- Massage Therapy - when it is needed?
- Contraindications
- Effectiveness
- For cancer patients
Massage Therapy for Cancer Patients
For people with cancer therapeutic massage may be an additional type of therapy that helps improve overall health. In particular, the massage helps to cope with stress
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and anxiety
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, Ease headaches and other pain, improve sleep
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.
How is the massage
Before the start of the session the therapist will ask you a general question about health, lifestyle and medical history. If he has any doubt that you do not massage is contraindicated, it may ask the contact details of your doctor. This is normal practice as a masseur lays the responsibility for the health of the client. For its part, you have to pre-talk to your doctor about whether you can do massage, and whether it will help accelerate the growth of the tumor.
If you choose a shiatsu massage, during the session, you will lie on a soft mat on the floor; This type of massage do when the client is fully clothed. Most other types of massage do when a customer is on a special couch; previously you will need to take off everything except underwear. Then, the therapist will cover your body sheet or large towel, leaving open only the part of the body, he would massage right now. As a rule, if you do a full body massage, the first half of the procedure you lie on your stomach, the second - on the back.
Typically massage lasts one hour, but the duration may be different, depending on the technique used. The strength of the pressure at which the masseur, also depends on the type of massage, but in any case, if you feel uncomfortable, immediately report it to the masseur.
Massage therapy and cancer: research results
Numerous studies indicate that massage helps ease the symptoms that accompany cancer, such as pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, stress, fatigue.
Participating in the study of women with breast cancer who are regularly massaged, less than the others suffered from physical discomfort and mood swings. It has been found that the therapeutic massage can even improve the condition of patients with metastatic cancer - it reduces anxiety, and to some extent reduces pain.
Side effects
Most people, including cancer patients, massage not cause any side effects. However, some people after a massage feel dizzy, tired and thirsty. Masseur should not rush you after the session - you should leave the room when you feel well enough. After the massage, it is recommended to drink plenty of water - not only to cope with thirst, but also to stimulate the removal of toxins that are released from the body tissues.
Contraindications
People who have cancer are broken apart, heart disease or arthritis
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, Massage therapy may be contraindicated. Cancer patients is not recommended to do a deep tissue massage - safe for them more forgiving massages.
Some people fear that due to the stimulation of soft tissue cancer cells start to migrate to other parts of the body. While no study has proved that this is possible.
If you're going through radiation therapy, remember that it is impossible to massage areas of the body that are affected by the radiation treatment.
Galina Romanenko