Would aromatherapy help? advice needed please.

[QeeFyy]

my poor dear 90 year old (91 next month) grandmother is in total agony. long story short she has alot of fluid in her knees, the are full of arthritis and she can't stand unaided, she's had some terrible falls over the last 2 months. it's gotten to the point were she needs 24 hour care, as she is constantly on the loo and we need to get her up from the chair and put her on the commode. she is so depressed as she has no independence and is fed up of looking at the same 4 walls (no way of getting her down stairs, she' a prisoner in her bedroom) she is starting to wish death upon herself and it's killing us all.

she said if the pain in her knees would ease up and she could make it to the bathroom, her life would be so much more bearable (she's desperately embarrassed using the commode) dr's have her on painkillers but they are only helping slightly.

can anyone tell me if aromatherapy massage on her knees is an option and if so what oils are best used? if anybody has any other suggestions of holistic therapies to use i would be so grateful.

 

[tigrizzle]

Oh yes, most definitely, Chamomile, geranium, ginger, juniper for swelling, lavender for when its painful. Manual Lymphatic Drainage too would help

 

[wuttup]

Although not really aromatherapy, maybe you could try a herbal poultice or compress to relieve the pain too. Comfrey oil, st johns wort oil and Meadowsweet oil all have analgesic/antiinflammatory properties. You will have to look up any contra-indications as she is on prescription meds.
Arnica is also good for bruising/swelling.

I often use St. Johns Wort oil or comfrey oil (you can get these from a very well known high street chain of health stores) as a carrier oil for my aromatherapy massage treatments for clients that have similar problems and I finish the treatment with Arnica gel for the problems areas


Please make sure you read in detail about the mentioned herbs as they can all have contra-indications with health problems and medications but are very effective.

Good luck

 

[Baby Aries]

thanks for the replies so far.

forget to mention that i am not actually trained in aromatherapy but i do start my level 3 holistic diploma in september. would i be able to blend the oils and massage her knees without relevant training? once i'd looked up contraindications of course?

 

[grossburggger]

I do sympathise with your plight. For years before I qualified I'd been following the recipes in Valerie Ann Worwood's books, with some success, so I'd recommend getting "The Fragrant Pharmacy" and reading it thoroughly - and following the recipes to the letter.

Have you tried getting some Ibuprofen gel and rubbing it into her knees? No special routine needed, just as and when needed. It's surprisingly effective.

 

[smackxgarden]

Poor thing - if she has a lot of fluid and inflammation it may be worth investigating lymph drainage massage (Dr Vodder MLD) as whatever the problem is (-has she had a gp diagnosis?) it's not helped by all the inflammation.