmacological methods, it is safe and effective for improve sleep pattern postoperative. Aim: This study was aimed to determine the effect of aromatherapy massage on postoperative sleep pattern among school age children. Design: A quasi-experimental research design was utilized. Setting: The study was conducted at the pediatric surgical unit in Assiut University Children Hospital. Subjects: It included 100 school age children suffer from postoperative poor sleep pattern. It was divided into two groups, experimental group (50 children who received aromatherapy massage beside the hospital routine care) and control group (50 children who received hospital routine ward care).Tools: Two tools were used to collect necessary data which included structured interview questionnaire for personal data and sleep assessment scale. Results: The results showed that they are statistical significant differences between the two groups in pretest, first posttest, and second posttest mean score (11.66 ± 2.54, 9.50 ± 0.97and 5.80 ± 0.70) respectively as regard sleep pattern. Conclusion: Aromatherapy massage with lavender oil may be an effective therapeutic option for postoperative sleep pattern. There is a significant positive effect of aromatherapy. Recommendation: Using aromatherapy massage as routine interventions for improving postoperative poor sleep pattern in children.

Hypertension in preeclampsia is found in pregnant women with gestational age> 20 weeks. Hypertension is defined where systolic pressure above 140 mmHg and diastolic pressure above 90 mmHg. Handling hypertension in pregnant women up to now is still using pharmacological therapy or drugs by 100%. One nonpharmacological therapy that can lower blood pressure is aromatherapy lavender massage therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of lavender aromatherapy massage on blood pressure reduction in pregnant women with preeclampsia.The design of this study used the Quasy Experiment Design with the Control Time Series Design research design, where the study used two groups divided into experimental groups and control groups. In this study both groups were pre-tested and after being given treatment in the experimental group a post-test was carried out in both groups. The research sample amounted to 50 respondents, of which 25 respondents became the experimental group and 25 became the control group. This research took place at PBM. Lilis Suryawati, Sambong village, Dukuh, Jombang District, Jombang Regency. This research was conducted from February to April 201. The results showed a significant difference between the blood pressure of the experimental group who were treated and the control group that was not treated. The systolic blood pressure of both groups p-value 0.003 and the value of Z -4.007. While diastolic blood pressure in both groups p-value 0,000 and Z value -5,559. It is expected that the midwifery profession can provide information about the importance of aromatherapy lavender massage to reduce blood pressure in pregnant women with preeclampsia, so that it can minimize the occurrence of complications in pregnant women with preeclampsia.

To investigate the effect of aromatherapy massage on pain intensity and maximal mouth opening (MMO) in patients with myogenous TMD.Ninety-one patients were randomly assigned to three groups: Group L (aromatherapy massage with lavender oil, test), group P (massage with sweet almond oil, placebo), and group C (control). Participants were evaluated at T0 (before the intervention), T1 (immediately after the intervention), and T2 (2-month follow-up). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, Tukey's HSD, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.For T1 and T2, group L showed the greatest MMO values (48.01 ± 0.85 mm; 45.67 ± 0.84 mm), while group C exhibited the lowest values (39.13 ± 0.49 mm; 39.66 ± 0.82 mm) (Aromatherapy massage with lavender oil was effective in the management of painful TMD conditions and limited mouth opening.

Context Poor quality of life is a major problem in hemodialysis patients. Objectives This study was conducted to assess the effect of aromatherapy massage on hemodialysis patients' quality of life. Methods In this parallel randomized clinical trial study, 105 hemodialysis patients who meet the inclusion criteria were assessed and assigned into intervention and control groups using block randomization. Participants in the intervention groups received aromatherapy massage with Lavender essential oil or Citrus Aurantium essential oil for four weeks (three times per week). For the control group, only foot massage was performed. The level of quality of life was measured by the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36) before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics (analysis of variance, chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests). Results There was a significant difference between the mean score of quality of life in the Lavender essential oil group and Citrus Aurantium essential oil group with the control group after intervention. However, there was no significant difference between the mean score of quality of life in the Lavender essential oil group and Citrus Aurantium essential oil group after the intervention. Conclusions In this study, both aromatherapy massages have positive effects on the quality of life of hemodialysis patients. Therefore, nurses are advised to use these aromatherapy massages to improve the quality of life of hemodialysis patients.

