Massage and Cancer
Providing Relief from Pain and Discomfort of Cancer Treatment
More research about massage and cancer has been done in recent years. Previously, massage was contraindicated for all forms of cancer without exception. Because massage therapy increases circulation, it was thought that massaging someone with cancer would cause the cancer to spread more quickly.
Cancer is a term given to a variety of diseases that all have one thing in common. They all cause the spread and growth of abnormal cells in the body. If this growth is allowed to continue uncontrolled, it causes death.
Since cancer is really a bunch of different diseases that manifest themselves in a similar way, it is no surprise that cancer can be caused by many things. There are internal causes of cancer, such as:
immune conditions
mutations that occur from metabolism
inherited mutations
hormones
Cancer can also be caused by external causes. These include:
infectious organisms
chemicals
tobacco
radiation
Most cancers caused by external factors can be prevented. Living a healthy lifestyle, staying active and avoiding substances like tobacco and alcohol can help decrease your risk of getting cancer.
Even with the recent medical advances, we still haven't found a cure for cancer. Massage definitely can't cure cancer, but it can help ease the pain and suffering of people with the illness. There have been a few studies on massage and cancer.
In 1999, a study was done at the hospital, which is affiliated with Ohio State University. 52 cancer patients were randomly placed in an experimental group or control group. The study only lasted two days.
On the first day, all of the patients had someone sit with them for 15 minutes with no physical contact. On the second day, the patients in the experimental groups received 15 minute massages while the control group had someone sit with them again for 15 minutes. The patients who received massage a greater drop in pain and anxiety levels than the control group.
In a study done by Janice Post-White in 2003 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and the United Hospital in Saint Paul, 230 people who were receiving chemotherapy for cancer were given various treatments including massage to see how they responded.
In the study, people were given four 45 minute treatments of intervention therapy a week. They were monitored to see what their responses were after the therapy.
At the end of the study, they found that massage therapy and healing touch reduced pain, improved mood and increased relaxation more than just having a caring person present in the room or the usual care control. Both massage and healing touch lowered respiration and heart rate. Only massage lowered anxiety.
In 2008, the results of a study were released in the Annals of Internal Medicine. 340 people with late term cancer were in the study. Half were treated with massage therapy and half were treated by having someone just touch them 3 times on 10 specific places on the body.
People in the massage group showed a greater decrease in pain and anxiety than people in the simple touch group. They also showed a greater improvement in mood. These improvements didn't last longer than 3 weeks though.
While massage can help people with cancer for the short term, it's important to remember that there are still contraindications for massage and cancer. If you have cancer and are considering getting a massage look for a therapist with experience working with cancer patients.
