Touch Therapy Massage for Cancer Care

“About Touch: Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around” – Leo Buscaglia

THANK YOU for visiting me at embodyharmony.com!

Take care and see you soon – Michelle x

NB. I wish to respectfully let you know that my therapy room is available to female clients only and I will not be taking any bookings from male clients.  Thankyou for your understanding.

If you are going through ANY stage of cancer treatment – be it diagnosis, examinations and tests, surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy as well as post-treatment recovery – you’ll probably be feeling like you’ve lost control of life – physically, emotionally and psychologically – and that life will never be the same again. You might feel that every time someone touches you it will be painful and traumatic, in a sterile, medical environment and involve all manner of chemicals and devices – a very dehumanising experience. Maybe you are also experiencing the extremely distressing process of hair loss in addition to all the other side-effects of treatment and surgery?

You need not go through this experience alone and have to give up something as fundamentally relaxing and healing as a massage. Touch Therapy is a safe, soothing and supportive way to help you cope with the side-effects of cancer treatment.

I’m here to help you feel like a person again – not a patient – at this very difficult time in your life and will tailor your treatment to your needs holistically and it will be time dedicated just to you and your individual, specific needs.

My experience working alongside The Cork Cancer Support Centre (formerly the Girls Club Cork) – a wonderful cancer support charity – plus my specialized training in both Oncology Massage and Lymphatic Drainage Massage, means that I am uniquely placed to offer you a massage during ALL stages of cancer treatment and recovery.

Touch Therapy Massage for cancer care (also known as Oncology Massage) is a unique form of massage designed to sooth the side-effects of your cancer treatment – NOT the cancer itself. It utilizes the incredible healing power of human touch in a way that helps you feel comfortable, safe and supported, in a peaceful and non-medical environment – empowering you to feel like “yourself” again. See below for the many soothing benefits.

Part of your massage treatment may also require Lymphatic Drainage Massage – click on the link or select from the drop-down menu to find out more. Surgical procedures involving lymph node examination or removal – such as breast cancer surgery – can cause limbs to swell. Also when you are going through or recovering from chemotherapy the body’s immune system can be severely affected and you may have long periods of time when you are inactive – also causing swelling.

It is a complementary treatment that in NO WAY replaces the treatment and medication you receive from your professional Oncology Doctor and Care Team. It’s important that you advise your specialist team that you intend to have a massage and I will run through a detailed consultation with you regarding your cancer and its treatment.

You can rest assured that your massage treatment will include a detailed consultation and will be tailored to suit you – please get in touch to discuss your needs and to book an appointment. Extra time will need to be allowed during your first treatment for the consultation.

It can help to sooth the often painful, distressing and uncomfortable side-effects resulting from cancer treatment and bring profound benefits such as:

• Relief from fatigue and headaches – improved sleep and energy levels and healing process as well as greater capacity to exercise and go about day-to-day life
• Relieves anxiety, stress and depression – bringing about deep relaxation by stimulating the body’s own “self-soothing” system (the parasympathetic nervous system)
• Bring relief from sore hands and feet – also known as “Hand-foot Syndrome” a skin reaction caused by certain chemotherapies.
• Eases constipation through very gentle touch and relaxation
• Soothes aches, pains, tension and stiffness in the joints and muscles – often brought about by holding the body in a certain position for long periods of time during cancer treatment – improving generally flexibility
• Reduce the pain and stiffness caused by lymphatic cording (also known as Axillary Web Syndrome) resulting from lymph node removal under the arms.

Here are some inspiring and reassuring quotes from those who found Massage and complimentary therapies to be an enormous source of help and relief while going through the toughest time in their life – the journey of cancer. All quotes are taken from a booklet about Complementary Therapies provided by Breast Cancer Care – a long-established cancer support charity based in the UK: