Read time: 3 minutes
作者: 本·史密斯，LMT
Recently published guidelines for pain management highlight the benefits of acupuncture, massage therapy, and music therapy. All three treatments reduce pain related to cancer and its treatment. In this second installment of a three-part series, we look at the benefits of massage therapy.
What is massage therapy?
按摩疗法 uses touch to help relax muscles. For centuries, it has been a healing therapy in many cultures around the world. 按摩 can lower 压力 and help you feel calmer. It affects the body as a whole, especially the muscles, 骨头, 和流通, as well as the lymphatic and nervous systems.
按摩疗法 uses therapeutic touch and hands-on techniques to alleviate a wide range of symptoms. Huntsman Cancer Institute offers outpatient therapy in the 健康 and Integrative Health Center, inpatient therapy in the bone marrow transplant unit and ICU, 和工作人员 can be treated in clinical areas to promote employee wellness.
What are the benefits of massage therapy?
按摩 can help reduce 压力, anxiety, and pain in people with cancer. For many people, massage brings a temporary feeling of well-being. 按摩 helps relax muscles and can also relieve pain and stiffness, increase mobility, help injured muscles, and reduce the pain of headaches and backaches.
“The impacts of pain are not only physiological, 但是社会, and deeply embedded in what it means to be human,” says Ben Smith, licensed massage therapist and massage program coordinator. “Treating pain using massage therapy is rewarding because we get to help people come back into connection with their body and the activities they value. There is so much satisfaction in hearing from a patient that they were able to spend more time playing with their grandkids, or going for a walk outside, or being able to enjoy a beloved hobby.”
How can the 健康 and Integrative Health Center help?
按摩疗法 has been a part of Huntsman Cancer Institute’s treatment since 2014, when it was brought by patient request to the 健康 and Integrative Health Center.
从那时起, the program has grown to provide over 5,000 massages each year and cares for patients, 护理人员, 和工作人员. Here are some of the treatment options provided by the massage therapists.
- Oncology massage: individual massage plans for people with cancer
- Lymphatic massage: very light, brushing touches on the skin to help drain lymphedema
- Swedish massage: kneading and rubbing touch for relaxation, easier movement, and better circulation
- Reflexology: pressure on specific areas of feet, hands, or ears to ease many kinds of symptoms
- Craniosacral therapy: light touch to skull, 脊柱, 和骨盆, to release tension and improve movement
- Guided visualization and meditation massage: massage in which the therapist gives cues to create a mental state that can help reduce pain, 压力, 和焦虑
- Energy-based therapies: fully-clothed light-touch hand movements to promote healing
All massage therapists are licensed by the state of Utah.
Huntsman Cancer Institute has been a leader in integrative approaches to pain management and offers treatments at lower costs to patients, 幸存者, 和照顾者. The 健康 and Integrative Health Center offers outpatient acupuncture and massage therapy treatments from highly-trained providers.
Shelley White, PhD, manages the 健康 and Integrative Health Center. “I love it when patients tell me, ‘my doctor told me my engagement in the wellness center services during my treatment will help me get through my cancer treatment.’ Provider referrals at the onset of a new diagnosis are a testament to how forward-thinking and truly integrative Huntsman Cancer Institute really is.”
To make an appointment for acupuncture, call the 健康 and Integrative Health Center at 801-587-4585.