Mainstreaming Essential Oils and Clinical Aromatherapy

100 Pages·2010·1.39 MB·English

Mainstreaming Essential Oils and
Clinical Aromatherapy
Linda L. Halcón, PhD, MPH, RN
Associate Professor, School of Nursing
www.csh.umn.edu
Objectives:
Participants will:
1. Describe how essential oils are commonly used for
clinical and healing purposes.
2. Review scientific principles that provide the basis for
clinical aromatherapy.
3. Explore evidence for using essential oils in acute care
management, disease prevention and control.
4. Describe how essential oils have been used in various
patient care settings.
5. Describe how essential oils and clinical aromatherapy
can be used for self-care.
www.csh.umn.edu
Clinical Aromatherapy: Definitions
• The intentional, evidence-based use of plant essential
oils for preventive or therapeutic purposes.
• “Therapeutic use of essential oils from flowers, herbs,
and trees for the improvement of physical, emotional
and spiritual well-being.”
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/aromath
erapy/HealthProfessionals/page2
• “A therapy in which the scent of essential oils from
flowers, herbs and trees is inhaled to promote health
and well being.” http://www.nccam.nih.gov
www.csh.umn.edu
Plants and Health Care
• Historically, nearly all types of healers,
including physicians and nurses, used
plants/herbs in their practice.
• Prior to 1970, nursing and medical texts
included plant based therapies. Many
potent pharmaceuticals come from plants.
• In many parts of the world, plant medicines
continue to be relied upon in health care
(self care and provider-based).
www.csh.umn.edu
How Medicinal Plants Have Been
Used in Nursing
• Herbs
– Teas, syrups, extracts
– Poultices
– Baths, soaks
• Essential oils
– Massage
– Inhalation
www.csh.umn.edu
Current Use of EO’s by Nurses
• Can be part of holistic practice
• Reasons used in patient care
– Promoting sleep, relaxation, anxiety/ stress
reduction, quality of life
• Hill, Wilkinson & Simpson (2002) - Australia
– 41% used EO’s on themselves
– 19% used EO’s on patients
– 68% had no additional training
– 31% willing to refer to aromatherapist
– 2nd most popular CAT for pt. use
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Aromatherapy:
Clinical application in US
• Essential oils are often used with other
complementary/alternative or
conventional treatments
• Essential oils are available in the US
for inhalation/topical treatments. They
are not widely used by ingestion.
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Common problems that can be
addressed with essential oils
• Pain • Fungal infections
• Depression • Bacterial infections
• Insomnia • Nausea
• Agitation • Burns
• Quality of life • Fatigue
• Tumors • Stress
• Anxiety • Inflammation
• Viral infections • Spiritual crisis
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What are essential oils?
• Concentrated botanical substances
obtained through distillation,
expression, or CO2 extraction of
parts of plants.
– Distillation (essential oil, hydrosol or
hydrolat)
– Expression – citrus oils
– Solvent extraction
• CO2 extraction – chemistry is different
www.csh.umn.edu
www.csh.umn.edu