Objectives Many women in recent years have been willing to undergo puncture surgery for childbirth, which, like other surgeries, has physical and psychological side effects such as incision, infertility, chronic pain, and anxiety. Therefore, it is important to reduce and improve these side effects. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot massage with orange essential oil on anxiety in women undergoing cesarean section. Methods This randomized clinical trial study was conducted in 2019 on 80 women referred to Bahar Shahroud Hospital after cesarean section surgery. The samples were divided into two groups by intervention (foot massage with orange essential oil) and control (foot massage without orange essential oil). The Spielberger scale was used to determine anxiety scores after cesarean section. In the intervention group, the feet were massaged with orange essential oil, and in the control group, the orange essential oil massage was performed without oil. Anxiety before, immediately after, and 60 min after the intervention was measured and evaluated in both groups. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Significant levels were considered for all statistical tests (p Results The anxiety score before the intervention in the two groups of intervention and control was 57.12 ± 3.12 and 57.07 ± 3.54, respectively, which were not significantly different, but immediately after the intervention, the anxiety scores in both groups decreased significantly so that there was a further decrease in the intervention group (52.10 ± 4.75 and 56.02 ± 3.77), 1 h after the intervention, the anxiety score in the intervention group decreased compared to the previous stage and increased in the control group (50.40 ± 3.74 and 56.85 ± 4.27). Conclusions Foot massage with orange essential oil can probably be effective as a proper nursing intervention in reducing anxiety after cesarean section surgery.

For current clinical studies, although hormone preparations are commonly used to cure menopausal symptoms, some risk of cancer can be brought in. Thus, supplementary or alternative therapies could be derived, in which the aromatherapy seems an option. The aim of the study is to examine whether essential oil massage can reduce the anxiety of menopausal women, thereby exploring the possibility of introducing artificial intelligence (AI) instead of manpower. Based on the State- Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the quasi-experimental design have been applied to examine the usefulness of aromatherapy massage for relieving anxiety. The results found, that after a three-month-intervention of aromatherapy massage by essential oils, the trait and the state anxiety all response significant decrease. However, the control group uninvolved in any intervention has shown a non-significant difference result. It can be suggested that aromatherapy can be a useful method to decrease the anxiety level of menopausal women's. Therefore, this study continues to explore the possibility of introducing artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in the diagnosis of anxiety and to replace human massage with robotic arms.

Objectives: To critically assess the effect of aromatherapy on the psychological symptoms as noted in the postmenopausal and elderly women. Methods: Three following databases were systematically searched: MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane Library (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from inception to January 2018. The search keywords included ‘menopause’ AND (aromatherapy), without language restrictions. Results: In this study, 4 trials were included which fit into our systematic review. The findings demonstrated that the aromatherapy massage have significantly improved psychological symptoms in menopausal and elderly women as compared to the control group (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -1.24; 95% confidence interval, -0.188 to -0.606; P < 0.001 random effect model; 3 trials, moderate to high heterogeneity, I2 = 0.76; P = 0.028). According to 1 of the trials, the aromatherapy oil massage was no more effective than the untreated group regarding their experience of symptoms such as nervousness. Conclusions: The aromatherapy may be beneficial in attenuating the psychological symptoms that these women may experience, such as anxiety and depression, but it is not considered as an effective treatment to manage nervousness symptom among menopausal women. This finding should be observed in light of study limitations. (J Menopausal Med 2018;24:127-132)

Aims and objectives To assess the effectiveness of aromatherapy and massage on relieving stress in nurses. Background Nurses face uncommon levels of stress in medical settings. Stress has a negative impact on nurses' well-being and the organisation where they work. Aromatherapy and massage are important strategies for stress reduction. However, the effectiveness of aromatherapy and massage on relieving stress in nurses currently lacks understanding. Design Systematic review. Method We performed a quantitative systematic review using Cochrane methods. We searched existing literature in the following databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library, to examine any experimental design studies published from the earliest date available to August 2017 in English. Risk of bias per outcome was assessed. Results A total of 10 articles met the inclusion criteria, including aromatherapy (n = 4), massage (n = 4) and aromatherapy massage (n = 2). Most studies reported that aromatherapy and massage exert a beneficial effect on the stress of nurses. One study showed that the aromatherapy massage with music interventions has no effect on the stress of nurses. However, the number of the studies is limited and has high or unclear risk of bias. Conclusion This review revealed that the evidence does not sufficiently prove that aromatherapy, massage and aromatherapy massage are effective for reducing job-related stress of nurses. We need to conduct high-quality studies to verify the effects of these interventions on nurses' stress levels in the future. Moreover, we need to integrate outcome measures of stress levels for developing more appropriate tools than the ones used as present. Relevance to clinical practice Nurses' stress has a negative impact on their own and organisation where they work. All available opportunities should be taken to reduce nurses' stress. It will be beneficial for nurse shortage.

