Ever since Marcel Proust wrote about the ability to transport one's emotions via smells in Remembrances of Things Past, the use of olfaction (smelling) stimulators has fascinated many people, including physicians.
One type of alternative medical treatment is aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is the use of essential plant oils either massaged into the skin, added to bath water, inhaled directly or diffused into the surrounding environment.
More conventional physicians are also beginning to look into the medical properties of aromatherapy in the treatment of diseases. There are more than 200 oils, which are often used in combination to treat different problems, including headaches and insomnia.
The essential plant oils are obtained from the flowers, leaves, stems, buds, branches, or roots. The oils are extracted through a variety of methods such as steam distillation or cold-pressing.
When an essential oil is inhaled, the molecules enter the nose and stimulate the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system influences emotions and memories and is complexly linked to other areas such as the adrenal glands, pituitary gland, and hypothalamus. Through these connections, it is possible to regulate heart rate, blood pressure, stress, memory, hormone balance, and breathing. The essential oils used in aroma therapy are then theoretically able to have physiologic effects that may alter emotions or pain perception.
Essential oils can be toxic when taken internally so they should only be administered under the guidance of a qualified professional.
Aromatherapy blends for the treatment of arthritis are usually made from pure essential oils, but also from hydrosols and -- more recently -- phytols. For application to the skin during massage they need to be mixed with vegetable oil, a cream base or a carrier lotion. Essential oils must always be used diluted when applied to the skin. A dilution of 3% essential oils in 97% base is generally regarded as very effective and safe.
Examples of some oils which have been used to treat arthritis include:
Benzoin, Chamomile, Camphor, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Ginger, Juniper, Lavender, Hyssop, and Rosemary.
Few well-controlled studies have been done to formally test aromatherapy in arthritis. One recent uncontrolled observation was made by an orthopedic surgeon in Japan.
Dr. Nobumasa Shiba, director of orthopedic surgery at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Hospital, became interested in aromatherapy as an alternative treatment for osteoarthritis in knee joints, which occurs when the cartilage in the joint wears away. About 1 million people in Japan have the degenerative condition.
To test the effectiveness and safety of aromatherapy for patients, Shiba carried out an experiment on a group of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Thirty-six patients, aged 40 or older who had had physical symptoms for more than three months, were entered into the uncontrolled trial.
The thirty-six patients massaged lavender oil, effective for pain, and rosemary camphor oil, to improve circulation, into their knees in the morning and evening for two weeks.
More than 75 per cent of the patients said their symptoms, including pain, had lessened.
The uncontrolled nature of this study obviously makes interpretation suspect.
A form of aromatherapy used by thousands of people in the United States on a daily basis are menthol-based topical arthritis rubs.
Aromatherapy needs to be studied more intensely before it can be formally recommended as a standard treatment for arthritis. It does seem to help with symptoms in some people. There is no evidence it has any effect on slowing the progression of arthritis.
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