Benefits of Massage with Cancer
Simply Massage Therapy
Where Touch brings Peace...
Where Touch brings Peace...
Today's Question
When is massage therapy for cancer patients not recommended and when is it useful?
-- Anonymous
Today's Answer
(Published 08/03/2001 from Drweil.com)
My medical partner Brian Becker, a physician and massage therapist, tells me that he's
frequently asked whether massage might spread cancer by stimulating the circulatory system
and lymphatic systems. He usually has no reservations about recommending massage for
cancer patients and makes the point that doctors routinely recommend walking and exercise
to cancer patients, activities that influence those two systems in much the same way as
massage. So does a hot shower and sexual activity, neither of which is off-limits for the vast
majority of cancer patients. If you're new to massage, Dr. Becker recommends Swedish
massage or light shiatsu. Newcomers should probably avoid deep tissue work such as Rolfing,
which can be uncomfortable and could further stress the immune system, certainly not the
effect you would want during cancer treatment,
However, Dr. Becker notes there always will be special circumstances and individual
personalities that might make massage inappropriate. But these considerations rarely have to
do with the disease. You should, however, draw the therapist's attention to any area of your
body that may be sensitive -for example, if you've been having radiation treatments or have
recently had surgery.
You may be interested to know that the American Cancer Society considers massage "one of
the most supportive and helpful complementary therapies available" to patients and views it as
helpful both physically and emotionally because "it soothes the soul and the mind." Beyond
that, researchers at the Touch Research Institutes (TRI) at the University of Miami have found
that massage therapy reduced anxiety and stress hormones, elevated mood, improved the
quality of life, and enhanced immune function in breast cancer patients. Another TRI study
showed that massage therapy reduced the level of pain perception by an average of 60
percent and reduced anxiety among 9 hospitalized men experiencing cancer-related pain. And
a TRI study of children with leukemia found that daily massage therapy decreased distress
behavior during medical procedures and enhanced immune function.
No one suggests - or should suggest - that massage therapy can cure or halt cancer, but it
can help relieve some symptoms and some of the side effects of treatment, ease tension and
stress, as well as improve the quality of life and sense of well-being. Dr. Becker makes the
point that while massage therapy can't treat the disease - the physiological changes underlying
cancer - it can address the illness - the way patients actually feel.
Although different types of massage therapy are often contraindicated for cancer,
knowledgeable, skilled touch is in some form rarely contraindicated. One of the most soothing
treatments for a bedridden person is massage. In Europe and elsewhere, it is used frequently
to promote relaxation, decrease pain and speed healing. It may also help reduce or eliminate
the need for certain medications.
Massage therapy can help prevent bedsores. By turning over, you release pressure on the
areas on which you have been lying. Massaging the pressured areas encourages more blood to
flow into the tissue. If massage is done frequently, it will prevent skin breakdown. The
buttocks, tail bone (coccyx), wings of the shoulder blades (scapulae), hips, heels, elbows and
bumps (malleoli) around the ankles are susceptible spots for pressure sores.
When is massage therapy for cancer patients not recommended and when is it useful?
-- Anonymous
Today's Answer
(Published 08/03/2001 from Drweil.com)
My medical partner Brian Becker, a physician and massage therapist, tells me that he's
frequently asked whether massage might spread cancer by stimulating the circulatory system
and lymphatic systems. He usually has no reservations about recommending massage for
cancer patients and makes the point that doctors routinely recommend walking and exercise
to cancer patients, activities that influence those two systems in much the same way as
massage. So does a hot shower and sexual activity, neither of which is off-limits for the vast
majority of cancer patients. If you're new to massage, Dr. Becker recommends Swedish
massage or light shiatsu. Newcomers should probably avoid deep tissue work such as Rolfing,
which can be uncomfortable and could further stress the immune system, certainly not the
effect you would want during cancer treatment,
However, Dr. Becker notes there always will be special circumstances and individual
personalities that might make massage inappropriate. But these considerations rarely have to
do with the disease. You should, however, draw the therapist's attention to any area of your
body that may be sensitive -for example, if you've been having radiation treatments or have
recently had surgery.
You may be interested to know that the American Cancer Society considers massage "one of
the most supportive and helpful complementary therapies available" to patients and views it as
helpful both physically and emotionally because "it soothes the soul and the mind." Beyond
that, researchers at the Touch Research Institutes (TRI) at the University of Miami have found
that massage therapy reduced anxiety and stress hormones, elevated mood, improved the
quality of life, and enhanced immune function in breast cancer patients. Another TRI study
showed that massage therapy reduced the level of pain perception by an average of 60
percent and reduced anxiety among 9 hospitalized men experiencing cancer-related pain. And
a TRI study of children with leukemia found that daily massage therapy decreased distress
behavior during medical procedures and enhanced immune function.
No one suggests - or should suggest - that massage therapy can cure or halt cancer, but it
can help relieve some symptoms and some of the side effects of treatment, ease tension and
stress, as well as improve the quality of life and sense of well-being. Dr. Becker makes the
point that while massage therapy can't treat the disease - the physiological changes underlying
cancer - it can address the illness - the way patients actually feel.
Although different types of massage therapy are often contraindicated for cancer,
knowledgeable, skilled touch is in some form rarely contraindicated. One of the most soothing
treatments for a bedridden person is massage. In Europe and elsewhere, it is used frequently
to promote relaxation, decrease pain and speed healing. It may also help reduce or eliminate
the need for certain medications.
Massage therapy can help prevent bedsores. By turning over, you release pressure on the
areas on which you have been lying. Massaging the pressured areas encourages more blood to
flow into the tissue. If massage is done frequently, it will prevent skin breakdown. The
buttocks, tail bone (coccyx), wings of the shoulder blades (scapulae), hips, heels, elbows and
bumps (malleoli) around the ankles are susceptible spots for pressure sores.
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