Therapeutic Massage Can Provide Some Peace For Cancer Patients

Cancer Centers Embrace Massage Therapy as a Complementary Treatment

In this sense, massage is not used as a treatment for cancer, per se — such as chemotherapy or surgery would be — but as a method of helping with the symptoms of cancer and the side effects of treatment.

In a recently published article entitled, “Therapeutic Massage Helps Cancer Patients Escape Troubles,” author and reporter, Darla Carter, writes of her account with cancer patient, Catherine Koetter:

“The massages ‘help a lot because when you’re going through chemo and radiation your body is just feeling so crappy,’ said Koetter, who's had colon, cervical, tonsil and breast cancer. ‘Whenever they give you that massage, it just feels so good and it relaxes your muscles and your mind.’”

Various Massage Techniques Offer Diverse Options

Some forms of massage therapy used in people with cancer include Swedish massage, aromatherapy massage, and deep tissue massage.

“Much of the scientific research on massage is preliminary or conflicting, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes. But ‘numerous research reviews and clinical studies have suggested that at least for the short term, massage therapy for cancer patients may reduce pain, promote relaxation and boost mood,’” Carter writes.