Importance In a previous observational study we found that massage therapy reduced anxiety and stress in pediatric burn patients. We aimed to test this effect in a randomized controlled trial. Objective To determine whether (1) aromatherapy massage can provide relaxation to hospitalized children with burns; (2) massage with aromatherapy oil is more effective than without; and (3) massage sessions are more effective when repeated. Design, setting, and participants Randomized controlled clinical trial with 3 arms conducted in a burns unit from April 2013 to December 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Interventions Massage with carrier oil, massage with aromatherapy oil, and standard nursing care only. Main outcomes and measures Scores on the Muscle Tension Inventory (MTI) and Behavioral Relaxation Scale (BRS) to assess level of relaxation. Scores on the COMFORT behaviour scale and Numeric Rating Scale Distress to assess level of distress. Secondary outcomes were heart rate and oxygen saturation levels. Linear mixed models were used to determine the effect of condition and session number (1 to a maximum of 5 sessions per child) correcting for baseline outcomes of COMFORT behaviour scores and heart rates after sessions. Secondary analyses included the addition of sex, age, and total body surface area (TBSA) burned as covariates. Results We included 284 children aged 5 weeks to 13 years with TBSA burned between 10 and 45%. Two-thirds (65.5%) were under the age of 3 years. Mixed model analyses revealed no significant difference in reduction of COMFORT behavior scores (p=0.18), or heart rates (p=0.18) between the three study arms. These outcomes were also not associated with the session number (p=0.92 and p=0.13, respectively). Level of relaxation could not be reliably assessed with the MTI and BRS because 119 patients (41.9%) had bandages covering the larger part of the face, and in 40.1% of cases the child was not in the required position. Conclusion and relevance Massage therapy with or without essential oil was not effective in reducing distress behavior or heart rate in hospitalized children with burns. Evaluating the effectiveness of massage in terms of relaxation proved difficult in young children. Trial registration The Netherlands National Trial Registry: NRT3929.

This study's aims are to examine the effects of aromatherapy massage on women's stress and immune function during pregnancy.This longitudinal, prospective, randomized controlled trial recruited 52 healthy pregnant women from a prenatal clinic in Taipei using convenience sampling. The participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 24) or control (n = 28) group using Clinstat block randomization. The intervention group received 70 min of aromatherapy massage with 2% lavender essential oil every other week (10 times in total) for 20 weeks; the control group received only routine prenatal care. In both groups, participants' salivary cortisol and immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels were collected before and after the intervention group received aromatherapy massage (every month from 16 to 36 weeks gestation) and were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The pregnant women in the intervention group had lower salivary cortisol (p 0.001) and higher IgA (p 0.001) levels immediately after aromatherapy massage than those in the control group, which did not receive massage treatment. Comparing the long-term effects of aromatherapy massage on salivary IgA levels between groups at different times, the study found that the pretest salivary IgA levels at 32 (p = 0.002) and 36 (p 0.001) weeks gestational age (GA) were significantly higher than the pretest IgA at 16 weeks GA (baseline).This study presented evidence that aromatherapy massage could significantly decrease stress and enhance immune function in pregnant women. The findings can guide clinicians or midwives in providing aromatherapy massage to women throughout the pregnancy.

Purpose This study aimed to examine the effects of aromatherapy massage on neuropathic pain severity and quality of life (QoL) in patients suffering from painful diabetic neuropathy. Design and Methods This open-label randomized controlled clinical study was conducted in a university hospital endocrine outpatient clinic in Turkey. The study sample consisted of 46 patients, randomly allocated to an intervention group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 25). The intervention group received aromatherapy massage three times per week for a period of 4 weeks. The control group received only routine care. Data were collected from patients using the Douleur Neuropathique questionnaire, the visual analog scale, and the Neuropathic Pain Impact on Quality of Life questionnaire. Findings Neuropathic pain scores significantly decreased in the intervention group compared with the control group in the fourth week of the study. Similarly, QoL scores significantly improved in the intervention group in the fourth week of the study. Conclusions Aromatherapy massage is a simple and effective nonpharmacological nursing intervention that can be used to manage neuropathic pain and improve QoL in patients with painful neuropathy. Clinical Relevance Aromatherapy massage is a well-tolerated, feasible, and safe nonpharmacological method that can be readily integrated into clinical settings by nursing staff. The essential oils rosemary, geranium, lavender, eucalyptus, and chamomile can be safely used by nurses in the clinical setting, if applicable. However, training and experience of nurses in aromatherapy massage is critical to achieving positive results.

