Touch is a basic need. Ill patients deserve it, they are actually who would truly deserve. Many changes can be expected in this point of view, dogmatic contraindications will be reconsidered and start to become relative due to the activity of committed pioneering professionals. In the USA, oncology massage is practiced for about 15 years and since 2008, continuing education courses are available as well.
The aim of oncology massage is not to cure, but the alleviation of the symptoms of side effects of the treatments, moving in the ranges of light touches to massage in the classical sense. Thanks to this, the patient can receive higher doses of medicines, if it were not possible due to the adverse effects, moreover, anxieties related to the illness or the treatments will be reduced, while self-confidence returns.
Surgical interventions, radiotherapies, chemotherapy and other medical treatments may cause multiple skin problems: dry skin, rashes, hypersensitivity, poor wound healing, mycotic or bacterial infections in the body folds. Connective tissue network of the subcutis skin layer is an important nutrient and energy storage area, hence tuning-in of the normal skin function is - or would be - extremely important following a surgical intervention.
The dogma prevailing today is that even a massage promoting well-being should not be given to a patient after a serious surgical intervention, not to mention the currently absolutely contraindicated group of cancer and tumor patients. In 2012, a study was performed at the Mayo Clinic (USA), wherein patients who underwent mastectomy (breast removing) due to breast cancer were treated with massage. In a 3 months’ period, every mastectomy patients were offered massage as a paid service already at the day after surgery.
72 percent of the patients requested massage of the hands, legs or the neck - shoulder girdle area. Based on the study, medical massage performed with the appropriate modifications on oncology patients has remarkable amount of advantages: it alleviates pain, provides immense self-confidence and love towards the patient; the touch brings back to the Earth, and the feeling and sensing of one’s own body returns with pleasant, calming experiences.
It creates communication and relationships, improves sleeping and respiration, helps regain the pleasure of moving and put the surgical area into the perception of the patient's body image. Through a body function aliged to calmness, also called parasymphatetic state, the digestive system works more effective which reduces the feeling of nausea, facilitates absorption of the nutrients required for recovery and it is even able to stop diarrhea. It is important to stress that the therapist shall be professionally skilled in oncology massage therapies.
There are extremely interesting processes going on in our body. Daily generation of tumor cells in our body can only be estimated. From the 30 million new cells produced daily, many tens of thousands and even up one million, according to some are tumorous, which are destroyed by our immune system. Sometimes this is unsuccessful and they want to be immortal and proliferate - for either mental, lifestyle, or genetical reasons. But the reason is other than the massage, the formation of metastases has biochemical and genetic backgrounds and this is taught in the USA for a long time.
By the way, if you came across a henna-dyed girl at the street, take it easy. It is almost certain that she is not a skinhead nor dangerous, so you can safely remain at the same side of the street! She only became a bit hairless and feels better this way, and so her recovery might also be faster.
