Aromatherapy and Diabetes

Abstract

Aromatherapy has a long history of use. Dating back to the time of Hippocrates, skin problems were treated with aromatic baths.1 Since then, essential oils have been used continuously not just for their pleasant aromas, but also for their medical properties. The renaissance of aromatherapy occurred in France in the 1940s with three individuals in the medical field. Gattefosse, a French chemist, burned his hand and arm so badly that gas gangrene set in. At that time, the only treatment for gas gangrene was amputation, but Gattefosse used essential oil of lavender, and his wounds healed rapidly. He was so impressed that he dedicated his life to the use of essential oils for skin problems.2 Valnet, a physician, used essential oils on wounds in the Indo-China war when antibiotics ran out.3 Maury, a surgical assistant, carried out research on how essential oils helped skin elasticity and integrity and assisted wound healing.4 Nurses have also been involved in aromatherapy. During the past 10 years, nurses have been using aromatherapy as an enhancement of nursing care in Australia, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, and, more recently, the United States. The idea that nursing care could be enhanced with pleasant smells and gentle touch is not a new one. Florence Nightingale was famous for anointing the foreheads of her wounded soldiers with lavender oil. Hospitals can be frightening for many people, and the smells of hospitals can compound their fear. Chronic slow-healing wounds can mean repeated hospital visits. A judicious use of essential oils can put some hospitality back into our hospitals, reduce the stress of coping for both staff and patients, improve wound care, and also reduce the possibility of chronic infection. Clinical aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils, the efficacy of which is supported …