It seems to be that the new and upcoming thing over the past few years has been the use of essential oils. I have even started to see them be used to "help" treat horses. Some even charge for the use of essential oils as an add on to their service being provided already.
I have my thoughts on them for sure, but we can discuss that later. First let's take a look at some research that has been published about the effectiveness of said oils with humans.
In a study that was published back in 2007, researchers were testing the effectiveness of essential oils in helping to reduce anxiety in patients that were preparing for surgery. Now to me that is a very stressful situation, or it could be. So obviously these patients are most likely going to have anxiety through the roof! Who wouldn't be at least a little anxious?
In the study, they were only able to get 70 people out of a possible 142 to participate. Those that did participate were split into 3 categories where they received either the study oil, a neutral oil, or nothing.
In the end, there was NO significant findings that could support essential oils helping to reduce anxiety. They did however mention that it was hard to have good findings due to low recruitment and compliance rates.
In a study that was published in 2010, they looked at the effect of lavender oil in helping to reduce anxiety in dental patients. Also, a perfect environment to make that anxiety brew up.
For this study they randomly selected 340! patients to either be exposed to lavender scent while they waited for the appointment with the dentist, or not. Seems pretty simple and straight forward to me! These patients were assessed using 2 different forms/ surveys to fill out.
This study showed that both groups started out with relatively similar generalized dental anxiety. However, the group exposed to the lavender reported significantly lower current anxiety. Researchers determined that the lavender could in-fact reduce state anxiety in dental patients.
A win for the oils!
The problem I have with both of these studies however is the fact that both of them used measurements and reports that were given by how the patient feels.
Now, I did find one that uses actual measurements and data that backs the use and benefits of essential oils to aide in wound recovery. This study was published in 2014 in the journal of Nursing Sciences. They studied the effect of using Tea tree oil in gauze dressing compared to saline gauze dressing to help rid of MRSA in wounds of elderly patients in nursing homes. The study used 32 patients, 16 were in the saline group while the other 16 received the tea tree oil. Researchers found that use of the tea tree oil not only helped to reduce MRSA but it also promoted healing of chronic wounds in elderly.
I'd say thats a pretty good result and supporting evidence for use of at least tea tree oil, even though they had a small sample size.
So lastly lets look a study on horses that looked at
"The Effect of Aromatherapy on Equine Facial Expression, Heart Rate, Respiratory Tidal Volume and Spontaneous Muscle Contractures in M. Temporalis and M. Cleidomastoideus"
For this study they used only 9 horses. (Thats a pretty small sample size). Researchers used 3 different oils (vetiver, spikenard, and roman chamomile) the control included water as a negative control and lavender oil as a positive control in horses standing still.
In the end they were able to prove that there was a significantly lowered heart rate and respiratory tidal volume. Spikenard oil proved to be the best oil for a producing a relaxed facial expression while the chamomile proved best at reducing spontaneous muscle contractures. So overall a positive outcome in support of essential oil use.
So, time for my thoughts on this.
To be honest with you I used to think that essential oils were a bunch of hoopla at first. I had thought that it was more of a placebo effect on patients, and that they didn't really do anything. After doing some research, I might have been swayed a little. However, I'm still not sold on them, especially with using them on horses. There is still so little research out there that can prove that there is a true
benefit of using the oils. I actually had a fairly hard time finding papers because there is just so little research about it. Most of the papers I did find basically said that results were inconclusive and there was no clear upside or downside to their use.
Just out of my own curiosity I might be adding some oils during my sessions to see if they have an effect on the horses I work with. Do I believe that people should be charging for the use of oils while they work on horses? Absolutely not! There's not enough evidence to show its worth paying extra for...
If you're curious about the papers I referenced above and want to take a look for yourself I've provided citations below. You can also do your own research!
Don't be afraid to comment below with your thoughts and feelings on essential oils below, I'm open to conversation!
Kosiara, S. and Harrison, A.P. (2021) The Effect of Aromatherapy on Equine Facial Expression, Heart Rate, Respiratory Tidal Volume and Spontaneous Muscle Contractures in M. Temporalis and M. Cleidomastoideus. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 11, 87-103.
Kristidima, M., Newton, T., & Asimakopouluo, K. (2010). The effects of Lavender Scent on ... - wiley online library. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved March 18, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2009.00511.x
Lee, R. L. P., Leung, P. H. M., & Wong, T. K. S. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of topical tea tree preparation for MRSA colonized wounds. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 1(1), 7–14. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352013214000027.
Stirling, L., Raab, G., Alder, E. M., & Robertson, F. (2007). Randomized trial of essential oils ... - wiley online library. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved March 18, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04461.x
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