Oncology massage therapy is an expanding specialty in the profession of skilled touch. As the field of massage therapy expands, therapists are drawn to this soulful, stimulating work for many reasons. Chief among them are the chance to ease the journey of people with cancer, an opportunity for specialization, and a way to distinguish their work from other therapists.

Body Therapy Institute is happy to again sponsor Tracy Walton to present Oncology Massage Therapy: Caring for Clients with Cancer. This 4-day intensive training will be offered Thursday-Sunday, April 16-19. Tracy is one of the nation’s most respected professionals in this important area of research and treatment. Limited space is still available in this workshop, so call BTI at 919-663-3111 to register or use the secure registration form on our website. Here is an article by Tracy that will introduce you to some of the unique aspects and considerations of this work:

Frequently Asked Questions in Oncology Massage
by Tracy Walton © 2012

I receive many questions about this work. First, how is oncology massage unique? How does massage change for people with cancer and cancer histories?

The short answer is that massage is modified to the signs, symptoms and complications of cancer. It is also adjusted to the effects of cancer treatment.  Some of these treatment effects resolve when treatment is complete, but some may linger indefinitely. One essential skill in oncology massage is determining how to work years or even decades after treatment is complete!

This short answer doesn’t capture the range of cancer presentations, or the clinical thinking skills needed, but it provides a starting framework for oncology massage. Good health history questions fill in some details. Although space limits a complete list of intake questions here, resources at the end of this article explain the intake process in more depth. Training in oncology massage is strongly recommended in order work safely and to use interview questions with purpose.

The first question, “Where is the cancer in your body?” points to pressure and joint movement contraindications. By asking “where?” we find out the type of tissue involved, the depth of any mass and its anatomical location. If a solid tumor is superficial enough to be disturbed, the MT is gentle with pressure and movement in the area. If the tumor is deep, say, within a lung or liver, the therapist’s movements may be unlikely to disturb it, but if the function of these organs is impaired, there are likely to be several other significant massage adjustments.

This question, “Where is it?” also includes any metastasis (cancer spread) to adapt to in the session. For example, cancer involving bone can lead to pathologic fracture, similar to osteoporosis. Massage therapists always ask about bone involvement so that we do not injure the bone, either with our pressure or by moving the joints.  Follow-up questions about bone stability are vital. “Bone mets” can make bone extremely fragile, or the bone can be quite stable, despite the mets. The client’s physician advises where and how the bones are most vulnerable, so that a therapist can appropriately adjust movement and pressure.

Another logical question is, “What treatments have you undergone, and how do they affect you?” Cancer medicine is strong medicine; effects of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and other treatments are important massage therapy concerns. There are many massage guidelines, including less pressure if the blood is clotting poorly, predictable rhythms and slower speeds for nausea, or shorter sessions for fever or fatigue. There are even massage contraindications in force years later, adapting to the late effects of cancer treatment. These are often not intuitively obvious to the massage therapist. Issues such as lymphedema risk, organ function impairment due to injury from radiation, bone thinning, and other factors mean that some massage adjustments are lifelong.

Other questions for the oncology massage intake include the client’s activity level and tolerance, whether there are any medical restrictions on their activities, and their blood counts. The activity level and tolerance give us a sense of what the massage tolerance might be. A client exhausted by treatment may require a gentle session. A more robust client might welcome and tolerate a little bit more, but it is vital to start conservatively. If there are medical restrictions on activity, we “mirror that medical concern,” and adjust the massage in kind. Low blood counts might signal low immunity, easy bruising, or low energy from anemia. Corresponding infection control, gentler pressure, or a gentle overall session may be in order.

We also ask clients about medications (many of them taken to control metastasis, increase blood counts, manage symptoms, or prevent cancer recurrence). We modify massage therapy to the effects of medications and the reasons for taking them. We adapt to many side effects such as pain, constipation, nausea, fatigue, or even an increased risk of blood clots. The latter is a particularly important scope of study in oncology massage, because several cancer and cancer treatment factors elevate DVT risk, and blood clots can often be clinically silent. This “hidden contraindication” as well as the other clinical issues require massage therapists to devote time, training, and study in order to practice safely.

