Aromatherapy and massage in palliative care.

Area of Science:

• Integrative Oncology
• Palliative Care
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Background:

• Nurses increasingly use aromatherapy and massage in palliative care settings.
• The effectiveness of these therapies for improving patient quality of life remains under-investigated.
• There is a need to evaluate complementary therapies in cancer patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effects of massage and aromatherapy massage on cancer patients receiving palliative care.
• To investigate the impact of Roman Chamomile aromatherapy combined with massage.
• To measure changes in symptom burden and anxiety levels.

Main Methods:

• A study involving cancer patients in palliative care.
• Patients received three full body massages over a 3-week period.
• Interventions included massage alone or massage with Roman Chamomile essential oil.
• Symptom assessment used the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

Main Results:

• All patients showed improvement in post-test scores.
• The aromatherapy group demonstrated statistically significant improvements on the RSCL physical symptom and quality of life subscales.
• Significant reductions in state anxiety were observed in the aromatherapy group.
• Patients reported reduced anxiety, tension, pain, and depression.

Conclusions:

• Massage and aromatherapy massage are beneficial for cancer patients in palliative care.
• Aromatherapy, specifically with Roman Chamomile, showed significant positive effects on physical symptoms, quality of life, and anxiety.
• These findings support the integration of massage and aromatherapy as complementary therapies for symptom management in palliative oncology.