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- Lavender (Lavandula spp., Lamiaceae)
- Renal Colic
- Aromatherapy
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Date:
04-30-2016 | HC# 101541-543
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Re: Lavender Essential Oil Reduces Renal Colic Pain in Female Patients
Irmak Sapmaz H, Uysal M, Taş U, et al. The
effect of lavender oil in patients with renal colic: a prospective controlled
study using objective and subjective outcome measurements. J Altern Complement Med. October 2015;21(10):617-622.
Renal colic, with severe flank, side, pelvic,
abdominal, and/or back pain, develops secondary to stone formation in the
ureter. About half of patients presenting with renal colic require acute
hospital care, generally in emergency departments. There is currently no
consensus on the ideal treatment protocol, but nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDS) are the first-line treatment, with opioid analgesics used if
response to NSAIDS is inadequate. Essential oil of lavender (Lavandula spp., Lamiaceae) has long been
used in aromatherapy to decrease moderately severe depression, anxiety, and
pain, and to support restful sleep. It has known comforting, anti-inflammatory,
antiseptic, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, and analgesic effects. While many
studies have examined medical treatments that decrease the pain of renal colic,
few have focused on alternative therapies like aromatherapy. The goal of this double-blind,
randomized, placebo-controlled, interventional study was to evaluate the
effects of lavender essential oil on renal colic.
The study, conducted in Tokat, Turkey, included
100 patients (59 men and 41 women) aged 19-64 years. Recruitment methods and
study time frame were not reported, but all patients at the time of inclusion
had flank pain and kidney stones. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups
and assigned to treatment in 1 of 2 separate but identical rooms. Patients in
room 1 (group 1; 29 men and 21 women) received 75 mg intramuscular diclofenac
and a placebo physiologic serum administered via electronic vaporizer. Patients
in room 2 (group 2; 30 men and 20 women) received 75 mg intramuscular
diclofenac and aromatherapy consisting of 2% lavender oil (LO; manufacturer not
indicated) dispersed via electronic vaporizer. Degree of pain was evaluated by patients
before treatment and at 10 and 30 minutes after treatment using a visual analog
scale (VAS), with 0 representing no pain and 10 representing the most severe
pain. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heartbeats per minute (BPM) also were recorded
at the same time. Comparisons were made between groups and between male and
female patients.
VAS scores before treatment and at 10 minutes
after treatment did not differ significantly between the groups. However, group
2 VAS scores at 30 minutes after treatment were significantly lower than group
1 (P=0.022). When female and male patients' VAS scores were analyzed
separately, there was no difference between group 1 and group 2 before
treatment or, for men, at 10 or 30 minutes after; however, for women in group
2, VAS scores at 30 minutes after treatment were significantly lower than those
of women in group 1 (P=0.0001). In vivo, aromatherapy has been observed to
reduce pain-indicating behaviors in female rats more than male rats, perhaps
due to the LO's effect on acetylcholine secretion, induced by pain stimuli. Additionally,
it is known that estrogens have important limbic system effects. MAP and BPM
before and at 10 and 30 minutes following treatment did not differ
significantly between groups.
The authors conclude that these results are
similar to other studies and that the effects may be due to linalool and
linalyl acetate found in lavender essential oil. Both exhibit analgesic and
anti-inflammatory properties in human and in vivo studies, and linalool
inhibits prostaglandin production. Additionally, olfactory pathways are
connected to the limbic system, the stimulation of which leads to emotional
changes that may also be effective in reducing pain. This study was not truly
blind since LO is easily distinguishable by smell and this may have impacted
the results. In conclusion, the authors surmise that while additional research
is needed, aromatherapy with LO can be used as an adjuvant therapy, with NSAIDS
or opioid analgesics, in cases of renal colic.
—Mariann
Garner-Wizard
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