Foreword

A romatherapy is possibly the simplest of all complementary therapies to inte-

grate because when we inhale air, we inhale aroma, although we are usually
unaware of it. However, aromatherapy is rarely presented in a cogent, scientific
way; as a result, it has been difficult for physicians, nurses, and others in healthcare
to take the field seriously or to understand how we could integrate it into our prac-
tice. Here is a book written by a PhD nurse with considerable research training and
experience, who writes about aromatherapy in a way that we can identify.
As a small boy growing up in Turkey, I had my own special paradise—my grand-
father’s walled garden—where I became aware of the power of the senses; in particu-
lar, how the fragrance of plants made me feel good. Now, as a cardiovascular surgeon,
I work on repairing the heart. I know the heart is perceived by many to be more than
a pump, the epicenter of emotion, and I continue to be aware of how important our
senses are to our well-being and how feeling good can help recovery. The very smell of
many hospitals is unpleasant, alien, or distressing to our patients. Patients feel at their
most vulnerable in a hospital’s high-tech surroundings, so a familiar and comforting
smell can do much to put them at their ease. In common with several forward-think-
ing hospitals in the United States, we now use aromatherapy at Columbia Presbyte-
rian and we have worked with Jane Buckle on research since 1995.
Our sense of smell is located in the catacombs of the most primitive area of
the brain and is extremely powerful. Smell can produce all sorts of physical reac-
tions, ranging from nausea to napping. The amygdala, the brain’s emotional cen-
ter, is located in the limbic system and is directly connected to the olfactory bulb.
Rage and fear are processed in the amygdala and both contribute to heart disease.
Our studies at Columbia have found that diluted essential oils rubbed on the feet
affected some volunteer’s autonomic nervous system within minutes.
Clinical Aromatherapy, Third Edition, is presented logically, with some neces-
sary background information given at the outset. I expect many readers will go
straight to the clinical section to look at their own specialty. In each specialty, a few
symptoms or problems have been explored and the way in which aromatherapy
might help treat those symptoms or problems is clearly outlined. This third edi-
tion is greatly helped by the addition of many tables. There is also a huge increase
in references. Although the clinical chapters will be of particular interest to readers
working in that clinical specialty, I think the book will also be of great interest to
those who want to know what clinical aromatherapy really is and how it can be used
in a scientific way.

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Jane Buckle has surpassed the excellence of the second edition and this does not
surprise me. She was the first nurse to win a postdoctoral NIH-funded research fel-
lowship to study an MSc in Epidemiology & Biostatistics in the School of Medicine
at the University of Pennsylvania. No mean feat! She brings a wealth of knowledge
and clinical experience acquired over 30 years in the field. With a PhD in health
service management, a background in critical care nursing, a teaching degree, and
a fistful of degrees from the world of alternative medicine, she writes authorita-
tively and she speaks from the heart. Jane was a co-presenter with me at The World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, several years ago. We were invited to talk
about the economics of alternative medicine and its affect on globalization. I was
impressed by Jane’s passion. An underlying question permeated all her presenta-
tions: What can we do to get the caring back into healthcare? When Jane speaks,
people listen.
Jane Buckle is a pioneer and she uses writing, research, and teaching to get her
message across. Her message is one of holism and she inspires those in healthcare to
evaluate how they use simple things like smell and touch to help people heal. In the
United States, many hospitals have integrated clinical aromatherapy and use Jane’s
program. She is still involved in numerous hospital research programs (apart from
our own) and has been a reviewer for NIH grants in the USA and for the NHS in
UK, where she currently lives.
Under her guidance, hundreds of students have carried out small pilot studies
in American hospitals. She has written templates for aromatherapy policies and
protocols that are used by hospitals. Jane Buckle works extraordinarily hard. More
than anyone, she has labored to get the message of clinical aromatherapy across to
health professionals globally, not as a possible add-on, but as a legitimate part of
holistic care.
That achievement alone is remarkable; but she has another string to her bow.
She has pioneered a registered method of touch, called the ‘M’ Technique®. Several
years ago, the ‘M’ Technique was tested in our laboratory at Columbia Presbyterian
and was found to have a pronounced parasympathetic response. While she was
at the University of Pennsylvania, Jane conducted research to compare the effects
of the ‘M’ Technique to conventional massage using brain imaging. The results
showed that the ‘M’ Technique affected a different area of the brain to massage and
the affects appeared to be more relaxing. Today the ‘M’ Technique is used in many
hospitals, hospices, special needs schools, and long-term care facilities because it
is so simple to learn and the effects are measurable in 5 minutes! The technique
definitely is very relaxing (I have experienced it myself!) and eminently suitable for
hospital patients (with or without the use of essential oils), so I am delighted to see
that the ‘M’ Technique has a dedicated chapter in this third edition.
Essential oils offer extraordinary potential from a purely medicinal standpoint.
The infection chapter highlighting studies on MRSA, MDRTB, and other resistant
pathogens shows just how powerful they can be. I think this chapter will be of par-
ticular interest to pharmacists as well as those involved in infection control. When
nausea is relieved through the inhalation of peppermint, insomnia is alleviated
vi Foreword

through the inhalation of lavender or rose, or Candida albicans is killed by tea tree,
we are witnessing clinical results—not just the “feel-good” factor. Aromatherapy
can work at a clinically significant level.
The subject of clinical aromatherapy is vast and will be of interest to anyone
involved in healthcare as well as pharmaceutical companies and aromatherapists
wanting to learn more. I share a goal with Jane Buckle—to enhance patient care
and give the best of what we have to offer, whatever that may be. As a physician, I
believe clinical aromatherapy has an important role to play in integrative medicine.
Jane Buckle gives us a glimpse of the future and it smells good!

Mehmet Oz
Mehmet Oz, MD, is a cardiac surgeon. He is the Director of the Cardiovascular Institute and
Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center,
New York, NY. He is the Emmy award-winning host of “The Dr. Oz Show.”