Aromatherapy, massage and reflexology: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of the perspectives from people with palliative care needs

Corwin Press

This episode features Dr Bridget Candy and Dr Megan Armstrong (Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK) Conventional therapies are not always sufficient to provide satisfactory relief of symptoms to those at an advanced stage of a disease. Evidence on the effectiveness of complementary therapies improving the well-being of people with advanced diseases is uncertain; however, palliative care services often offer such therapies as a way to reduce stress and promote relaxation. This systematic review of qualitative studies found cancer patients (irrespective of disease stage) viewed complementary therapies as providing a sense of physical and psychological well-being. Participants with advanced cancer perceived an improvement in their physical and psychological well-being during and after the complementary therapy session. Participants with advanced cancer experienced a form of escapism or living in the moment that took away their worries about their disease and future. Participants with advanced cancer highlight how they would like the complementary therapy delivered including the importance of building a special relationship with the complementary therapist and a need for more frequent sessions. Hospices and other palliative care environments should continue/consider offering aromatherapy, reflexology and massage where possible and it should be seen as an important aspect of the palliative care people receive. Researchers should develop complementary therapy interventions in the ways in which the palliative care population, with cancer and other advanced diseases, wish them to be delivered. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269216319846440