Saturday Quack - Aromatherapy Doesn’t Relieve Pain

Plug aromatherapy into Google, and you get over 17 million results. It’s a particularly popular form of alternative medicine, but there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of effectiveness, according to acceptable standards. One such study that has been done is a randomized controlled trial by Ohio State University scientists; it’s published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.

The psychological, autonomic, endocrine (glandular) and immune effects of a supposed relaxant odor (lavender), a stimulant odor (lemon), and a no-odor control (water) were examined before and after a cold stressor (immersing the feet in freezing water for 1 minute). Half the 56 participants were told what odor they would be exposed to that day, while the other half was treated “blind”; all the exposures lasted 3¼ hours. Blood samples were taken; heart rate and blood pressure were measured. A battery of physiologic, immunologic, and emotional tests were done, and the intensity of pain sensation after the cold stressor was recorded.

There were no consistent significant differences between distilled water, lemon oil, and lavender exposure in any measurements, except for (1) lemon oil’s effect on mood. Lemon exposure was linked to an increase in mood using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; and (2) both aromatic oils had a suppressive effect in the delayed hypersensitivity effect, suggesting inhibition of the immune response.

It should be noted that there was no difference in the findings between participants who had used aromatherapy before, and “naïve” subjects. And all the participants had been tested beforehand to ensure their sense of smell was intact.

I think I shall join the skeptics, and save my money. Or, if I’m desperate, I’ll go squeeze a lemon.