NUCCA News - Aromatherapy May Be Useful for Dementia Patients

Fri December 6, 2002 10:39 AM ET

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Aromatherapy and bright light may safely and effectively reduce the agitation and sleep disturbances suffered by older people with dementia, according to an editorial published in this week's British Medical Journal.

"People with dementia are among the most vulnerable in our society," write Dr. Alistair Burns, a professor of old age psychiatry at the University of Manchester in the UK, and his colleagues. "Symptoms often need to be treated expediently, and drugs, although moderately effective, can be hazardous."

About 5% of the US population over the age of 65 suffers from some form of dementia, and the risk increases with age. Alzheimer's disease is the leading type of dementia in old age.

Current treatment for the behavioral disturbances often experienced by seniors with dementia include sedatives, such as neuroleptics, which have proven short-term effects but are also known to be associated with harmful side effects including sedation, lower quality of life and an increased risk of falls. Further, past research has found the drugs may speed a patient's mental decline.

Aromatherapy, however, has no such risks. Three studies conducted during the past year found it to be more effective for agitation than a fake "placebo" treatment, according to Burns and his team.

Lemon balm and lavender oil were the main ingredients used in the studies, and they were either applied to the skin or inhaled. Therapy with these aromas seemed to be well tolerated by patients, since almost all of the study participants completed their treatment, and it also seemed to improve patients' quality of life.

In contrast, many more traditional drug treatments are not always well tolerated. In fact, the researchers note that it is not uncommon to find that 3 out of every 10 participants in a study of a drug's effectiveness are unable to complete their therapy for this reason.

Bright light treatment, in which patients sit in front of a light box that emits up to 10,000 lux, in comparison to the up to 300 lux from standard office light, may also be an effective alternative therapy for demented patients, the report indicates.

Three studies of the treatment found that it helped patients to sleep longer and more soundly.

In light of the findings, "aromatherapy and bright light treatment seem to be safe and effective and may have an important role in managing behavioral problems in people with dementia," the researchers conclude.

Still, the report by Burns and colleagues did not give any new data, and the studies cited were all relatively small, said Dr. William H. Thies, vice president of medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago, Illinois.

So although the findings suggest that "being in an enriched environment may be of value," there is "no clear evidence" that either aromatherapy or bright light is extremely beneficial for Alzheimer's disease patients, he told Reuters Health.

Burns and his colleagues were funded by research grants from Janssen and Astra Zeneca.

SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2002;325:1312-1313.

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=1864382