- Researchers investigated the potential for peppermint oil aromatherapy to relieve pain and improve sleep quality following open-heart surgery.
- They found that peppermint oil aromatherapy improved pain and sleep quality among patients immediately following surgery.
- Further studies are needed to understand how peppermint oil aromatherapy works to relieve pain.
Open-heart surgery happens when a surgeon cuts through the breast bones and spreads the ribs to access the heart. While potentially life-saving, the procedure puts patients under considerable physical and psychological stress.
Research
Many methods of pain relief, however, can prolong weaning from mechanical ventilation and increase the risk of postoperative complications and mortality.
Nonpharmaceutical therapies could thus provide a safer alternative for pain relief to help patients recover from heart surgery.
Some
Studies also show that peppermint oil may improve the
Further study of how aromatherapy with peppermint oil affects patients following cardiac surgery could aid the development of pain treatments.
Recently, researchers published the results of a double-blind, randomized clinical trial to investigate the effects of peppermint oil aromatherapy on pain ratings and sleep quality following cardiac surgery. They found that aromatherapy both reduced pain and improved sleep…
Read the full article here