Benefits of aromatherapy on fatigue relief for hemodialysis patients

In this study, researchers at the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in Iran compared the effects of aromatherapy, specifically lavender and orange essential oils, on the fatigue experienced by hemodialysis patients. Their findings were published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

• Fatigue is a common complication of hemodialysis.
• To determine which essential oil is more effective at relieving fatigue, the researchers recruited 90 participants for their experiment.
• They divided the participants into three groups, namely, the lavender group, the orange group and the control.
• Each participant in the experimental groups inhaled five drops of either lavender or orange essential oil.
• The Fatigue Severity Scale was used as a data collection tool.
• The researchers reported that the difference in mean fatigue measurements before and after the intervention was statistically significant in the experimental groups, but not in the control group.
• No significant difference in terms of mean fatigue was observed between the two experimental groups after the intervention.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that lavender and orange essential oils can reduce fatigue in hemodialysis patients.

Journal Reference:

Ahmady S, Rezaei M, Khatony A. COMPARING EFFECTS OF AROMATHERAPY WITH LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL AND ORANGE ESSENTIAL OIL ON FATIGUE OF HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. August 2019;36:64–68. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.05.005