The Nose Knows

A woman came to the St. Clare Urgent Care in Lake Delton, seeking relief from a persistent skin infection and painful boils.

She had contracted a community-acquired staph infection resistant to most antibiotics.

Hospitals have instituted extra precautions to reduce the incidence of these infections among their patients, but in recent years, clusters of infections have been reported in other settings where people come in close contact, like military barracks and locker rooms.

Unable to find relief after repeated outbreaks, the patient consulted with Deb Rodriguez, nurse practitioner and director of the St. Clare Urgent Care. Rodriguez and her colleague Lynn Crawford, Registered Nurse, are trained as certified clinical aromatherapy practitioners and instructors.    

Rodriguez did some research and then created a mixture of essential oils and Castille soap. Since the woman began showering with the mixture once a week over ten months ago, she has experienced no further skin problems.

Aromatherapy may be best known as a form of self-administered stress relief, but Rodriguez and Crawford are finding additional applications for the use of essential oils as a complementary treatment to relieve pain and treat bacterial and fungal infections.

Rodriguez became interested in aromatherapy several years ago while she was researching alternative treatments for her husband’s persistent back pain. She found several medical studies about the use of essential oils and ordered some for her husband. Within days, his backaches had lessened considerably.

Healing sense of smell

The medicinal use of oils from aromatic plants dates back to ancient times, and aromatherapy remains a popular complementary medical treatment in some European countries. The field kits Australian soldiers carried into combat during World War II included tea tree oil as an antibacterial/antifungal treatment for “trench foot” and other ailments, Crawford notes.

Rodriguez and Crawford studied clinical aromatherapy with Dr. Jane Buckle, a British nurse and medical researcher who developed the ‘m’ technique, a structured method of therapeutic touch practitioners use as they apply essential oils for stress and pain relief.

St. Clare Hospital has offered this complementary treatment for three years for pain and stress relief. Rodriguez and Crawford have also consulted with patients and their families on palliative care, or easing the pain of an underlying incurable condition.

Rodriguez has also conducted some research on her own into the antibacterial/antifungal properties of some essential oils. She performed lab tests by growing a culture of methacillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and candida yeast infection and then applying tea tree oil and lavender to both cultures. The oils killed the infectious agents.

The soothing properties of aromatherapy vary from person to person. “Everyone’s palate and stored memories elicit different responses,” Crawford notes. “For instance, not everyone likes the smell of patchouli, but some people find it very comforting.”  

When Crawford travels, she packs her own aromatherapy first aid kit, with helichrysum, lavender, tea tree oil and peppermint. On a recent family visit, a grandson with an earache tugged on her arm and asked, “Grandma, did you bring your potions?”

“This is not a replacement for medical treatment, but it can be an effective complementary therapy for many people,” Crawford says. “It may not work for everyone, but with all the patients I’ve worked with personally, 95 percent have received some benefit. “

Inhalation of the concentrated oils, either directly or via diffusion into the air, is a common way of administering aromatherapy, but the oils may also be applied directly to the skin to relieve a headache or muscle pain or treat an infection.

Beyond its use in relieving stress and pain and treating infections, aromatherapy has other applications. For example, menthol can help clear a stuffy nose, and the Center for Disease Control reported in 2005 that lemon eucalyptus is as effective as DEET in repelling mosquitoes. Other essential oils have been used to soothe sunburn, treat athlete’s foot and alleviate discomfort from menstrual cramps. Lavender is prized as a sleep aid.

This alternative treatment may also be useful in helping to calm Alzheimer’s patients who tend to become agitated at certain times of the day.

Recently, Rodriguez was called in to consult with the family of a patient who was gravely ill with cancer. Even when not conscious, the patient was obviously in pain, as indicated by the constant motion of her hands and legs. Rodriguez applied essential oils to the patient’s hands and feet and within an hour or two, she was resting much more easily.

“The patient’s doctor came by later, and he was amazed at how much more comfortable the patient seemed to be,” Crawford recalls.  

Buyer beware

Rodriguez recommends that people consult with a trained aromatherapist before using essential oils. Some of these oils may have adverse effects on people with certain medical conditions. And because the essential oils used in complementary medicine are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, the quality of substances promoted as “aromatherapy” varies widely, and many are all but useless.  During an aromatherapy appointment, the medical professional and patient can discuss the desired therapeutic outcome and which essential oils can be used to achieve those ends. The aromatherapist can also provide information about the chemical composition and availability of high-quality, pure oils for self-care.