As a massage therapist it’s a rare instance that I turn someone away from my table. Like most in the medical professions I would like to help everyone who comes to me as much as I can. There are, however, a few conditions that absolutely contraindicate massage, blood clots for one. And there are some, like cancer, that hover in a gray area of concern and doubt.
During any discussion of massage and cancer it is important to dispel two myths. First, it has long been thought that massage can aid in spreading cancer through the lymphatic system. Current research shows that this is not true. Exercise increases circulation as much if not more than massage and does not aid in metastasis. Second, and more importantly, no matter what anyone tells you massage is not a substitute for conventional treatment. Early detection and treatment are paramount. Any treatment advised by your doctor should be acted on as quickly as possible.
Having said this, what can massage do for the cancer patient? As shown by Doctor Tiffany Fields at the Touch Institute in Florida, massage does have a beneficial effect on the human immune system; it aides in the clients general well being and may help in the bodies ability to heal itself. In the same vein, massage can help to sooth the anxieties and tensions facing a serious illness may cause.
While working with cancer patients it is crucial that the clients doctor be consulted before any treatment begins. there are several complications (edema, increased risk of fracture) that need to be addressed, and only a physician should give the final go ahead for treatment.
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