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AbstractBackgroundThis randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial identifies the effect of an aromatherapy blend of essential oils on fatigue, which is one of the most commonly unaddressed symptoms of hypothyroidism, by evaluating the effects of daily aromatherapy inhalation.MethodsParticipants included women aged 18–55 with a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Women who had a history of thyroid cancer were excluded, due to the confounding effects of cancer on fatigue as the outcome of interest. Participants were randomized into two groups: the aromatherapy group, treated with inhalation of the essential oil blend, and the control group, treated with an odorless vegetable oil blend. The primary outcome was change from baseline in fatigue scores as measured by the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory (MFSI), a validated instrument which measures multiple patterns of fatigue.ResultsAfter adjusting for baseline scores, no significant difference was found between the aromatherapy group and the control group at midpoint. Both groups experienced a reduction in symptoms during the first week of the intervention. At the endpoint, participants in the aromatherapy group had improved fatigue scores across all ten subscales, as compared to the control group. Not all improvements achieved statistical significance, indicating that the aromatherapy treatment has a greater effect on the subscales of global, affective, and general fatigue.ConclusionsThis is the first study to evaluate the effects of aromatherapy on fatigue among women with hypothyroidism. These findings provide evidence that regular inhalation of an aromatherapy blend may reduce fatigue among women with hypothyroidism, particularly in the areas of global, affective, and general fatigue.

Background: Lavender essential oil and tea tree essential oil have become popular ingredients in personal care and household products in recent decades. Questions regarding the safety of these oils in pediatric populations have been raised, proposing a link between these essential oils and endocrine disruption in children, specifically prepubertal gynecomastia. To date, no epidemiological studies have been conducted to evaluate this proposed link. Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted among parents of children in the United States to identify the prevalence of endocrine disruption in children aged 2—15 years old. This study also evaluates the potential for a relationship between the exposure of lavender essential oil and tea tree essential oil products and endocrine disrupting outcomes. Results: In 556 children with a mean age of 6.33 (SD = 3.92), prevalence of endocrine disruption was .016 (SD = 0.13). No cases of prepubertal gynecomastia were identified in either group, and prevalence of precocious puberty, delayed puberty, growth hormone deficiency, and hypothyroidism were all consis-tent with population norms. Total risk of endocrine disorders among those exposed (0.0194) did not differ from the risk of those unexposed (0.0069). The risk ratio was 2.796 (95% CI: 0.352,22.163, P = .458). Conclusion: Children who were regularly exposed to lavender or tea tree essential oils experienced the same risk of endocrine disorders as those who were not exposed.

Lavender and tea tree essential oils are traditionally considered to be mild, gentle, and safe for pediatric populations and are ubiquitous in personal care products. Recent case reports have proposed a potential association between exposure to these ingredients and endocrine disruption, but these reports contain misclassification bias. The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and valid measurement instrument for the accurate classification of exposure to aromatic plant ingredients in personal care products to be used in epidemiological studies. This study tested the Aromatic Plant Ingredients and Child Health Survey (APICHS) for validity and reliability, contrasting it with the current approach used in clinician’s offices. The APICHS was found to have exceptional sensitivity and specificity (100% and 92.86%, respectively) with a positive predictive value of 97.22%, far exceeding the sensitivity and specificity of the method currently in use. The APICHS is a valid, reliable tool for accurate classification of exposure to aromatic plant ingredients in personal care products and should be used for the avoidance of misclassification.

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