Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
www.pharmpress.com/fact
Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 1998; 3: 168
Reviewed by J Barnes, Exeter, UK
This book is one of a handful of books recently published that aim to provide information on aromatherapy for the health professional. This is a much-needed move, as prior to this, virtually the only books available for aromatherapists were those also used by the lay public. Needless to say, such books (even those written by leading aromatherapists) often made exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims.1 So is this book, written by a nurse with 20 years’ experience in aromatherapy, any different?
I was not encouraged to think that it is after reading the author’s Introduction. She admits there is a paucity of research in aromatherapy, but then launches into the usual criticism of orthodox medicine that much of the discipline is not supported by reliable scientific evidence either. The author’s hope is for integration of conventional and complementary/alternative medicine, and this book represents her view of the role of clinical aromatherapy in nursing.
She begins by considering nursing diagnosis and describes case studies as a brief argument to support the use of aromatherapy to enhance nursing care. The next few chapters describe the history of aromatherapy, how essential oils work, methods of administration, how essential oils are produced, and essential-oil chemistry. While these chapters are reasonably well-written, the writing style has a ‘lay’ feel to it, and examples of unsubstantiated claims can still be found.
Importantly, the author does include some discussion of safety aspects of essential oils, but one is left feeling that the subject is not covered in sufficient depth. More useful is a chapter on health and safety regulations (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH); Chemical Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply (CHIP)) and implications of this legislation for the use of essential oils in aromatherapy.
One of the book’s 2 main chapters considers the clinical use of aromatherapy in general hospital care, e.g. in infection, pain, nausea and vomiting, insomnia and stress. The author mentions research with essential oils in these areas, but does not critically review it and is slow to point out that many of the studies were conducted in animals. For example, she lists 15 essential oils that have analgesic properties. But where is the clinical research to support this? The same criticism applies to the other major chapter, a discussion of the clinical use of aromatherapy in specialised departments, e.g. oncology, cardiology, paediatrics, palliative and terminal care, and care of the ageing.
The final chapter in the book looks at training in aromatherapy for nurses, and summarises the roles of various aromatherapy organisations.
In summary, while this book may be useful for nurses looking for ways to introduce aromatherapy into their nursing practice, in my opinion, its main flaws are that coverage of several topics, e.g. safety, is superficial and that its review of aromatherapy research is lacking in objectivity.
