A randomized controlled trial of aromatherapy massage in a hospice setting

Abstract

Research suggests that patients with cancer, particularly in the palliative care setting, are increasingly using aromatherapy and massage. There is good evidence that these therapies may be helpful for anxiety reduction for short periods, but few studies have looked at the longer term effects. This study was designed to compare the effects of four-week courses of aromatherapy massage and massage alone on physical and psychological symptoms in patients with advanced cancer. Forty-two patients were randomly allocated to receive weekly massages with lavender essential oil and an inert carrier oil (aromatherapy group), an inert carrier oil only (massage group) or no intervention. Outcome measures included a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of pain intensity, the Verran and Snyder-Halpern (VSH) sleep scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale and the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL). We were unable to demonstrate any significant long-term benefits of aromatherapy or massage in terms of improving pain control, anxiety or quality of life. However, sleep scores improved significantly in both the massage and the combined massage (aromatherapy and massage) groups. There were also statistically significant reductions in depression scores in the massage group. In this study of patients with advanced cancer, the addition of lavender essential oil did not appear to increase the beneficial effects of massage. Our results do suggest, however, that patients with high levels of psychological distress respond best to these therapies.

Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy on Vital Signs and Perceived Quality of Sleep in the Intermediate Care Unit: A Pilot Study

“…In a study of 122 patients in an intensive care unit by Dunn et al, 6 patients exposed to aromatherapy had significantly greater improvements in mood and perceived levels of anxiety than did patients not exposed. In a randomized controlled study 7 in a hospice, the use of lavender and massage resulted in improved sleep scores, but the results were not significant because of the small number of patients in the sample. Several studies have indicated that lavender aromatherapy affects the autonomic nervous system, reducing anxiety in patients in different settings, such as inpatients and outpatients.…”

The Effect of Massage Therapy in Cancer Patients

“…Add a significant decrease in dimensions of suffering in pain, physical and emotional discomfort, as well as on fatigue after massage (Currin & Meister, 2008). The quality of life significantly improves (Ferreira e Lauretti, 2007), but in the long term there was no statistically significant differences that could corroborate the improvement of quality of life, stress and suffering (Kutner et al, 2008;Soden et al, 2004). Effective in the short and in the long term with regard to pain and anxiety, There was no significant effects that could corroborate the changes in heart rate and mean arterial pressure.…”

“…Massage therapy has immediate effect in reducing depression and anxiety and also long-term depression (Soden, Vincent, Craske, 2004;Hernandez-Reif et al, 2004). However, there are studies in which there were no differences in short term between anxiety and depression (Ahles et al, 1999;Billhult et al, 2007) or that there were no significant differences of depression and anxiety in the long term (Billhut, Bergbom & Stenes-Victorin, 2007).…”

“…In terms of anxiety and depression results were also contradictory, because some have revealed positive effects and that if they did feel in the short term (Post-White, Kinney, Savik, Gau & Lerner, 2003;Hernandez-Reif, Ironson, Field, Hurley, Katz & Diego, 2004;Cassileth & Vickers, 2004;Deng & Cassileth, 2005;Young, 2008;Jane et al, 2009), other long-term (Soden, Vincent, Craske, 2004;Hernandez-Reif et al, 2004) and others did not reveal any effects (Ahles et al, 1999;Billhult et al, 2007).…”

On the Effect of Aromatherapy with Citrus Fragrance in the Therapy of Major Depressive Disorder

“…Aromatherapy has also been used in the treatment of postpartum depression [16][17][18][19]; palliative care [20], bipolar disorder [21]; anxiety and mild depression [20,22] and traumatic disorders [23], in all these cases sufficient evidence of therapeutic effects is still missing.…”