(Press-News.org) The use of essential peppermint oil aromatherapy may ease pain severity after open heart surgery and enhance sleep quality as well, suggest the results of a small comparative clinical trial, published online in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.
Heart surgery is a major procedure, necessitating the separation of the breastbone (sternum) as well as mechanical breathing support, both of which are associated with a high risk of severe pain, stress, and sleeplessness, note the researchers.
Effective pain relief allows patients to recover more quickly and may reduce the risk of postoperative complications, they add. But both the pain itself and the drugs used to treat it can prolong the time needed for mechanical ventilation and increase postoperative complications, death, length of hospital stay, and healthcare costs.
Alternatives to drugs may provide a safer option or may simply boost the effectiveness of existing painkillers, suggest the researchers.
Aromatherapy may be one such alternative, but its effectiveness is unclear. Previously published research shows that inhaled essential oils may be helpful, and peppermint essential oil is already widely used in palliative care.
The researchers therefore wanted to investigate the potential of peppermint essential oil to reduce the pain and improve the sleep quality of patients after open heart surgery.
Sixty four adults were therefore randomly assigned either to treatment with 0.1ml of 10% essential peppermint oil or 10 ml distilled water administered 30 minutes before their breathing tube was removed and then 3 times daily via nebuliser until the second night following their procedure—7 doses in all.
Both groups were similar in terms of their sex, age, and weight; type of surgery; time (hours) under general anaesthesia; length of intubation; amount of pain relief given; and time spent on mechanical breathing support.
The Numeric Pain Rating Scale and the St Mary’s Hospital Sleep Questionnaire were used to assess changes in pain severity and sleep quality, respectively. The final analysis included 59 patients: 30 in the aromatherapy group and 29 in the comparison group.
After 2 days, the average pain severity score was 3.22 in the aromatherapy group and 4.56 in the comparison group, a statistically significant difference, say the researchers.
Average sleep scores on day 1 were 20.10 and 25.76 in the aromatherapy and comparison groups, respectively, falling to 18.63 and 22.62, respectively, on day 2, a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The higher the score, the poorer the sleep quality.
Those given peppermint oil aromatherapy needed less pharmacological pain relief than patients in the comparison group.
By way of an explanation for their findings, the researchers suggest that the main components of peppermint oil—carvone, limonene, and menthol—may be key to its pain relieving qualities, particularly menthol.
They also point to previously published studies confirming the relaxing and sedative effects of peppermint essential oil. As patients experience a high level of postoperative stress and pain after waking up in intensive care following their heart surgery, reducing these factors should improve sleep quality, they suggest.
This is a small trial, and the researchers acknowledge that they weren’t able to exclude the possible environmental effects of light and noise on patients’ sleep quality, which may have affected the scores obtained.
But they conclude: “The results show that inhalation of peppermint essential oil can reduce the pain intensity of patients after open heart surgery and consequently reduce the use of pain relievers by patients.
“Also, the use of this herbal product can improve the sleep quality of patients in the first nights after surgery and bring them more comfort. Considering the effect of peppermint essential oil inhalation on pain and sleep quality… it can be concluded that this herbal product can be safely used as a complementary treatment in relieving pain and making patients comfortable after heart surgery.”
END
Peppermint oil aromatherapy may ease pain severity after heart surgery
And it may enhance sleep quality too, suggest results of a small clinical trial
2023-08-04
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Mortality gap exists in 3,110 counties, 5 racial-ethnic groups, 19 causes, 20 years
2023-08-04
SEATTLE, Wash. August 3, 2023 – An analysis of 19 causes of death in the United States revealed persistent disparities and a familiar pattern across five racial-ethnic groups and 3,110 counties from 2000 to 2019. That’s according to the most comprehensive peer-reviewed research published today in The Lancet.
The mortality rates among American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) and Black populations were substantially higher than among White populations nationally and in most counties. For example, mortality was higher among the AIAN population than the White population in nearly all counties for skin and ...
Walking 25 mins/day enough to counter physical impact of bedrest on older hospital patients
2023-08-04
As little as 25 minutes a day of slow walking seems to be enough to counter the detrimental physical effects of bedrest on older hospital patients, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
And for optimal improvements in physical function, around 50 mins/day of slow walking or around 40 mins of combined physical activities, such as 20 mins of resistance bands with around 20 mins of aerobic activity, are the most effective, the analysis indicates.
But there may be a threshold effect, with no clear benefit for ‘doses’ of more than 90 mins/day ...
New exoplanet discovery builds better understanding of planet formation
2023-08-04
An international team of scientists have discovered an unusual Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a low-mass star called TOI-4860, located in the Corvus constellation.
