Aromatherapy is an alternative medicine that uses essential oils from plants to support and balance a person's mood, cognition, mental and physical health. Aromatherapists use a mixture of therapeutic essential oils that can be applied by topical application, massage, inhalation or water immersion to stimulate the desired response.
Essential oils [also known as essential oils] are the basic materials for aromatherapy. They are made from aromatic extracts found in many plants, especially leaves, bark, roots, flowers, berries, wood, seeds or peels. When the essence is extracted from plants in a natural way, they become essential oils. They can be distilled by steam and/or water, or mechanically. Chemically made oils are not considered to be true essential oils.
Each oil contains its own mixture of active ingredients, which determines the use of the oil. Some oils are used to promote physical recovery - for example, to treat swelling or fungal infections. Others use their emotional value - they can enhance relaxation or make the room smell pleasant. For example, neroli oil contains a large amount of active ingredient that is considered to be sedative.
Each type of essential oil has a different chemical composition that affects its odor, how it is absorbed, and how it is used. Essential oils are highly volatile and highly flammable, so they should never be used near open flames. They also evaporate quickly when exposed to the open air. Some of the essential oils used in aromatherapy are: chamomile, geranium, lavender, tea tree, lemon, cedar, mint, jasmine, bergamot and coconut.
The use of essential oils in healing, spiritual, health and ritual can be traced back to many ancient civilizations, including Chinese, Native Americans, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, who use them in cosmetics, perfumes and drugs.
Aromatherapy is rarely recommended as a cure for cancer, but as a supportive treatment to control the symptoms of cancer or the side effects of cancer treatment. Recently, cancer patients use aromatherapy to improve quality of life and reduce stress and anxiety. Aromatherapy can be combined with other ancillary therapies such as massage therapy and acupuncture, as well as standard therapies.
Essential oil safety tests have shown that there are few adverse side effects or risks when used as directed. However, sometimes a few aromatherapy can cause rashes, asthma or headaches.
Now that we have a basic understanding of aromatherapy, let's take a look at this research. Sixty-six patients with colorectal cancer participated in a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. One group of treatment plans included three mild massages with ginger and coconut oil over a one-week period. The other [control] group received only standard supportive care.
The main finding was that the lymphocyte counts [white blood cells] in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group. The magnitude of this difference suggests that massage aromatherapy can increase the number of lymphocytes by 11%. The secondary outcome was fatigue in the massage group, with significantly lower pain and stress than the standard treatment control group.
"Aromatherapy with mild massage can help reduce the immune system of cancer patients with the severity of common symptoms by increasing the number of lymphocytes," the researchers commented.
Orignal From: Aromatherapy and massage can boost the immune system of cancer patients
No comments:
Post a Comment