ABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Aromatherapy is considered a mild and non-invasive complementary treatment to relieve post-vaccination discomforts. There have been no studies that examine the use of aroma-Tea Tree oil and Eucalyptus oil to relieve the discomfort side effects related to COVID-19 vaccines. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the use of two aroma-essential oils to relieve discomfort side effects of COVID-19 vaccination. DESIGN: The study used experimental design to match two groups of participants. SETTING: The participants' home. PARTICIPANTS: Adults who had not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 but were planning to receive it were recruited. The current study included 87 control participants matched to 83 experimental participants. INTERVENTION: The participants in the experimental group used Tea tree and Eucalyptus while the control group did not. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A questionnaire was used to collect data on the topical and systematic symptoms related to COVID-19 vaccines. Both groups were asked to complete the online questionnaire and report their health status 24 h (T1) and 48 h (T2) after vaccination. RESULTS: The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups in swelling, injection side pain, lump, fever, and muscle ache (p = .05, 0.04, <0.00, 0.02, 0.02, respectively) for T1; but for T2, a significant difference between the two groups was found only in lump and fever (p = .05, 0.03). Aroma-Tea Tree oil and Eucalyptus oil may be recognized and accepted by more people worldwide to provide a safe and healthy option not only for post-vaccination care but also to relieve pain, fever, and skin lumps associated with other diseases or conditions.
