Premenstrual Syndrome Research
Alternative
& Complementary Therapies
Aromatherapy
& PMS
Several hooks on aromatherapy
(such as The A-Z of Aromatherapy by Patricia Davis) suggest that
geranium essential oil is effective in alleviating the physical and
psychological symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). However, the
accuracy of these claims cannot he proven because very little research
has been carried out on the use of geranium essential oil in PMS.
Research at the Department of Psychology of the University of
Wolverhampton has indicated that geranium essential oil reduces anxiety.
Other scientific research suggests it has a mild sedative effect.
Therefore, it is possible that geranium essential oil may help with some
of the psychological symptoms of PMS (such as anxiety, tension or
insomnia) and or help PMS sufferers cope more effectively with their
overall symptoms. However there is no scientific evidence to support
claims that geranium essential oil has any sort of hormonal effect or
that it improves the physical symptoms of PMS. Most scientists believe
that such claims to effectiveness result from aromatherapy users’
strong belief that the therapy will work — in other words, the placebo
effect. However, this view is also unsubstantiated because no research
has been carried out to establish what aromatherapy users actually
believe about the therapy.
Therefore, the proposed study has two aims:
To explore what PMS sufferers actually think and believe about the
effectiveness of geranium oil in PMS; and to determine whether there is
an observable improvement in PMS symptoms in sufferers using pure
geranium essential oil compared with those using a synthetic geranium
odour. It is hoped the study will offer some insight into whether it is
geranium essential oil or merely a strong belief in its effectiveness
that accounts for any observed changes in PMS symptoms reported over the
course of the trial.
To achieve these aims, the trial has been divided into three stages.
The first stage involves anonymous confidential interviews with a few
PMS sufferers to ascertain their beliefs, feelings and attitudes about
the use of geranium essential oil in P215. There are no right or wrong
answers: what is important is what PMS sufferers think. The information
gained at these interviews will be used to develop an aromatherapy
beliefs questionnaire, which all the study participants will be invited
to complete before, during and after the study.
In the second stage of
the study, all of the participants will he randomly divided into two
groups. One group will be given the geranium essential oil and the other
will be given the synthetic essential oil. The bottles will be
unlabelled except for general guidelines and safety information. Two
drops of the real or synthetic oil are to he inhaled from a tissue for
10 minutes during the premenstrual phase of the cycle for two
consecutive cycles. Any changes in PMS symptoms will be monitored. using
the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire. This consists of a list of
approximately 50 I~MS symptoms, which are to be rated in severity on a
five-point scale.
The third stage of the study will involve in-depth interviews with
volunteers who found the treatment either particularly effective or
particularly ineffective. These interviews will be anonymous and
entirely voluntary. However to help with the research aims, permission
will be asked to tape record the interviews. These tapes will be
destroyed at the end of the study.
Any woman aged 16-44 years with mild, moderate or severe PMS and who
is receiving no other treatment for PMS is eligible to enter the trial.
However, for safety reasons, a number of types of PMS sufferers have had
to he excluded from the study. These include sufferers of asthma,
allergies. contact dermatitis, irritated nasal passages, epilepsy, liver
or kidney disease or any other major incapacitating disease.
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Exercise
& PMS
Exercise can have many positive
psychological and physical benefits for PMS sufferers, so try to include
some form of exercise in your daily routine. Even if it is only a walk
around the block. If you already play a sport or take other forms of
exercise, then PMS is no reason to stop. If you have not exercised before
and are considering any form of strenuous exercise, it is wise to consult
your doctor before you start. However you should increase your intake of
carbohydrate if you become more energetic than usual.
If possible, you should eat before taking any exercise but, if this is
difficult, eat straight afterwards. It is not advisable to eat for an hour
before swimming.
Source: - N.A.P.S
(National
Association for Premenstrual Syndrome)
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