Aromatherapy
BCCT plans to write a summary on aromatherapy. While our summary is in development, you can visit National Cancer Institute PDQ: Aromatherapy
Before using this therapy, consult your oncology team about interactions with other treatments and therapies. Also make sure this therapy is safe for use with any other medical conditions you may have.
Clinical Practice Guidelines
In the 2009 Society for Integrative Oncology clinical practice guidelines, aromatherapy massage is included under the following recommendation: “For cancer patients experiencing anxiety or pain, massage therapy delivered by an oncology-trained massage therapist is recommended as part of multimodality treatment. Grade of recommendation: 1C.” (1C indicates strong recommendation, low- or very low-quality evidence).1
Cautions
Hundreds of essential oils are used in aromatherapy, and BCCT does not have the capacity to list all possible cautions and side effects for each essential oil. Some essential oils used in aromatherapy can cause adverse reactions in some individuals. More common reactions are skin reactions, allergic reactions, respiratory reactions, phototoxicity (skin damage from sun and other intense light source exposure) and unpleasant psychological associations.
Integrative Programs, Protocols and Medical Systems
| For more information about programs and protocols, see our Integrative Programs and Protocols page. |
- Programs and protocols
- Block program: symptom management2
- Traditional systems
More Information
- Ali B, Al-Wabel NA et al. Essential oils used in aromatherapy: a systemic review. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. 2015 Aug;5(8):601-611.
- Lis-Balchin M. Possible health and safety problems in the use of novel plant essential oils and extracts in aromatherapy. Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health. 1999 Dec;119(4):240-3.
- Schnaubelt K. Essential oil therapy according to traditional Chinese medical concepts. International Journal of Aromatherapy. 2005;15(2):98-105.
- Gurdev Parmar and Tina Kaczor: Textbook of Naturopathic Oncology
- National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health: PDQ® Cancer Information Summaries
- Donald I. Abrams, MD, and Andrew T. Weil, MD: Integrative Oncology, 2nd Edition
- Keith I. Block, MD: Life over Cancer: The Block Center Program for Integrative Cancer Treatment
- Cancer Research UK
- CAM-Cancer Collaboration: CAM-Cancer
- Lone Star Medical Group: Natural Alternative Treatments
- National Cancer Institute: Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine
This work is licensed under a