Comfort and Reassurance Received Through Touch is One of Our Most Basic Needs
Massage therapy usage in hospitals is on the rise.
In this country, massage was commonly used by nurses until the 1960s and 1970s
to help ease patients' pain and help them sleep. But the advent of powerful
prescription pain medications in recent decades has diminished the use of
massage in medical settings until fairly recently. The number of hospitals offering massage therapy has
increased by 30 percent in two years (from 2004 to 2006).
The massage programs offer patientsa "complementary" way to cope with disease symptoms and side effects of
medical treatment.Patients undergo a multitude of invasive procedures and
treatments. The caring touch of therapeutic massage can reduce a patient's pain,
stress, tension, nausea, anxiety, anger and depression during treatment for the
disease. It can result in improved functions such as sleep patterns,
respiration, circulation and digestion also it can provide relaxation, improve
mood and sense of well-being. Studies have also shown that massage boosts the
immune system.
Here at Clinical Therapeutic Massage
we offer some of the same safe and effective massage therapy that is used by
massage therapist in hospital's. It is gentle work that supports, nourishes and
strengthens the immune system and bodily organs. Sessions may include gentle
touch, massage, acupressure, reflexology, myofascial release or lymphatic
drainage. These techniques are used separately or in combination to formulate
each individual's specific needs to improve the quality of
life.
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".
In spite of great
strides in the treatment of cancer in recent years, people who have the disease
often suffer pain, anxiety and nausea caused as much by the treatments as the
cancer itself. Hospitals are now employing a variety of unconventional therapies
to help cancer patients and one of the most popular and effective is
massage...Voice of America News Houston - 15 February
2005 M.D. Anderson, which is recognized
around the world for its advanced cancer treatments, introduced massage and
other non-standard therapies partly because research had shown their
effectiveness. But M.D. Anderson Wellness Center administrator Laura
Baynham-Fletcher says it was also in response to patient
demand.
For people with cancer, comfort oriented massage or touch
is available regardless of the severity of their condition, with in- and out-
patients receiving treatment for cancer. Massage can be given before, during,
or after chemotherapy, radiation, diagnostic procedures, pre- and post-surgery
and during bone marrow transplantation but must have a doctor's order for the
service when calling to schedule an appointment. The goal of treatment is to
reduce the side effects of treatment and assist the client in the
transformational journey of healing and wholeness.
Lymphedema
can be a serious complication of surgical intervention, chemotherapy, or
radiation. When lymph nodes are removed or compromised, a
condition can develop known as Lymphedema. It is an accumulation of lymph in the soft tissue
that occurs because the lymphatic pathways and nodes are not functioning the way
that they should. Manual lymph drainage or MLD is the technique performed, by
certified practitioners, to help prevent or reduce lymphedema. With proper
education and care, lymphedema can be avoided or managed appropriately with
manual lymph drainage.
Massage will not spread cancer by stimulating the
circulatory and lymphatic systems. Walking and exercise influence the
circulatory and lymphatic systems in much the same way as massage and both are
highly recommended. Note however, that deep tissue work be avoided, it may be
uncomfortable and may further stress the immune system.
It is important for patients to see a
qualified massage therapist who has been trained in clinical massage for cancer
patients, as well as manual lymph drainage. The incidence of lymphedema is
fairly significant.
Massage therapy cannot cure or halt
cancer, but it can definitely help relieve some symptoms and some side effects
of treatment, ease tension and stress, as well as improve the quality of life
and sense of well-being. It is recommend that cancer patients have a thorough
discussion with their physicians regarding the therapeutic value of massage as a
complimentary therapy to their cancer treatment.
Radiation, Chemotherapy, Oncology Inpatient &
Outpatient Treatment must have a doctor's order for the service when calling to
schedule an appointment.
An Article from the American
Cancer Society www.cancer.org
Parents of Young Cancer Patients Seek Non-Traditional
Therapies to Complement Medical Treatment
Article date: 2001/11/07
Children with cancer and their parents commonly reach
beyond the boundaries of conventional medicine to add "alternative" therapies,
such as dietary supplements, massage, spiritual healing, chiropractic, and
meditation, according to a study conducted in the state of Washington. The study
appears in the journal Preventive Medicine, (Vol. 33:
347-354).
Although these therapies are often called "alternative,"
none of the 75 families interviewed used them as a substitute for standard
medical care, but rather as a "complementary" way to cope with disease symptoms
and side effects of medical treatment, according to the study.
Although "alternative" is often used to refer to
anything outside the realm of conventional medicine, the American Cancer Society
(ACS) uses the term to mean therapy sought instead of standard medical
treatment. Treatments sought to go along with medical care are considered
"complementary."
Reasons for Using Complementary and Alternative
Methods
Alternative providers (such as chiropractors, massage
therapists, and naturopathic doctors) and mental/spiritual therapies were used
most often with the intention of relieving side effects or symptoms. Maintaining
general good health was the primary motivation for using dietary supplements and
physical activity.
Doctors Offered
Referrals
And in some cases, the families were even referred to the alternative
providers through their treating physicians, says lead author Marian L.
Neuhouser, PhD, RD, senior staff scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in Seattle.
"Providers can be good sources of information or referral for effective
complementary and alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, massage therapy,
play therapy, or art therapy," Neuhouser tells ACS News Today. "And in
many cases, if the physician does the referring there can be some third-party
reimbursement for services."
Neuhouser recommends patient's families check with their health plans on
whether and how such services are covered. In Washington, where the families in
the study live, legislation passed in 1995 requires insurers to provide coverage
for services from licensed alternative providers such as acupuncturists,
naturopathic doctors, and massage therapists, according to the study.