Lavender Aromatherapy Reduces Stress and Pain

September 16th, 2011 • Posted by Natalie Rumbaugh • Permalink

Aromatherapy is an effective complement to a massage therapy session. New research indicates lavender aromatherapy provides a significant decrease both stress and pain. Investigators at the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University , Daegu, Korea, set out to measure the effects of lavender aromatherapy on 30 healthy volunteers, according to an abstract published on www.pubmed.gov. The subjects were randomly allocated to two groups: the experimental group received oxygen with a face mask coated withlavender oil for five minutes, and the control group received oxygen through a face mask with no lavender oil for five minutes, the abstract noted. Stress level, and pain intensity of needle insertion before aromatherapy were similar between the two groups; however, the stress values and pain intensity of needle insertion were significantly reduced compared with the control. The research was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. So the next time you're feeling stressed or have a pain issue consider adding pure lavender essential oil to your next massage treatment. We bet you'll be glad you did.