7th
Can a Massage Chair Help People with Cancer?
A cancer diagnosis may be seem like the end of the world to some people, but it doesn’t have to be! Being told that someone in your family or a dear friend has cancer can also be very devastating. A cancer diagnosis is often followed by surprise and sometimes even outrage. Many people can go from feelings of optimism to doubt and depression within a single day, often a single hour.
Unfortunately, even with all of the books and websites about supporting someone with cancer, loved ones often report that they “just don’t know how to act” around the patient. When, most of the time, the patient just wishes people would stop “acting” and just be themselves in order to bring the patient some feeling of normalcy. A cancer patient may crave the physical closeness of a hug or a backrub, but their friends and families act they they’re scared of “catching” cancer (which, of course, is impossible). A massage chair can give cancer patients a relaxing, comforting massage, all the in privacy of their own home.
Massage can provide cancer patients with a reduction of some of their symptoms, (often including pain), an improvement in their capacity for coping, and an overall better quality of life. Recent research shows that massage therapy, (like that available in a home massage chair), can help reduce pain and anxiety. The connection between the body and the mind is strong. When a person’s state of mind improves, it is better able to cope with what is going on in the body.
Many massage chairs have Shiatsu, Accupressure, and other eastern massage techniques. These forms of massage help to open up the energy channels of the body by focusing on specific tissues and points. Myofascial tissues are often referred to as “meridians” and are the routes energy follows when traveling all the way through the body. Using a massage chair to stimulate the healthy flow of energy throughout the body can help decrease patients levels of pain and increase their relaxation.
The frequent and drastic mood swings many cancer patients experience can be hard to handle for both the patient themselves and their loved ones. An in-home massage chair can help provide a much needed retreat from the whirlwind.
All cancer patients should consult their oncologist before starting massage or other alternative therapies. After gaining the approval from their doctor, they will still need to be on the look-out for these specific situations:
Blood or bruising disorders, low platelet levels, skin irritation, and some medicines associated with the treatment of cancer. For all of the above situations, a cancer patient may decide to postpone or stop their massage therapy until they change medications or the above symptoms and conditions are no longer an issue. If they chose to continue using their massage chair, they may want to consider changing the settings of their chair to better accommodate their situation.
The previous belief that massage can cause cancer to migrate to other parts of the body is unproven, but a cancer patient may want to avoid any direct pressure on the area(s) where the cancer exists.
