Patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma often have to deal with several complications, particularly when they start various alternative treatments that may render them weak and worn out. In some cases, patients have to resort to different remedies to cope with the side effects. One of them is aromatherapy. For years, aromatherapy has been beneficial for patients suffering from the symptoms of malignant mesothelioma.
Aromatherapy allows patients to use different oils harvested from a plant or herb’s bark, roots, leaves, flowers, and stalks. Patients can use essential oils in many different ways. They can choose to apply it directly to their skin or the affected area, mix it in their bath water, diffuse it, inhale them, or mix it with their food.
The essential oils work by stimulating the olfactory nerves that then send the signal to various parts of the brain. The result is either a calming or stimulating sensation.
Why Mesothelioma Patients Should Use Essential Oils
Various research has shown that essential oils effectively interact with the body, impacting the body’s production of hormones, controlling enzymes, and maintaining blood pressure and pulse rate.
Perhaps the most essential of all for mesothelioma patients is that essential oils can help them manage their stress and promote the body’s ability to produce substances that help them fight off pain. Patient reports have shown that the use of essential oils and several identified pain management strategies can help patients when they need to undergo cancer treatment.
What Essential Oils Can Help
Some essential oils that have reported health benefits include:
1. Turmeric
Turmeric has many proven health benefits. Using a turmeric essential oil can help mesothelioma patients reduce the symptoms of pain and inflammation that they usually get when they need to undergo therapy.
Research has also shown that turmeric essential oil can significantly help in the healing process of the patient. Turmeric has several properties that allow it to distinguish the healthy cells from cancer cells. They are also crucial for promoting cell death.
2. Frankincense
For years, frankincense has been at the forefront of cancer research. Frankincense essential oil, aside from being highly aromatic, can also help a mesothelioma patient boost his/her immunity and strengthen the body’s response to several illnesses. This fragrant essential oil also boasts anti-inflammatory effects that help cancer patients in their healing process.
Other benefits of diffusing frankincense include improving body circulation, stress reduction, and pain relief. This oil is particularly useful when dealing with the stiffening of joints or limbs due to chemotherapy.
3. Lavender
Lavender essential oil has been widely used in most households because of its fragrance. For cancer patients, lavender helps in calming their nerves and improving their sleep quality. Patients undergoing therapy can manage the side effects by infusing lavender, as it helps them reduce stress, and manage stress and anxiety. According to mesothelioma lawyers at Bergman Legal, most of the clients they have handled are suffering from stress brought on by their disease.
It also has an immune-boosting capacity that helps patients fight bacteria and viruses. Studies have also shown that lavender essential oils can help tumor reduction, cell growth inhibition, and healing.
4. Peppermint
For patients undergoing radiation therapy, peppermint essential oil helps them fight off bacteria and deal with the dreaded side effects of the treatment process. Aside from pain management, peppermint essential oil can also help in tumor growth suppression.
While research on essential oils is not well established compared with other treatment modalities, the number of patients reporting relief is enough to give other patients the hope they need to deal with the disease.