Aromatherapy is a popular adjunct therapy used by many massage therapists. A recent study showed that topical and olfactory use of the essential oil lavandin resulted in significantly less anxiety among preoperative patients about to enter the operating room.

The study, “The Use of the Essential Oil Lavandin to Reduce Preoperative Anxiety in Surgical Patients,” involved 150 adult preoperative patients arriving at the hospital for either “same-day surgery,” which means being discharged after surgery, or a “day-of-surgery procedure,” which means being admitted after surgery.

Results of the research revealed that patients who received the olfactory and topical application of lavandin had significantly lower preoperative anxiety upon transfer to the operating room as compared to those in the both the sham and control groups.

A full report on this research will run in MASSAGE Magazine’s March issue.

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