SUMMARYBackground Fatigue and abnormalities in cardiovascular parameters are recognized as major problems for patients with acute coronary syndrome. Non-pharmacological nursing interventions are useful for controlling this fatigue and reducing patients' suffering during hospitalization. Aim The present study compared the effects of aromatherapy massage and reflexology on fatigue and cardiovascular parameters in older female patients with acute coronary syndrome. Design This study was a randomized clinical trial. Methods The study was conducted with 135 older female patients with acute coronary syndrome who were hospitalized in a cardiac care unit in 2014. They were invited to participate in the study and then were randomly divided into three groups: ‘aromatherapy massage’, ‘reflexology’ and ‘control’. The fatigue severity and cardiovascular parameters were assessed using the Rhoten fatigue scale and a checklist. Measurements in the groups were performed before and immediately after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical statistics via the SPSS software. Results Aromatherapy massage significantly decreased fatigue, systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and O2 saturation more than the reflexology intervention. However, reflexology reduced patients' heart rates more than an aromatherapy massage (P

Background: Aromatherapy, massage and reflexology are widely used in palliative care. Despite this, there are questions about their suitability for inclusion in clinical guidelines. The need to understand their benefits is a public priority, especially in light of funding pressures. Aim: To synthesise current evidence on the effectiveness of aromatherapy, massage and reflexology in people with palliative care needs. Design: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (PROSPERO CRD42017081409) was undertaken following international standards including Cochrane guidelines. The quality of trials and their pooled evidence were appraised. Primary outcomes on effect were anxiety, pain and quality-of-life. Data sources: Eight citation databases and three trial registries were searched to June 2018. Results: Twenty-two trials, involving 1956 participants were identified. Compared with a control, four evaluated aromatherapy, eight massage and six reflexology. A further four evaluated massage compared with aromatherapy. Trials were at an unclear risk of bias. Many had small samples. Heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis. In comparison with usual care, another therapy or an active control, evidence on the effectiveness of massage and aromatherapy in reducing anxiety, pain and improving quality-of-life was inconclusive. There was some evidence (low quality) that compared to an active control, reflexology reduced pain. Conclusions: This review identified a relatively large number of trials, but with poor and heterogeneous evidence. New clinical recommendations cannot be made based on current evidence. To help provide more definitive trial findings, it may be useful first to understand more about the best way to measure the effectiveness of these therapies in palliative care.

Background: Effectiveness evidence of complementary therapies in people with advanced disease is uncertain, and yet people are still keen to engage in complementary therapy. Insights into people’s experiences of complementary therapy in palliative care, the perceived benefits, and how they want it delivered, can inform clinical guidelines and suggest ways to test therapies more appropriately in future evaluations. Aims: Explore in people with advanced disease (1) the experiences and perceptions of benefits and harms of aromatherapy, massage, and reflexology and (2) how they would like these therapies delivered. Design: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. Database search terms were related to palliative care, aromatherapy, reflexology and massage. Citations and full texts were reviewed independently against predefined inclusion criteria. Studies were appraised for quality. This review is registered at PROSPERO (22/11/2017 CRD42017081409). Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL, KoreaMed and ProQuest with a bibliography search to June 2018. Results: Five qualitative studies in advanced cancer were identified. Three analytical themes were identified: (1) Experience during the therapy (enhanced well-being and escapism), (2) beyond the complementary therapy session (lasting benefits and overall evaluation), and (3) delivery of complementary therapy in palliative care (value of the therapist and delivery of the complementary therapy). Conclusions: People with advanced cancer experience benefits from aromatherapy, reflexology and massage including enhanced well-being, respite, and escapism from their disease. Complementary therapy interventions should be developed in consultation with the target population to ensure they are delivered and evaluated, where feasible, as they wish.

Objective to determine massage lavender essential oil on neuropathic pain and quality of life in diabetic patients. Methods A randomized three-group control trial with the pre-post design was performed from 2019 to 2020 on 75 diabetic neuropathic patients. The patients were randomly allocated into aromatherapy (n = 26), placebo (n = 26), and control (n = 26) groups. Patients in the intervention group used 2.5 cc of 3% lavender oil on their feet as a gentle massage for 10 min every night before bedtime for a month. Data collected using the Visual analog scale (VAS), Douleur Neuropathic 4 (DN4) and Quality of Life Questionnaire (SF36). Results The mean difference of pain scores in short-term and long-term in the aromatherapy group was significantly reduced compared to the placebo and control groups (P In addition, after four weeks, a significant increase was found in the QoL domains in the aromatherapy group (P Conclusion Aromatherapy massage with lavender oil helped reduce neuropathic pain two to four weeks after the intervention and improved the patients' QoL without causing any side effects. Thus, nurses are recommended to use it as a complementary method to reduce neuropathic pain and improve patients’ QoL.

Background. Depression is one of the greatest health concerns affecting 350 million people globally. Aromatherapy is a popular CAM intervention chosen by people with depression. Due to the growing popularity of aromatherapy for alleviating depressive symptoms, in-depth evaluation of the evidence-based clinical efficacy of aromatherapy is urgently needed.Purpose. This systematic review aims to provide an analysis of the clinical evidence on the efficacy of aromatherapy for depressive symptoms on any type of patients.Methods. A systematic database search was carried out using predefined search terms in 5 databases: AMED, CINHAL, CCRCT, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. Outcome measures included scales measuring depressive symptoms levels.Results. Twelve randomized controlled trials were included and two administration methods for the aromatherapy intervention including inhaled aromatherapy (5 studies) and massage aromatherapy (7 studies) were identified. Seven studies showed improvement in depressive symptoms.Limitations. The quality of half of the studies included is low, and the administration protocols among the studies varied considerably. Different assessment tools were also employed among the studies.Conclusions. Aromatherapy showed potential to be used as an effective therapeutic option for the relief of depressive symptoms in a wide variety of subjects. Particularly, aromatherapy massage showed to have more beneficial effects than inhalation aromatherapy.

The goal of this study is to examine the effects of aromatherapy massage on sleep quality of nurses with monthly rotating night shifts. Subjects were enrolled at a medical center in central Taiwan with overall score ≥ 5 of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and randomly assigned to the treatment or control groups. They were validated by pretests during their first graveyard shift in the trial period and the sleep quality information was collected by using the PSQI and sleep detectors. During the second graveyard shift, the treatment group received aromatherapy massage and the control group rested in the same aromatherapy room after work. All subjects filled out the PSQI surveys and the sleep quality information was collected during massage or resting and the following night. We found that the total PSQI was significantly decreased in the treatment group following the aromatherapy massage. Specifically, the components such as subjective sleep quality, sleep disturbance, and daytime dysfunction were significantly decreased. However, there were no significant changes of average PSQI scores between the two groups before and after intervention. Taken together, our study suggested that aromatherapy massage could improve sleep quality of nurses with monthly rotating night shift.

Anxiety is an affective disorder characterized by deep and ongoing feelings of fear or worry. Research in Germany found 16.2% of 6-week postpartum mothers with pure anxiety disorder control (phobias, panic, acute adjustment disorder with anxiety). On the first day of the postpartum period, 82% were diagnosed with phobias. Miller et al showed that 10% of women experienced symptoms of anxiety and controls from 6 weeks to 6 months after delivery. Aromatherapy is a non-pharmacological strategy for anxiety management developed to reduce anxiety in patients. Aromatherapy can be used as an emotional therapy, thereby enhancing relaxation. Besides aromatherapy, aromatherapy massage can be used for stress management for individual health, and has often been used as a therapy to control pain and reduce psychological stress, such as anxiety. The results of a study conducted by Winai in 2003 explained that jasmine oil has a stimulating effect on nervous system function, by inhaling jasmine oil it can affect brain wave activity, increase positive emotions including feelings of happiness, prosperity, activity, freshness and romance and improve mood. The mood or mood that is often erratic in postpartum mothers can get better by inhaling jasmine oil. One of the types of complementary therapy according to Permenkes Number 15 of 2018 is aromatherapy, which is a popular therapy for mothers and midwives. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of aromatherapy massage on anxiety levels in postpartum mothers. The benefit of this research is that it can be a complementary therapy, especially for postpartum mothers who experience anxiety so that they are comfortable living as a new mother in their life. The research design used a Quasi Experimental design, which is a study that does not have strict restrictions on randomization with the Non-Randomized Control Group Pretest and Posttest Design, the grouping of samples in the treatment group and the control group is not done randomly.

Aromatherapy, the therapeutic use of essential oils, is often used to reduce pain in primary dysmenorrhea. Eleven databases, including four English (PubMed, AMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) and seven Korean medical databases, were searched from inception through August 2018 without restrictions on publication language. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing aromatherapy for pain reduction in primary dysmenorrhea were considered. Data extraction and risk-of-bias assessments were performed by two independent reviewers. All of the trials reported superior effects of aromatherapy for pain reduction compared to placebo (n = 1787, standard mean difference (SMD): −0.91, 95% CI: −1.17 to −0.64, p < 0.00001) with high heterogeneity (I2 = 88%). A sub-analysis for inhalational aromatherapy for the alleviation of pain also showed superior effects compared to placebo (n = 704, SMD: −1.02, 95% CI: −1.59 to −0.44, p = 0.0001, I2 = 95%). With regard to aromatherapy massage, the pooled results of 11 studies showed favorable effects of aromatherapy massage on pain reduction compared to placebo aromatherapy massage (n = 793, SMD: −0.87, 95% CI: −1.14 to −0.60, p < 0.00001, I2 = 70%). Oral aromatherapy had superior effects compared to placebo (n = 290, SMD: −0.61, 95% CI: −0.91 to −0.30, p < 0.0001, I2 = 0%). In conclusion, our systemic review provides a moderate level of evidence on the superiority of aromatherapy (inhalational, massage, or oral use) for pain reduction over placebo in primary dysmenorrhea.

Regarding the importance of anxiety management and improvement of the quality of sleep in patients with burn injuries, this study aimed to determine the effect of aromatherapy massage (using aromatic oils of lavender and chamomile) on the anxiety and sleep quality of the patients with burn injuries.In a quasi-experimental study, 105 patients with burns were recruited by convenience sampling method and then assigned into three groups (control, placebo massage, and combined aromatic oil massage). The study intervention was performed 20min before bedtime in three sessions, within a week. The control group was only under daily routine care. The study data were collected using the Persian version of Spielberg's anxiety scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were used to analyze the data in SPSS version 20.The results showed a significant difference among the three groups in terms of anxiety score (P0.001) and in terms of sleep quality after the intervention (P=0.027).Since the aromatherapy massage as a non-pharmacological and simple method can improve the anxiety and quality of sleep in patients with burns, it is suggested that nurses and burn medical care team apply it to reduce burn patients' anxiety and promote their sleep quality. Applying massage alone also reduces anxiety in burn survivors.

RESUMO Objetivo Verificar a efetividade do uso da aromaterapia com óleos essenciais de lavanda (Lavandula angustifolia) e gerânio (Pelargonium graveolens) associado à massagem para alívio do estresse de uma equipe de Enfermagem do centro cirúrgico por meio da avaliação de parâmetros biofisiológicos e psicológicos. Método Estudo-piloto do tipo ensaio clínico controlado e randomizado, realizado com a equipe de enfermagem de um centro cirúrgico de um hospital escola do interior do estado de São Paulo. A intervenção foi composta de seis massagens com aromaterapia com os óleos essenciais diluídos em creme neutro na concentração de 1% cada. A frequência cardíaca e a pressão arterial foram verificadas antes e após cada massagem e a Escala de Estresse no Trabalho e a Lista de Sintomas de Stress foram aplicadas antes e ao final da intervenção. A análise estatística foi realizada com o teste t pareado e qui-quadrado, intervalo de confiança de 95% e p

Objectives Fatigue, regardless of the causes, could leave a negative impact on individual performance. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of inhalation and massage aromatherapy with lavender and sweet orange on fatigue among hemodialysis patients. Methods This study was a randomized controlled trial. The patients (96 patients) were allocated to three groups (control, an inhalation aromatherapy, and an aromatherapy massage group). A demographic questionnaire as well as the rhoten fatigue scale (RFS) was used to collect the data. The data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics using SPSS version 18. Results Before the intervention, there was no significant difference among the groups regarding fatigue level (p=0.54). However, eight and 16 weeks after the study, the levels of fatigue in both experimental groups were significantly lower than the control group (p Conclusions Interventions with essential oils are effective in reducing fatigue in hemodialysis patients, although the effects of aromatherapy massage on fatigue are stronger than the effects of inhalation aromatherapy.