Special Section
 

In the last few years, more and more research has been conducted in the specialized field of practicing massage therapy on patients suffering from cancer. Many old taboos on this subject, which basically discouraged the practice of massage therapy on people fighting this disease, have been revised if not broken.
 
While great care still must be taken when working on cancer patients, massage therapists, if properly trained, now have the opportunity to enhance the quality of life of their patients through massage.
 
In this special section, we have included articles from some of the leading experts in the field. Many of them have written books on this subject, and were kind enough to lend us their expertise.
 
To do justice to all of the great articles that we received, we were forced to divide this section into two parts. The first part appears in this issue. The second part will appear in our Winter 2001 issue, which will be published later this fall.
 
In the pages that follow, you will find the following articles:

Massage Therapy For 
              
          CANCER Patients

 

  • Clinical Thinking And Cancer By Tracy Walton (page 66). Walton, who provides advanced instruction for massage therapists who work with people with cancer, is based in Boston. Her story provides an excellent overview of all the factors a massage therapist must consider. 
     

  • Could Massage Therapy Promote Cancer Metastasis? By Debra Curties (page 83).
    This contributor has spent years researching this subject, and is the author of the books Massage Therapy & Cancer and Breast Massage.
     

  • Mastectomy Massage By Cheryl Chapman and Eileen Kennedy (page 90). 
    The two authors share a private practice in Springfield, New Jersey, and specialize in touch, bodywork and massage for women with breast cancer. They often give seminars nationwide on this subject. 
     

  • Massage Makes Its Mark At Sloan-Kettering Hospital By Michael L. Schwanz (page 100)
    Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center developed a new Integrative Medicine Center last year, in which massage therapy is one of the key methods of treatment for cancer patients. This article profiles how this unique program works.
     

  • Cancer vs. HIV/AIDS: A Comparative Overview By Cheryl Chapman (page 107)
    This quick primer clarifies many misconceptions about these diseases.

It's our sincere hope that these articles will give our readers a fairly thorough overview of the factors that must be considered when they have a cancer patient on their table. -The Editors

 

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