Essential Oils

Before nursing school, I was a spa coordinator. I LOVED it. I had a nutty boss, but I never got stressed out. How is that possible? The essential oils, I tell you.

I miss the atmosphere of that place, so I often try to recreate it in my little loft apartment. The concrete floors and exposed brick are a far cry from the soft and inviting decor of the spa world, but I have my serenity Pandora station, candles, and essential oils to make up for it.

Recently I've been really interested in the use of essential oils in a more clinical setting. I did a science project in 4th grade where I tested the antibacterial properties of tea tree oil, so it really just made sense for me to kind of dig a little deeper into this idea that essential oils aren't just for massages and aromatherapy.

I am especially interested because I've taken care of countless patients with all kinds of so called superbugs (thank you antibiotic mania) and aside from gowning up head to toe every time you enter the hospital room like you're on your way to some chemical spill, I just don't see that we as a health care community are doing enough to address the issue. Yes, stopping the spread of the superbugs is paramount. But maybe we ought to be looking into destroying the little critters with something other than heavy duty poisons.

Not only can essential oils aid in healing, but they can benefit the staff. Talk to anyone who works in a hospital. The stress factor is off the charts.

I'm all for it! Going to hit up some peer reviewed data and learn more about this trend. Evidenced-based practice is the cornerstone of nursing, and I am off to find out what studies are out there about essential oils in the hospital setting.

Check out this list of hospitals that currently use essential oils:

Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Aurora Healthcare System, Foxpoint, WI
Banner Health, Mesa, AZ
Benedictine Hospital, NY
Beth Israel Complementary Care Center, NY, NY
Children’s Healthcare, Roseville, MN
The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, NY, NY
Elk Regional Health Hospital, PA
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, AK
Florida Hospital Medical Center, Orlando, FL
Goshen General Hospital, Goshen, IN
Heather Hill Hospital, Chardon, OH
Ingham Regional Medical Center, Landing, MI
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Oakland, CA
Manilaq Hospital, Kotzebue, AK
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NY, NY
Mercy Holistic Health, Cincinnati, OH
Pinnacle Health, Harrisburg, PA
St. Barnabas Healthcare System, Toms River, NJ
St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT
St. John’s Riverside Medical Center, Yonkers, NY
St. Luke’s Medical Center, New Bedford, MA
Sentara Healthcare, Wilmington, DE
The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ
University of Michigan Hospital, MI
Wishard Memorial Hospital, Indianapolis, IN
Sharp Chula Vista, San Diego, CA
Primary Children’s Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT