MASSAGE THERAPY



Is massage a complementary therapy or can it be used as an integral part in the treatment of illness and disease?



Is massage a complementary therapy or can it be used as an integral part in the treatment of illness and disease?

Answer

Massage is a complementary therapy but it can also be used as an integral part in the treatment of illness and diseases like cancer etc.

Definition

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), as defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices,1 and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.

Introduction

A larger study of CAM use in patients with different types of cancer was published in the July 2000 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. This study found that 69 percent of 453 cancer patients had used at least one CAM therapy as part of their cancer treatment. Additional information about CAM use among cancer patients can be found in a review article published in Seminars in Oncology in December 2002.

Acupuncture to reduce the symptoms of advanced colorectal cancer2

Integral medicine

integrative medicine "combines mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness." In other words, integrative medicine "cherry picks" the very best, scientifically validated therapies from both conventional and CAM systems. In his New York Times review of Dr. Weil's latest book, "Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being," Abraham Verghese, M.D., summed up this orientation well, stating that Dr. Weil, "doesn't seem wedded to a particular dogma, Western or Eastern, only to the get-the-patient-better philosophy."3

Integrative medicine is healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative.

The principles of integrative medicine:

A partnership between patient and practitioner in the healing process

Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body's innate healing response

Consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness and disease, including mind, spirit and community as well as body

A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically

Recognition that good medicine should be based in good science, be inquiry driven, and be open to new paradigms

Use of natural, effective, less-invasive interventions whenever possible

Use of the broader concepts of promotion of health and the prevention of illness as well as the treatment of disease

Training of practitioners to be models of health and healing, committed to the process of self-exploration and self-development1

Complementary Medicine

Complementary medicine is the term used here to describe additional forms of treatment that may be given along with chemotherapy and traditional Western medicine.

In the past, complementary medicine has claimed various types of "miracle" cures for cancer, which have since proved ineffective or even fraudulent. The integration of conventional and complementary medicine therapies however, is of increasing interest.This approach is being adopted at leading cancer treatment centers and hospices and ...