In the post that follows, Patti Corscaden, LMT, a licensed massage therapist, shares information on massage therapy for breast cancer patients.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event.
Anyone who has received that diagnosis understands on a very deep level that cancer does not discriminate. Male or female, infant, child, teenager, young adult, parent, gay or heterosexual, cancer pays no attention. The cancerous cells find a host site in the human body and start to grow. For some cancer patients, the cancer stays localized to one area. Sometimes it spreads, or metastasizes.
Most times the cancer is treatable with surgery or chemotherapy or radiation or complimentary therapies. Sometimes the cancer does not respond to treatments. Sometimes the cancer is too much for the body to handle. This cancer affects not only the patient, but family members and friends, colleagues and communities. Hope is lost. Hope is found. Joy, sorrow, anger and confusion are all part of the cancer diagnosis. This might be the beginning of a journey to new experiences in life, new opportunities and perhaps some very large challenges.
A woman who is diagnosed with breast cancer has many options for treatment that may include surgery ( biopsy, lumpectomy, single or double mastectomy), chemotherapy, radiation, reconstructive surgery and/or combinations of all of these.
Some women decide not to have chemotherapy or radiation. The choices for treatment are individual and vary for each and every woman.
Many women, as a result of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, develop lymphedema or become at risk for developing this condition. If a woman has received massage therapy or would like to start receiving massage therapy, important modifications may need to be made. A woman who had surgery, lymph nodes removed and radiation therapy is greater risk for developing lymphedema. This risk continues for years after the treatments end. Ask your massage therapist if she/he has received specific training in oncology massage, and if so, how many hours was the training she/he took. More and more massage therapists are being trained in oncology massage classes that are approved through the Society for Oncology Massage (S4OM).
Oncology Massage (OM) is a highly specialized and is the adaptation of massage techniques to safely nurture the body of someone affected by cancer or its treatments. Many of the body’s responses to cancer and cancer treatment require changes to massage therapy. Massage therapy is beneficial for cancer patients for a number and variety of reasons. Massage can lower anxiety and pain levels. It can decrease nauseousness during chemotherapy. Massage can increase feelings of well-being. Massage is an adjunct therapy that can be integrated into other conventional and complimentary therapies.
The role of massage therapy for anyone diagnosed with breast cancer can be a means to heal from the effects of treatment.
A session of massage becomes a port in the storm. A time for nurturing. A time of respite from treatment, test results, from well-meaning family and friends. Down time. The chance to receive healing and and be nurtured. This can be a time of letting go to receiving healing on very deep and profound levels. Sometimes it is difficult to let in that healing. It can be a time to unlearn old patterns of belief about one’s body and gain new perspective about the changes that have and are taking place in the post diagnosis world.
For more information about The Society for Oncology Massage go to: www.s4om.org
About the Author: Patti Corscaden, LMT, is a Maine Licensed Massage Therapist who has been in private practice since 1994. She has over 150 hours of training in oncology massage theory and clinical applications. Patti is a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for Oncology Massage, and a Preferred Provider with this organization. Patti is a faculty member and graduate of the Downeast School of Massage in Waldoboro, ME. She is one of a very few massage therapists in mid-coast Maine who specialize in Oncology Massage, Lymphatic Drainage Therapy, and CranioSacral Therapy. Patti is also a Hospice trained volunteer. She enjoys working with nyone who is facing a health challenge or wants to enhance their overall health and well-being.
Patti Corscaden, LMT
61 Lewis Hill Road
Newcastle, ME 04553
207-563-3056
”Holistic touch that honors and supports the healing wisdom of the body.”
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