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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.

Background: The understanding of back-pain as one of the commonest clinical presentations, made the path to the present study. More than three-quarters of the world’s population experience back-pain at some time in their lives Purpose: The present study has evaluated the selected Naturopathic therapeutic procedures on individuals with low back-pain. Methods: Thirteen patients were selected for the study and randomly divided into two groups, viz., Group A, Naturopathic group and Group B, Control group. One patient discontinued. Naturopathic group was treated with mud pack, aromatherapy massage with Eucalyptus oil, acupressure, steam, wet trunk pack, exercises, relaxation and breathing exercises. Advice for life style and diet was given for patients of both the groups. The effect of the therapy was assessed subjectively and objectively. Particular scores drawn for Naturopathic group and control group were indi vidually analyzed before and after treatment and the values were compared using standard statistical protocols. Results: Naturopathic intervention revealed 100% relief in both subjective and objective parameters (i.e., 6 out of 14 parameters showed statistically highly significant P < 0.01 results, while 8 showed significant results P < 0.05). Conclusion: Statis tically highly significant results of this study point out the successful management of the multi factorial low back-pain with a multi focused Naturopathic treatment approach. Such encouraging results may pave the way for a future study on a large sample in a longer duration incorporating clinical investigations.

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.

Background. Occupational stress is a common issue faced by workers in every discipline. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, such as aromatherapy massage or massage, have antistress effects in the literature. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial with triple blinds is to evaluate the immediate effects of lavender aromatherapy massage for improving work stress, burnout, and HRV parameters of female employees in a university. Methods. A total of 53 subjects in experimental group whereas 57 subjects in control group completed interventions and measurement and led to power of 0.98. Inferential statistics, as independent t-test, paired t-test, and Chi-Square test, were performed to verify the expected relationships. Results. The present study found that subjects in experimental group reported a lower role stress and less inclined to type A personality trait after aromatherapy massage with lavender. For control group, only less inclined to type A personality trait was reported after receiving massage. For burnout, a significant lower personal burnout and work-related burnout were reported after aromatherapy massage whereas only increased client-related burnout was reported in control group. For HRV, both the experimental and control groups reported higher SDNN and RMSSD in time domain after intervention. Contradictory HRT and PSI in time domain were significantly lower after intervention. In frequency domain of HRV, both groups reported significantly higher value in VLF and HF. In addition, the experimental group reported significantly higher value in TP and LF after intervention. Conclusions. Both the lavender aromatherapy massage and massage did show immediate effect on different dimensions of work stress, burnout, and HRV. These two interventions can be applied as routine leisure activities by personal preference to reduce stresses occurring in work environment.

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.

Archives of Allied Health Sciences, 34, 1, Ahead of print

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.

Introduction Sleep disorder is a common problem in cardiac patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of massage and aromatherapy massage on sleep quality of cardiac patients. Materials and methods in this study, 150 subjects were randomly allocated into 1)massage, 2)aromatherapy massage and 3)control. In the massage group, the subjects received hands and feet massage using sweet almond oil. In the second group, the massage was performed on the same areas using a mixture of lavender and sweet almond oil. Data collection tool included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Before and after the intervention, the PSQI was completed by the subjects. Results There was a significant difference between the mean scores of PSQI before and after the intervention in the intervention and control groups, but this difference was not statistically significant between the two intervention groups. Conclusion Massage and aromatherapy massage can improve the sleep quality in cardiac patients.

Every woman experiences menstruation, which is the process of releasing blood, mucus, and cell debris from the dissertation of the uterine mucosa by removing the endometrium (desquamation) periodically and cyclically. It begins about 14 days after ovulation. Sometimes menstruation causes pain (primary dysmenorrhea) during menstruation. Primary dysmenorrhea can be reduced with natural ingredients, one of which is cinnamon, which has the main compounds cinnamaldehyde and eugenol as anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cinnamon in reducing the intensity of menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea). The method used Systematic Literature Review or SLR to analyze articles from some databases The results showed that eight from ten studies were researched with the intervention group (cinnamon) and two journals were descriptive studies. Eight cinnamon intervention groups, three used pills, two used aromatherapy massage, one used cinnamon tea, one used cinnamon extract, and one did not explain the method. All journals show that cinnamon is effective for reducing the intensity of dysmenorrhea.

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.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive disease that is often experienced by the elderly resulting in pain and joint stiffness which then causes movement or mobility disorders. Complementary therapy eases osteoarthritis with a traditional technique known as non-pharmacological treatment. The aim of this systematic review is to identify the effectiveness of several complementary therapies as osteoarthritis management. Methods: The review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched from PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect databases. The search identified 14 relevant journals from the 19,123 articles published between 2016 and 2020, and all studies used the Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Results: Complementary therapies consisted of flaxseed poultice compress, acupressure, acupuncture therapy, cumin black oil compress, aromatherapy massage, ginger oil massage, lavender oil massage, sensorimotor exercise, application of heat, exercises with elastic bands, ultrasound therapy, geotherapy combination kinesiotherapy, phonophoresis therapy, and stimulation of compression. Conclusion: The effectiveness of these therapies can be seen from the different results of osteoarthritis patients who received the intervention and the control group. The decrease in the total index WOMAC and Lequesne, VAS and increase in the physical function of patients with osteoarthritis who received the complementary therapy are significantly higher than the control group. It proved that the complementary therapy has positive impact as management of osteoarthritis pain. The effects of complementary therapy have an influence on pain, joint stiffness, and physical function limitations in osteoarthritis patients.

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.

Background & Aims: Given the importance of pain management in burn patients, the present study aimed to assess the effect of aromatherapy massage with aromatic oils of lavender and chamomile on the intensity of the background pain in burn patients. Materials & Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 105 patients with burn injuries admitted to Shaheed Motahari Hospital in Tehran, Iran during January-May 2018. The patients were selected via convenience sampling and allocated to three groups of control, placebo massage, and combined aromatic oil massage by drawing lots and blocks of four with cards. The interventions were performed 20 minutes before bedtime in three sessions for one week. The control group only received routine care. Data were collected using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20 using descriptive statistics (frequency, frequency percentage, mean, and standard deviation), and inferential statistics (Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, analysis of variance, and paired t-test) were applied to determine the significance. Results: Before the interventions, the three groups had no significant difference in terms of the pain score (P=0.746), while after the intervention, the results indicated a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the pain score, (P

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.

Knee osteoarthritis is considered as one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders which leads to joint degeneration and consequently disability in activities of daily living. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of aromatherapy massage with lavender essence on activities of daily living of patients with knee osteoarthritis.This is a single-blinded, randomized clinical trial. A total of 90 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee referring to the outpatient rheumatology clinics affiliated to Birjand University of Medical Sciences were selected via convenience sampling method. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups: intervention group (aromatherapy massage with lavender essential oil), placebo group (massage with almond oil) and control group (without massage). The activities of daily living of patients was evaluated according to the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) at baseline, immediately after the intervention, 1 week, and 4 weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 16.The activities of daily living of patients were significantly improved immediately and 1 week after the intervention in the intervention group compared with their initial status (p .001) and that of the control group (p .001 and p = .03 respectively). However, 4 weeks after the intervention, there was no significant difference between the groups according to the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index (p = .95).Aromatherapy massage with lavender essential oil may reduce the incidence of activities of daily living disability in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. However, further studies are required to confirm findings of this study.

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.