These are a few sample interview questions. Several resources support us in interviewing and working with people with cancer. A few are listed here. Resources for further training and information include:

1.  Tracy’s pathology textbook, Medical Conditions and Massage Therapy: A Decision Tree Approach describes detailed interview questions and massage adaptations for general cancer presentations, as well as specific presentations for certain cancers such as leukemia, breast and prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, lymphoma, and others.

2.  Touch, Caring, and Cancer: Simple Instruction for Family and Friends is an award-winning DVD and handbook for people with cancer and their care partners.  View a trailer at at www.tracywalton.com.

3.  Many full-length articles by Tracy Walton, two in the Massage Therapy Journal, are available free on-line. Another specifically on massage and chemotherapy. Links to these and other resources are at www.tracywalton.com, a clearinghouse for oncology massage information.

4.  The Society for Oncology Massage at www.s4om.org.  This site is dedicated to advocacy, patient support, educational standards, and standards of practice in oncology massage.  There is even an oncology massage therapist locator service.

The questions listed here contribute to a solid interview.  As touch providers, we are in the wonderful position of providing support, compassion, symptom relief, and relief from isolation on a hard path. In order to do this, we need skill, information, and finesse. When we bring these to the massage treatment room, we can lead a good interview and get a good start to the work.

This seminar applies all-new research from the fields of neurobiology and the social nervous system for all practitioners working in the healthcare field and especially massage therapists. Participants will learn specific empathetic skills of attunement and resonance which repairs damaged neurological pathways due to trauma.

This graduate-level training features leading-edge bodywork methods and theory that will allow you to bring your clients to greater levels of structural balance and body-mind integration. This dynamic combination provides new ways to image the body in its patterns of  organization, and to develop strategies that can address chronic musculoskeletal problems.

We offer our heartfelt congratulations to the students of Class 64 at the Body Therapy Institute, who began their educational journey in the Massage Therapy Diploma Program in March, and who graduated on October 29, 2014. We acknowledge their diligent work, and wish them well as they move into this new phase of their lives and careers!

Front Row: Nikki Fallon, Jennifer Fisher, Elyse Ewald, Polissena Campitelli, Debbie Garner-Transou, Angie Dix, Scarlett Pell, Cathy Murphy, Heather George.

Middle Row: Jessica Tysinger, Sara Gebhardt, Chloe Leona, Katherine Ellestad, Rachael Ballengee, Susan Linn, Brooke Griffith, Jane Stolper, Robin Montunnas.

Back Row: Liam O’Neill, Tonya Mason, Byran Walker, Eric Rodriguez, Sandra Kay Jordan, Jennifer Warren, Lori Edmonds, Andrew Wilson, Shane Hawkins.

BTI students and graduates learned about employment opportunities at a special Job Fair held on campus on October 1.

Representatives were on hand from Massage Envy, The Grove Park Inn & Spa, Hand and Stone, Skin Sense Day Spa, Dragonfly Health & Fitness and Balance Day Spa.

Our students and grads are highly sought-after by massage employers. This event was specifically designed to bring them together, so that relationships could be forged that lead to new career opportunities.

Justin Smith, Director of Recruiting and Development for Massage Envy in North Carolina, said, “It’s always a pleasure to come to BTI. I find the students here to be engaging and highly professional.”

At the recent AMTA National Convention in Denver, a group of trailblazers came together who all hold Massage License #1 in their respective states.

This honor is generally given to the person who has spearheaded the effort to secure licensure in that state. This was a first gathering for this group (left to right):

• Maureen Mulhall, LMT, Illinois
• BTI Founder & Co-director Rick Rosen, LMBT, North Carolina
• Jane Johnson, LMT, Georgia
• Paul Weston, LMT, Idaho
• Beverly May, CMT (who gets special credit for staying with the process for more than 20 years until California finally got state regulation)
• AMTA National President Nancy Porambo, LMT, Pennsylvania
• Deb Kimmet, LMT, Montana

All of these people still remain active, whether serving on their state massage board or holding other leadership positions in the field. 44 states plus the District of Columbia now have laws to regulate the practice of massage therapy. In each state, it’s taken a coordinated group effort to not only get a law passed, but to support the process of forming a new state board and developing the administrative rules that spell out the regulations for the board, schools and therapists alike.

