Recent Aromatherapy Trial and Upcoming Book

Lane Simonian

These are the results from a recent clinical trial using aromatherapy to treat Alzheimer's disease (a preprint that has not been peer reviewed yet).

Effect of aromatherapy in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a randomised controlled clinical trial

Conclusion 

Aromatherapy improves sleep quality in patients with AD, alleviates psychobehavioural symptoms, and improves quality of life. This effect of aromatherapy is probably caused by regulating oxidative stress damage in the brain and inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors to delay the deterioration of AD. In fact, the method of stimulating the olfactory nerve through scent exposure is easy to implement because of its low invasiveness and is suitable not only for patients with AD, but also for caregivers [31]. Our research confirms the effectiveness of aromatherapy as a non-pharmacological intervention for the treatment of patients with AD, and its potential as a valuable option is worthy of widespread application at healthcare facilities, communities, and homes in the future.

https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1392290/v1/e7cfb296-3325-4e7d-9653-f8117b8782cf.pdf?c=1650652974

I am looking forward to this book set to be released in June.

Alzheimer's, Aromatherapy, and the Sense of Smell

Essential Oils to Prevent Cognitive Loss and Restore Memory

By Jean-Pierre Willem

• Cites multiple clinical studies to show how Alzheimer’s is critically bound with the sense of smell and how the loss of this sense is often the first symptom of onset

• Details how to use essential oils to stimulate memory, prevent cognitive loss, and counter the isolation, withdrawal, and depression of Alzheimer’s patients

• Reveals the striking results seen in several French hospitals and senior living homes where aromatherapy has been used as a therapy for Alzheimer’s

While there is still no known cure for Alzheimer’s, new research and trials from France reveal that it is possible to slow its progression, ameliorate some of its effects, and improve the quality of life for those suffering from this degenerative condition, using the sense of smell.

Citing years of clinical evidence, Jean-Pierre Willem, M.D., shows how Alzheimer’s is critically bound with the sense of smell. He explains how the olfactory system is connected to the limbic area of the brain, which holds the keys to memory and emotion and is the area of the brain most severely afflicted by Alzheimer’s. He reveals how one of the very first signs of Alzheimer’s is typically the loss of the sense of smell. Sharing the striking results seen in French hospitals and senior living homes where aromatherapy has been used as a therapy for Alzheimer’s for more than 10 years, Dr. Willem details how to use essential oils to stimulate memory, prevent cognitive loss, and counter the isolation, withdrawal, and depression these patients are likely to feel. He explains how essential oils make a direct connection with the cerebral structures involved in emotion and memory and make it possible for the patient to bring deeply buried memories back to the thinking surface. This allows the patient to recover a portion of their identity, which can become the foundation for additional healing, including regaining the ability to communicate and reducing behavioral issues. Tracing the evolutionary links between smell and taste, he also explores the effects of diet and nutrition on Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, explaining the benefits of raw foods, what foods to avoid, and what supplements can help.

Offering a hands-on and medication-free way to help those suffering from Alzheimer’s, this guide provides a way for Alzheimer’s patients and their families to recover the joy of living again.

Crushed

REsults are very minor and purely symptomatic

   

Lane Simonian

To highlight two of the main findings from this small clinical trial:

Results Twenty-five patients with AD in the aroma group (two participants discontinued midway) and 26 in the control group (one participant discontinued midway) completed the study (Table 1). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding baseline participant characteristics. There were no statistical differences in the total PQSI [Pittsburg Quality of Sleep Index], NPI-Q [Neuropyschiatric Inventory-Questionaire], and QOLAD [Quality of Life Alzheimer's Disease] scores between the two groups before the intervention (P > 0.05); however, at week 8, the PQSI score of the aromatherapy group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P = 0.003), and the QOL-AD score was significantly improved compared to that of the control group (P = 0.009); the NPI-Q score of the aromatherapy group was slightly lower than that of the control group, but the distinction was insignificant (P = 0.077). At the end of the 12-week intervention, the PQSI and NPI-Q scores of the two groups were reduced compared with before the intervention. Furthermore, the QOL-AD score was improved compared to before the intervention, and the difference in the scores between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Oxidative stress is an important factor in the development of AD. When the body is adversely stimulated, excessive production of highly active molecules, such as reactive oxygen species, can lead to an imbalance between oxidative and antioxidant defences, leading to oxidative stress [24]. Excess reactive oxygen species can cause protein damage, leading to oxidative stress and ultimately cell death [25]. Stringfellow et al. [26] suggested that reactive oxygen species can also accelerate apoptosis. In this study, MDA levels increased after oxidative stress and decreased compared to the levels in controls after aromatherapy, but the difference was not statistically significant. SOD is a catalytic enzyme that reduces O2 to H2O2 , and therefore, has antioxidant activity [27]. We observed an increase in SOD activity after aromatherapy compared with that in the control group, suggesting that aromatherapy has the potential to repair brain tissue damage. These findings are consistent with those of a previous study by Ruperto and Barata [28] that showed that the active ingredients in essential oils, thymol and carvacrol, have higher antioxidant capacity for lipid peroxidation. Although the underlying pathophysiology of AD is unclear, excessive cytokine-mediated inflammation is believed to play a leading role in the progression of AD. Long-term activation of microglia and astrocytes leads to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, creating a neurotoxic environment that exacerbates the progression of AD [29]. Aromatherapy reduces the concentration of pro-inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum, and our results are consistent with those of previous studies, demonstrating the anti-inflammatory effect of aromatherapy on the disease. For example, D-borneol is a major chemical component present in lavender oil, and oral or intrathecal administration of D-borneol inhibits the expression of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β, and COX-2 in rat models of ischaemic stroke [30]

Ed1937

Thank you, Lane. This is interesting.

Crushed

the oxidative stress claims WRT this tiny unrefereed study are pure speculation

Cherjer

Hi Lane,

I have different oils that I rarely use..but I am very interested in this. Do you put the oils in some water and have it diffuse? Please let me know as I would love to use this for my DH.

Lane Simonian

You can use a diffuser and people have told me this works well with the more relaxing oils (such as lavender, sweet orange, and rose) at night.  I have also been told that it is not a good idea to mix oils in a diffuser because sometimes the resulting smell is terrible.

For the more stimulating essential oils, you can have your husband smell a couple each morning for a few seconds under each nostril.  For my mother, we used a variety of stimulating essential oils such as clove, bay laurel, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary.  It took awhile to see much difference (about a month), but over time she became more alert and aware, developed a better sense of place (such as recognizing her home again) and time, could remember her name again, could count numbers and recite the alphabet, and stopped having delusions. Her short-term memory and her lucidity only improved slightly.

Our observations were similar to the trial results.  Our mother's quality of life improved, she slept better, and she was more content as a whole.

Some of the more stimulating essential oils may make a person with Alzheimer's disease more anxious and restless.  Sometimes it takes some experimenting to find the right combinations.

Lane Simonian

I appreciate the comments on this thread.

For those of you who like or are interested in the science behind the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory nature of essential oils, here are two of the better reviews of this topic.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6259136/

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2018/6468593/