Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Women who used either a combination of lavender cream and footbath or lavender cream alone for 8 weeks, experienced a significant improvement in anxiety and stress; however, the greatest improvement was seen in depression, which decreased by 62.2% in the lavender and foot bath group and 40.9% in the lavender group when compared to the placebo group.
The many stresses placed on a woman during pregnancy are not only physical but mental. Depression and anxiety are common during pregnancy and this can have negative health consequences on the developing child in the womb 1 including not only slowed fetal growth but also preterm delivery 2.
Current approaches to maintaining mental health during pregnancy include psychotherapy and prescription medications, with medications being encouraged less, since they can pass through the placenta to the fetus and have negative health effects 3.
A 2015 study 4 involved 141 women aged 22 to 32 who were between 25 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. They received 1 of 3 treatments (47 women in each group):
- Lavender cream with foot-bath: Each subject applied 2 grams of lavender cream on their legs 90 minutes before bed. Then 30 minutes after cream application, each subject submerged their feet in bath for 20 minutes where the water was between 104-108 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lavender cream only: Each subject applied 2 grams of lavender cream on their legs 90 minutes before bed.
- Placebo cream with no foot bath
Before and after the study, subjects completed the DASS-21 questionnaire, which asks 7 questions regarding anxiety, stress, and depression 5.
After 8 weeks, researchers noted the following:
| Lavender with Bath | Lavender Only | Placebo | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | 38.9% decrease (4.12 to 2.52) | 48.1% decrease (5.31 to 2.76) | 14.4% decrease (5.02 to 4.3) | 0.003 |
| Stress | 11% decrease (5.93 to 5.28) | 7.5% decrease (6.29 to 5.82) | 17.6% increase (7.21 to 8.74) | < 0.001 |
| Depression | 41.6% decrease (3.68 to 2.15) | 20.3% decrease (3.91 to 3.12) | 20.6% increase (4.80 to 5.79) | < 0.001 |
When suggesting how lavender elicits these healthful effects, the researchers pointed to research showing that lavender lowers cortisol levels and improves blood circulation in the heart 6, improves alpha brain wave activity to improve sleep quality 7 while also decreasing beta brain waves to help decrease stress 8. They concluded that lavender cream with or without foot baths “may improve quality of life and efficiency of pregnant women in such an important period.”
Source: Effati-Daryani, Fatemeh, et al. “Effect of Lavender cream with or without foot-bath on anxiety, stress and depression in pregnancy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.” Journal of caring sciences 4.1 (2015): 63.
© 2015 by Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
Posted January 11, 2017.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Akhoondzadeh SALK. Psychiatric disorders and pregnancy. Tehran University Medical Journal. 2006;64(5):5-14.
- Chung TK, Lau TK, Yip AS, Chiu HF, Lee DT. Antepartum depressive symptomatology is associated with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2001;63(5):830-834.
- Bastard J, Denise. Reprint of: Aromatherapy and massage for antenatal anxiety: Its effect on the fetus. Complementary therapies in clinical practice. 2009;15(4):230-233.
- Effati-Daryani F, Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi S, Mirghafourvand M, Taghizadeh M, Mohammadi A. Effect of Lavender cream with or without foot-bath on anxiety, stress and depression in pregnancy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Journal of caring sciences. 2015;4(1):63.
- Sahebi A, Asghari MJ, Salari RS. Validation of depression anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21) for an Iranian population. Iranian Psychologists. 2005;4(1):299-313.
- K, Jeong-Ok, Lee S-M, Moon Y-S, Lee S-G, Ahn Y-J. Nematicidal activity of cassia and cinnamon oil compounds and related compounds toward Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchidae). Journal of nematology. 2007;39(1):31.
- Shiina Y, Funabashi N, Lee K, et al. Relaxation effects of lavender aromatherapy improve coronary flow velocity reserve in healthy men evaluated by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. International journal of cardiology. 2008;129(2):193-197.
- Shaw D, Annett JM, Doherty B, Leslie J. Anxiolytic effects of lavender oil inhalation on open-field behaviour in rats. Phytomedicine. 2007;14(9):613-620.