This September, Body Therapy Institute begins its 32nd year of training massage therapists. From the early days as the first school to offer professional massage education in the Carolinas, BTI has become a national leader in the field.

We welcome our newest group of students in our Massage Therapy Diploma Program who began Class 65 last week. Here’s a photo taken after they completed their first full weekend of training, in the course called Introduction to Embodied Touch:

1st Row: Diana Currin, Sarah Galfano, Carrie Iandola, Emily Gardner-Hill, Marisol Legaria, Paty Kelly, Augustina Pablo Baldwin.
2nd Row: Ryan Prather, Gabi Prohn, Jeff Fife, Nathan Toptine, Jillian Diffenbaugh, Jill Peden, Paula Wald, Kathleen Wyatt.
3rd Row: Kristin Posson, Kate Dallas, Julie Anderson, Chantee Antar-Joyner, Michele Edwards, Amy Purcell.
4th Row: Christy Porter, Gabriele Gambill, Morgana Moore, Alex Barbato.
5th Row: Cadie DuPaul, Melinda Hunt, Bill Wright, Haley Booterbaugh, Regina Marie Letonek.
(not pictured: Jenni Reiff)

The Center for Embodied Teacher Education offers the country’s leading teacher certification program for massage, somatic and healthcare educators. Gain a solid foundation in the knowledge and skills required for effective teaching — while exploring the dynamic relationship between philosophy and methodology in an embodied learning environment.

Michael J. Shea, PhD is one of the preeminent educators and authors in the fields of somatic psychology, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. He’s been presenting continuing education seminars and advanced training programs at the Body Therapy Institute over the past 25 years, and teaches throughout North America and Europe. He is author of the five volumes of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (published by North Atlantic Books), which is considered the definitive reference on both theory and application of this leading-edge approach to whole-person healing.

Dr. Shea will be returning to BTI July 31-August 2 to present a new seminar entitled Craniosacral Therapy: Working Heart to Heart. This work is based on a new paradigm in craniosacral therapy called cardiopathy. “Cardio” means heart and vascular system. “Path” means to feel. Thus, a cardiopathic approach is to feel the health of the heart and vascular system in one’s self and the client with Primary Respiration and stillness. Cardiopathy is about delicate palpation skills. In this class, students will learn how and when to blend all previous learning in craniosacral therapy for the most effective treatment for the client.

This course, which is designed for both new and experienced craniosacral therapists, builds the framework for the whole cardiopathic approach to craniosacral therapy. Students will learn to cultivate the perceptual-touch necessary for sensing both deep metabolism of the autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular physiology. A dynamic new palpation skill to contact the entire vascular tree will be taught.

He received his master’s degree in Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University, and a doctorate in Somatic Psychology at The Union Institute. Dr. Shea was certified in 1986 as one of the first Full Instructors of CranioSacral Therapy by the Upledger Institute and was an advanced Rolfer for 20 years. As a formal student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, his teaching style is grounded in his spiritual practice of developing compassion with the use of manual therapy. For many years he has also apprenticed with a medicine man on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. From these traditions, he brings a unique cross-cultural perspective to teaching health and healing.

You can get more information about Dr. Shea’s work from his website, www.michaelsheateaching.com.

For a complete workshop description and registration, go to this page on the BTI Website:
https://bti.edu/continuing-education/craniosacral-therapy

FREE SEATED MASSAGE and refreshments! Enjoy the beauty of a summer evening at South Wind Farm, and experience the relaxing touch of massage therapy. Learn more about our renowned Massage Therapy Diploma Program. Those attending will receive complimentary registration for an Introductory Massage Workshop at BTI (a $50 value).