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Aromatherapy — helps diabetes patients , says Aussie Nursing Professor
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Aromatherapy can help in the care of people with diabetes, according to Professor Trisha Dunning, director of endocrinology and diabetes nursing research at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne.
Professor Dunning told a conference of Diabetes Australia that perfume has long been a communications tool, and it was also used to protect doctors from the plague.
Moreover, it was used in both world wars to treat battle wounds.
Today, aromatherapy is used in aged care facilities, HIV nursing, and cancer nursing.
The frequency of its use in diabetes care is not known, she said, although there is evidence of its use to reduce stress and tension, manage complications, improve circulation, analgesia, improve energy levels, improve sleep, and in preventive care such as for feet.
Describing pharmacological effects of aromatherapy, Professor Dunning said lavender is present in the blood five minutes after massage.
It peaks in 20 minutes and is almost back to baseline after 90 minutes.
She said existing research into the safety of essential oils suggest they are very safe, particularly since they are most often used in small quantities and the lethal dose is known to be very high.
The most common side effects are skin sensitivities, headache, and breathing difficulties, while some essential oils result in photosensitivity.
Caution is needed by some people, she said, such as the elderly, the young, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with liver and kidney disease, and the drug and alcohol addicted.
She advised users of aromatherapy to consider possible contraindications and cautions, and to monitor effects and document them.
People with diabetes should inform all their carers that they are using essential oils, she added.
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