Massage Increases Immune Cells and Reduces Anxiety in Breast Cancer Patients

Massage therapy has been shown to have numerous beneficial effects on people suffering from cancer. From alleviating anxiety, pain, anger, and depressed mood, to more definable immune effects, massage therapy is an excellent adjunct care method for those suffering from cancer.

Several studies have demonstrated that individuals suffering from certain types of cancer including breast, lung, and stomach cancer, patients who were given massage therapy had a lower amount of nausea and vomiting following chemotherapy treatments. Additionally, these same patients reported have lowered anxiety, physical discomfort, fatigue, and mood disturbance when tested against a control group that did not receive massage.

Perhaps even more importantly than the outcomes mentioned above are the effects noted on cancer patients with regard to their Natural Killer (NK) cell activity. In two separate studies, one reported in Autonomic Neuroscience, and another reported in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, (see references at the end of the article), massage therapy had a positive effect on Natural Killer cell activity.

Natural Killer cell activity can often deteriorate during radiation and chemotherapy, which has a negative effect on the body’s own ability to fight off infection. Oftentimes, people being treated with radiation and chemo will contract secondary infections in addition to the cancer, further complicating their medical treatment.

In the study reported in Autonomic Neuroscience in 2009, “massage decreased the deterioration of natural killer cell activity occurring during radiation therapy…” Since radiation therapy is so damaging to the body’s immunity, the fact that massage therapy can help to counter that negative effect is very important news for those undergoing this type of treatment.

In the study reported in Journal of Psychosomatic Research, a group of women with Stage 1 or 2 breast cancer were treated with massage or a control group receiving no massage therapy. At the end of the study, a subset of the women had their blood drawn to measure their immune system. The women had increased Natural Killer cell activity versus the control group after the massage intervention. Since cancer is a disease that has negative effects on overall immunity, and the treatments provided also decrease immunity while they are active, massage therapy shows promise as an adjunct treatment to help with these specific issues.

In conclusion, it appears from these and other studies published in the scientific literature that most cancer patients, whether in active treatment or just diagnosed with cancer, can benefit from massage therapy. To view more studies about massage therapy with regard to various conditions, please visit our studies page by clicking here. For information on booking a massage therapy appointment, or for our long term massage care packages for your loved one, please visit our website by clicking here.

References:

The effect of massage on immune function and stress in women with breast cancer--a randomized controlled trial; Billhult A, Lindholm C, Gunnarsson R, Stener-Victorin E. Auton Neurosci. 2009 Oct 5;150(1-2)


Breast cancer patients have improved immune and neuroendocrine functions following massage therapy; Hernandez-Reif M, Ironson G, Field T, Hurley J, Katz G, Diego M, Weiss S, Fletcher MA, Schanberg S, Kuhn C, Burman I. J Psychosom Res. 2004 Jul;57(1):45-52.

Massage Therapy for Post Surgical Recovery

Massage therapy has been shown to have some benefits to patients going in for surgery, as well as for those patients recovering from surgeries. Massage has shown promise for use as an adjunctive therapy for the surgical floor of hospitals and outpatient medical centers.

A study published in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery demonstrated a benefit to patients who received a hand massage before going in for a cataract surgery procedure. Patients who received the massage had reduced levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, where the control group had increased levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. The study concluded that hand massage before cataract surgery decreased psychological and physiological anxiety levels.

Another study published in Lik Sprava, a Ukrainian publication, in 2002, demonstrated that neck massage on patients who had undergone thyroid surgery had a beneficial effect on their recovery. In 85% of patients, the skin tone of the surgical area improved, the cutaneous and muscle tone of the surgical area was improved, and 48% of patients in the study had reduced edema and swelling of the tissues involved in the surgical procedure. The patients were also able to reduce their doses of hormone medications.

Many people today are having many different types of surgeries. The medical technology is increasing at an ever faster rate, so that many new procedures are being devised every day. From simple cataract surgery to correct vision problems, to major spinal and open heart surgeries, many people are in need of help with their post surgical recovery. Considering the studies above would lead one to believe that massage therapy can help with post surgical recovery for many different types of surgery. This would be a correct assumption, since massage has been shown to have numerous beneficial effects on those who are healthy, as well as on those who are suffering from various conditions or who have had surgery.

If you are interested in learning more about mobile massage therapy, please visit our website by clicking here. If you would like to view our studies pate, with links to many studies on a variety of health conditions that can benefit from massage therapy, please click here.

Please see the studies page, and click on "Massage For Surgery" to view the studies referenced in this article.