ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The study was designed to verify effects of aromatherapy on depression, anxiety and the autonomic nervous system in breast cancer patients who are undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy. METHODS: Data were collected from November 2006 through March 2007 at the C university hospital in Seoul. The study included 33 patients and they were assigned to three groups. Group I had aroma oil inhalation for 2 minutes per time, three times a day for six weeks whereas Group II and a control group inhaled aroma oil for 2 minutes per time, once a day for six weeks. For Groups I and II, a mixture of lemon, lavender, rosewood and rose essential oils were used while control group inhaled tea tree oil. RESULTS: Depression was significantly decreased in patients in the experimental groups only. In Groups I and II patients, anxiety level was lower than that in control patients. Patients in Groups I and II also showed stronger physical resistance to stress than control group patients. CONCLUSION: Aromatherapy should be considered as a method that can significantly decrease depression in breast cancer patients who are undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy.
Subject(s)
Humans , Anxiety , Aromatherapy , Autonomic Nervous System , Breast , Breast Neoplasms , Depression , Inhalation , Lavandula , Oils, Volatile , Radiotherapy, Adjuvant , TeaABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of aromatherapy on blood pressure, heart rate variability, aortic pulse wave velocity and the aortic augmentation index of essential hypertensive patients. METHODS: Using a coin toss, 22 participants were assigned to the experimental group and 20 to the control. The experimental group was given a blend of oils of lemon (Citrus limonum), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) which were prepared in the ratio of 2:2:1, respectively. The control group was given an artificial lemon fragrance of Limonene (35 cc) and Citral (15 cc) mixture. The experiment, inhalation, was conducted for 3 weeks (2 min per inhalation, 2 times per day) to both groups. RESULTS: There was a noticeable difference in systolic blood pressure between the groups (p=.001), however the difference in diastolic blood pressure between the two groups was not significant. There was a notable difference in sympathetic nerve system activity of heart rate variability (p=.047). However, the differences in aortic pulse wave velocity or the aortic augmentation index were not significant. CONCLUSION: Aromatherapy is effective in lowering systolic blood pressure and sympathetic nerve system activity.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Aorta/physiology , Aromatherapy , Autonomic Nervous System/drug effects , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Cananga/chemistry , Heart Rate/drug effects , Hypertension/therapy , Oils, Volatile , Plant OilsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study was designed to verify effects of perineal care with aroma essential oil on urinary tract infection(UTI) in patients with indwelling urinary catheter. METHOD: The research design was non equivalent control group pretest-post test design. The data were collected from March to August, 2005 at C university hospital in Seoul. The subjects were 43 patients who had a indwelling catheter in neurosurgery intensive care unit(NSICU). They were assigned to two groups, 21 subjects to the experimental group and 22 subjects to the control group. The experimental group received perineal care with 3% blending essential oil for 4 days. RESULTS: In the experimental group, white blood cells and bacteria in urine were significantly lower than control group. Bacteria in urine culture was lower in the experimental group at post test. CONCLUSION: Perineal care with aroma essential oil could be an effective intervention to reduce the UTI of patients in NSICU.