The newly discovered gas giant, named TOI-4860 b, is an unusual planet for two reasons: stars of such low mass are not expected to host planets like Jupiter, and the planet appears to be particularly enriched by heavy elements.
The study, led by University of Birmingham astronomers, is published today (Friday 4th August) in a letter published within the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The planet was initially identified using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet ...
Novel machine learning blood test detects cancers with genome-wide mutations in single molecules of cell-free DNA
2023-08-04
Novel blood testing technology being developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center that combines genome-wide sequencing of single molecules of DNA shed from tumors and machine learning may allow earlier detection of lung and other cancers.
The test, called GEMINI (Genome-wide Mutational Incidence for Non-Invasive detection of cancer), looks for changes to DNA throughout the genome. First, a blood sample is collected from a person at risk for developing cancer. Then, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) shed by tumors is extracted from the plasma and sequenced using cost-efficient ...
Research reveals Hawai‘i’s undersea volcano, Kama‘ehu, erupted five times in past 150 years
2023-08-04
Kamaʻehuakanaloa (formerly Lōʻihi Seamount), a submarine Hawaiian volcano located about 20 miles off the south coast of the Big Island of Hawai‘i, has erupted at least five times in the last 150 years, according to new research led by Earth scientists at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. For the first time, scientists were able to estimate the ages of the most recent eruptions of Kamaʻehu, as well as the ages of eight additional older eruptions at this volcano going back about 2,000 years. Their findings were published recently in Geology.
Hawaiian volcanoes are thought to transition through a series of growth stages. ...
Insulin-like hormones critical for brain plasticity
2023-08-04
Research from the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience has identified a mechanism through which insulin-like growth factors facilitate brain plasticity.
The insulin superfamily of hormones, including insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), play a crucial role not only in regulating blood sugar, metabolism, and growth, but also in healthy brain development and function, including learning and memory. These hormones can enter the brain through the bloodstream from the liver or can be synthesized directly in neurons and glial cells within the brain. They bind to receptors, ...
A mother’s diet can protect her grandchildren’s brains: genetic model study
2023-08-04
Mothers who eat apples and herbs in early pregnancy could be protecting the brain health of their children and grandchildren, a Monash University study using genetic models has found.
The discovery is part of a project that found a mother’s diet can affect not just her child’s brain but also those of her grandchildren.
Published in Nature Cell Biology, the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute study found that certain foods could help protect against the deterioration of brain function.
More specifically, the study used roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) as the genetic model because many of ...
Study examines Earth and Mars to determine how climate change affects the paths of rivers
2023-08-04
In a new study published in Nature Geosciences, researchers, led by a Tulane University sedimentologist , investigated why the paths of meandering rivers change over time and how they could be affected by climate change.
Chenliang Wu, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Tulane University School of Science and Engineering, began this research by looking at the Mississippi River before adding other rivers on Earth and ancient riverbeds on Mars to the study.
The study specifically looks at river sinuosity, or how much rivers curve. The sinuosity of rivers changes over time, depending on the age of the river and environmental changes. Some of these changes ...
MSU scientists help discover the highest-energy light coming from the sun
2023-08-03
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Sometimes, the best place to hide a secret is in broad daylight. Just ask the sun.
“The sun is more surprising than we knew,” said Mehr Un Nisa, a postdoctoral research associate at Michigan State University. “We thought we had this star figured out, but that’s not the case.”
Nisa, who will soon be joining MSU’s faculty, is the corresponding author of a new paper in the journal Physical Review Letters that details the discovery of the highest-energy ...
Outdoor air pollution may increase non-lung cancer risk in older adults
2023-08-03
Key points:
A cohort study of millions of Medicare beneficiaries found that chronic exposures to PM2.5 and NO2 over a 10-year period increased the risk of developing colorectal and prostate cancers.
Even in areas with low pollution levels, researchers found substantial associations between exposures to these pollutants and the risk of developing colorectal and prostate cancers, in addition to breast and endometrial cancers.
For immediate release: August 3, 2023
Boston, MA—Chronic exposure to fine particulate air pollutants (PM2.5) ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue
UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’
New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening
Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas
Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition
CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves
Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam
Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand
Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch
New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed
New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations
Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency
How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads
Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids
Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation
Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria
Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options
Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity
Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers
Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time
‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’
Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible
Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound
American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care
Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential
Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research
Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration
Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce
Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care
Resident physician intentions regarding unionization
[Press-News.org] Peppermint oil aromatherapy may ease pain severity after heart surgeryAnd it may enhance sleep quality too, suggest results of a small clinical trial