Parkinson’s Disease and Aromatherapy

Based on research, including studies on patients with Parkinson’s disease, aromatherapy massage provides multisensory stimulation — combining olfactory input (essential oil inhalation) with tactile input (physical touch) — which acts as a mechanism to alleviate pain and improve quality of life.

Multisensory Mechanism

The combination of scent (olfactory) and touch (tactile) stimulates brainstem pathways and C-fiber receptors in the skin, which helps modulate pain, increase endorphins, and potentially increase dopamine levels.

Aoyama, et al. (2025), investigated the effects of aromatherapy massage on chronic pain and quality of life (QOL) for four patients with Parkinson’s disease whose pain was unresponsive to medication. This trial consisted of aromatherapy inhalation, massage, and and combined massage with aromatherapy. Pain was assessed using different scales, and plasma dopamine and β-endorphin levels and electroencephalography (EEG) were used as objective indicators.

It was discovered that only aromatherapy massage significantly increased plasma dopamine. Both massage and massage with aromatherapy elevated β-endorphin levels and reduced pain scale scores during and after intervention. EEG showed the highest peak alpha frequency during morning, and patients reported their QOL improved during the morning. The study indicates that this multisensory stimulation approach is effective in reducing chronic pain and improving QOL, acting as a valuable, non-pharmacological, and complementary strategy.

Other Benefits

Beyond pain reduction, this form of therapy has been associated with improved sleep quality, reduced anxiety, and decreased stress levels. This “dual mechanism” of aromatherapy massage is generally considered more effective than either aromatherapy or massage alone for certain symptoms.