Comparison of the efficacy of massage and aromatherapy massage with geranium on depression in postmenopausal women: a clinical trial

Depression exacerbates the physical problems in menopause in addition to influencing the individual, occupational and social functioning of women. This study was conducted to determine the effect of aromatherapy massage on depression in menopausal women. In this clinical trial, 120 menopausal women were selected based on the inclusion criteria and were randomly divided into three groups namely control, aromatherapy massage and massage group. Data collection tool in this study was demographics questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]. In aromatherapy massage group, essential oil of geranium [2%] in almond oil was used. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks, once a week for 30 minutes and their depression rate was assessed before and after the intervention and were compared with the control group. ANOVA and t-test were used for data analysis. Aromatherapy massage reduced the mean depression score [MD: 0.51, 95%CI]. Massage therapy also reduced depression score [MD: 0.20, 95%CI] [P < 0.001]. To detect the effects of aromatherapy and massage therapy separately, the mean depression score was compared and aromatherapy massage reduced the depression score more than massage therapy [MD: -0.31, 95%CI]. The results of this study consider aromatherapy massage beneficial in improving symptoms of depression and recommend it as a complementary therapy

Suppressive effects of Rosa damascena essential oil on naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal signs in male mice

This research was done to test the effect of Rosa damascena essential oil on withdrawal signs of naloxone-precipitated morphine in male mice. Morphine dependence was induced by injection [IP] three times daily at doses of 50, 50 and 75 mg/kg, respectively, for 3 days. On day 4, after the last administration of morphine, Rosa damascena essential oil was administered at different concentrations [5, 2 and 40%, IP] 30 min before administration of naloxone [5 mg/kg, IP]. The following actions were taken as signs of withdrawal and records taken for jumping as a number and scores of 0 to 3 were given for incidences of grooming, teeth chattering, rearing, writing, diarrhea, wet dog shakes and climbing during a 30 min period. Results showed that different concentrations of Rosa damascena essential oil significantly reduced signs of morphine withdrawal compared to the control group in terms of number of jumps [p < 0.05 and p < 0.01], grooming, teeth chattering, rearing, climbing, wet dog shakes and writhing, but not for diarrhea [p < 0.05]. In conclusion it seems that GABAergic activity induced by flavonoids from Rosa damascena essential oil can alleviate signs of morphine withdrawal, but further studies need to be done to better understand this mechanism

comparative study of the effect of massage with sunflower oil or sesame oil on infants5 crying and sleep times: a randomized clinical trial

Infants are very sensitive and special attention is needed to take care of their physical and mental health. Some studies showed that massage by parents can improve infants' sleep quality. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of massage with sunflower oil or sesame oil on infants' crying and sleep times. This triple-blinded clinical trial was conducted on 120 infants who were 10-15 days old, full-term, single, exclusively breastfed and with no history of hospitalization. The infants were assigned randomly into three groups of sunflower oil massage, sesame oil massage and massage with no oils. Mothers administered 15 minutes of massage to their infants twice per day [morning and afternoon] for 28 days. Times of crying and sleep were measured by a parents' information form at baseline, and at the end of the first, second, third, and fourth weeks of the study. Data were analyzed using the repeated measures ANOVA. Within four weeks of following, decreasing pattern of infants crying time was not significant [P=0.18]; however, the mean of crying time between the three groups was significant [P=0.007]. The interaction effect of crying time and groups was not significant [P=0.18]. Increasing pattern of infant sleep time was statistically significant in the fourth weeks of the following [P<0.001]; however, the mean of sleep time between three groups was not significant [P<0.56]. The interaction effect of sleeping time and groups was not significant [P<0.10]. Since there were not statistical significant differences between the infants' crying and sleep times between the three groups, and despite the fact that increasing pattern of infants sleep time is a normal pattern, it is not possible to have a proper conclusion