Members article
By E. Joy Bowles BSc © dementiacareinternational
Herbalists of former times felt that the odour of a plant was its essence and could be used for sacred healing. Aromatherapy as practiced in Australia today treats body, mind and soul, with the pharmacological properties of the oils combining with the soothing or stimulating effects of odour on the mind and emotions.
Aromatherapy is a complementary therapy that has grown in popularity since the mid 1980s. It can be thought of as a branch of herbal medicine, as it involves the use of fragrant plant extracts known as ‘essential oils’.
I was first introduced to aromatherapy as a result of a desperate prayer when one evening in September 1991 I asked God what I should do with my science degree. Following a strong urge, the next morning, I contacted a former chemistry lecturer who asked if I was interested in natural therapies.
He looked straight at me and said, ‘Do you think you could teach chemistry to aromatherapists?
I replied, ‘Aroma-what?’
He explained how a very persistent woman named Pam had been ringing and asking him to design a course in chemistry for aromatherapists. He gave me her phone number and a book written in French by a doctor who had been using essential oils as part of his practice for years.
Armed with those, I rang Pam; we met, and my life changed direction.
Pam gave me aromatherapy massages, made me smell countless essential oils, lent me her books and organised our first venue and students. I went to the university and searched out as much information on essential oil chemistry and therapeutic properties as I could find and together we presented the first 8-week course on essential oil chemistry for aromatherapists. I have been teaching and writing about the chemistry of essential oils ever since.
My involvement in dementia also began with a phone call. In 1998, a former student who was Deputy Director of Nursing at a nursing home rang me. She asked whether I would meet with her and help design a scientific trial to look at her use of aromatherapy for people with dementia in her facility.
We did a pilot trial, using a 3% blend of Lavender, Sweet Marjoram, Patchouli and Vetiver oils in aqueous cream. The nurses applied the cream 5 times a day for one month during the normal nursing care procedures like bathing, toileting or prior to residents going to bed. Nurses recorded the frequency and severity of challenging behaviours like physical or verbal aggression, wandering, agitation, anxiety and confusion.
We had a control group, who received only the plain aqueous cream, and then we swapped the groups over.
When we looked at the results we noticed several things:
- The aromatherapy blend appeared to help reduce agitation and anxiety for most people, but it also exacerbated the challenging behaviours during nursing care procedures.
- People who could do the MMSE cognitive function test all improved their score between 2 – 6 points out of 30 after one month of being on the aromatherapy treatment.
These observations inspired me to consider doing further research, and I am now enrolled in a doctorate at Southern Cross University in Lismore, looking at the possible effects of essential oils on the Alzheimer’s disease process.