Highlands Oncology Group
About Your Visit Clinic Information Clinic Location Contact Us
Home Imaging Massage Patient Assistance Patient Education Physicians
Research Staff The Center for Chest Care Treatment Info
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Highlands Oncology Group About Your Visit Clinic Information Clinic Location Contact Us Home Imaging Massage Patient Assistance Patient Education Physicians Research Staff The Center for Chest Care Treatment Info
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Massage Therapy at Highlands Oncology Clinic |
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Highlands Oncology Group offers low-cost massage services for its patients, their family and informal caregivers, and its staff. Massages are given in the massage room on the second floor of the North Hills Clinic in Fayetteville. Free chairside massages in the chemo room are often available. Each massage is designed for the specific needs of the client, taking into account the patient's requests, condition, symptoms, treatment type and response. Many massage and bodywork modalities are available including Swedish, deep tissue and trigger point, manual lymphatic drainage, acupressure, reflexology, therapeutic touch, quantum touch, and reiki. HOG’s MTs are Linda Treitler, oncology and holistic nurse, master massage therapist, Reiki Master and lymphedema therapist, and Susan Bradley, LMT. Both therapists have had training in the massage of cancer patients. Volunteers and student interns are also in the chemo rooms occasionally. “…Massage has a very unique role to play in healing practices. I think that there is real science there, not just compassion. They are not mutually exclusive…” - David Eisenberg, MD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School |
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“Massage therapy is not contraindicated
in cancer patients;
massaging a tumor is, but there is
a great deal more to a person than
their tumor.”
– Bernie Siegel, MD “Possibly more than any other medical specialty, oncology needs the soothing, caring attention of complementary practices. It is a merger that can greatly enhance patients’ quality of life, as well as their satisfaction with cancer medicine.” - Barrie Cassileth, PhD, IntegrativeTherapies, Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center 
Yes, You Can Have A
Massage!Many cancer patients have heard that they should not receive a massage because it can cause cancer cells to metastasize. This idea was promoted in a textbook published in 1890 called The Art of Massage, and which was used in massage schools for over 80 years. Research about cancer and bodywork over the past 25 years has shown this is not true after all. In fact, research has shown skilled touch to be beneficial at nearly every stage of the cancer patient’s experience – in the outpatient clinic during chemotherapy and radiation, during hospitalization, during recovery at home, during remission and after cure. It is true that some cancer patients might not be candidates for a deep Swedish massage or other intense forms of bodywork due to a weakened condition related to chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or the fatigue of cancer. However, massage techniques can be adapted to the patient’s condition. The benefits of touch therapies can be safely experienced by all cancer patients. Benefits of Massage for the Cancer Patient Research at major cancer centers around the world is showing that various types of bodywork have a positive affect on uncomfortable symptoms related to cancer and its treatment. Some of the symptoms that may be improved are nausea, fatigue, insomnia, edema, pain, anxiousness, and depression. Lymphatic Drainage Manual lymphatic drainage is a massage technique that is useful to improve lymphatic function and decrease edema and lymphedema. Sometimes bandaging of the limb is required for effective treatment and this is available as well as supplies for edema control. Reflexology Reflexology is a bodywork method that consists of deep massage of the feet and/or hands to stimulate “reflex points” that correspond to various structures in the body. Quantum Touch and Reiki Quantum Touch, Therapeutic Touch and Reiki are forms of “energy” therapies. They are based on the theory that our bodies have unseen energy currents that can become blocked. Each of these therapies can “flush the energy system” to remove blockages and allow energy to flow more normally, resulting in relaxation and possibly more balanced functioning and ease in the body and mind. Massage for Caregivers of Cancer Patients When a loved one is going through cancer treatment, the stress experienced by the family of the patient can be profound. Massage can help the spouse or other caregiver to feel better and so be better able to cope with the demands of having a family member who is ill. |
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