The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Lavender scent lowers dental anxiety

    Researchers from King’s College in London report (page 163) “Lavender could … be used as effective ‘on-the-spot’ anxiety reduction in dentists’ waiting rooms.”

    First, the details.

    • 4340 dental patients were assessed for their level of anxiety while waiting for a scheduled dental appointment.
    • They were then randomly assigned to exposure to lavender odor or not.
    • Anxiety was assessed using the brief State Trait Anxiety Indicator, and generalized dental anxiety using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale.

    And, the results.

    • Both groups showed similar, moderate levels of generalized dental anxiety.
    • But when exposed to lavender odor there was significantly lower anxiety vs the control group.

    The bottom line?
    Lead author Dr. Metaxia Kritsidima said: “The anxiety experienced by these patients once they get to the dentist is stressful not only for them, but also for the dental team. Working under a state of increased tension may potentially compromise their performance, as well as lengthening appointment times. This is why finding a way of reducing dental anxiety is really important.”

    9/14/08 16:43 JR

    Comments are closed.