The benefit of massage cannot always be measured precisely, though patients can feel a deep sense of well being and the sensation of being cared for. When your body is fighting against disease, stress, and trauma, your quality of life can greatly suffer. The battle with cancer can be extremely daunting. Cancer patients endure the difficulty and uncertainty of treatment and recovery. The treatments for cancer is also known to increase pain and discomfort, which leads to the greater need for more medication. Due to the nature of the disease, some patients are thought to be too fragile for massage therapy. However massage therapy can be beneficial to all patients at any stage of the diagnosis. A responsible massage therapist such as Marsha Eisen of Body N Balance will be aware and take into account each patients specific conditions and treatments.

 

Some massage therapy benefits for cancer patients:

 

–  Relieves insomnia, nausea, and depression, which decreases the need for additional medication

 

–  Provide a sense of calm and wellbeing, which can improve outlook and keep spirits up

 

–  Ease the effects of cancer pain, reducing the need for added pain medication

 

–  Reduce the non-cancer related pains such as headache, backache, and arthritis

 

–  Stimulates the nerve endings in the skin, releases endorphins and inhibits stress hormones

 

–  Relieve stiffness, increase mobility, rehabilitate injured muscles, and break up scar tissue from surgery and other treatment

 

–  Improved immune function and increase NK cell number (natural killer cells)

 

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