With the staggering statistics of cancer in this country growing every day, it is becoming increasingly apparent that massage therapists must know how to work safely and effectively with clients who have this often devastating disease. Oncology, or cancer massage, had its beginnings 15 years ago, but it has only been within the last five to seven years that research in this field has found its way into both medical journals and in front of the medical community at large.
My personal journey into this specialized area of massage began with a call to my business for an appointment that I would later recognize as a major turning point in my life's work. The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Ladislav Cerny, a 73-year-old retired professor from Minnesota.
He was in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the treatment of multiple myeloma,
a progressively painful form of bone marrow cancer. Just prior to his call, he had completed the first of two bone marrow transplants. His oncology doctor had suggested that massage therapy be a part of Mr. Cerny's treatment, so there was an inquiry as to a local massage therapist, and I was recommended.
In addition to his doctor's recommendation, Mr. Cerny also believed that massage therapy was beneficial. Such a belief helped set the stage for working effectively with this client, as I believe special populations need to receive both compassionate and attentive touch. I was also faced with the reality of the current thinking regarding cancer patients. As recently as 2000 it was still an accepted practice for massage therapy schools to teach that massage should not be provided to cancer patients for fear of metastasizing, or spreading, the disease.
However, my heart told me something different. I had a deep "knowing" that massage therapy could be part of the standard medical course of treatment for cancer patients and other special needs populations. Even though I had some nagging reservations, I agreed to meet with Mr. Cerny. At the end of our conversation, he took my hands in his and said to me, "I trust your hands."
At that moment, a friendship began to take root as we both embarked on a journey of teaching, learning, and healing, that affected both of us, as well as the direction of my work as a massage therapist.
Around the time I met Ladislav, I had read an article in the fall, 2000 issue of Massage Journal regarding a breakthrough at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York to do with the use of massage therapy to treat cancer patients. The hospital also offered a class entitled "Medical Massage for People with Cancer" that inspired me to attend the course.
Taking this course offered me the missing link between the medical community's previously documented research and the benefits of massage therapy for people with cancer. It was as if a door had opened, widening the circle of those who could benefit from touch therapy, and I willingly stepped through.
One of the many lessons I witnessed during the time I worked with Ladislav was how cancer invades a person's life and being, and how this negative influence extends to family and friends. The diagnosis of cancer seems to suspend normal life and engulfs a person's mind, body and spirit. It sends one on an emotional roller coaster, as the body is subjected to countless treatments, manipulations, and medicines. Such treatment often results in an isolation that can lead to depression and lack of connection with even one's own body. Massage is an avenue that allows for the return of ownership of the patient's body to him or herself.
I worked with Ladislav through the times that he had mobility, to wheelchair usage, and finally, his confinement to bed. Because of his ever-changing health needs, each session had to be designed to meet his situation at the time. As Ladislav was acutely aware of the changes his body was undergoing, he was able to effectively communicate how his body was responding, and specifically as to how the massage was benefitting him.
He said that the treatments were allowing him to sleep more peacefully, lessening his use of narcotics, and even reducing his pain levels. In addition, the sessions were offering him hope and an improved quality of life.
In fact, the experiences he shared with me coincided with the research of Gayle McDonald. In her book, Medicine Hands: Massage Therapy for People with Cancer, she documents 30 potential benefits of massage therapy for cancer patients. Ladislav's experiences were further confirmation for me of the need and benefits of massage for patients suffering with this condition. His case further fueled my desire to both know more on this topic, as well as to offer more to my clients.
On a personal level, Ladislav said that massage offered him the opportunity to enter a sacred space away from the pain and the institutionalized atmosphere of the hospital. Indeed, from that first phone call until his death in 2002, I was able to glean much from the depths of his personal and professional knowledge. He affirmed that a patient needs to be touched to help reconnect body, mind and spirit.
The lessons I learned during those two years are a part of what my associates and I attempt to offer on a daily basis. As I continue to meet and work with people with cancer, this truth from Irene Smith rings true for me. "Touch was never meant to be a luxury. It is a basic human need...an action that validates life itself."
Naomi Hall and her associates are recognized for their extensive training in oncology massage. In addition, her business is connected with the University of Arkansas Medical Science Medical Center (UAMS), and with Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute (CARTI). They work with patients both within and outside of the hospital setting, providing general wellness and special needs massage. You can learn more by calling TouchPointe Centre at (501) 660-4220 or email touchpointe@sbcglobal.net.
Naomi Hall, MTI, of
Little Rock, AR http://amtamassage.org/findamassage/profile.aspx?id=100345.
