This might be more IMHO, but I’ll start it here and let a mod move it if necessary.
I had a spa day last week, as a treat to myself, and when Ivylad booked the appointment, he told them I had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. They said that they couldn’t give me a massage, since it could spread the cancer.
:dubious:
Then, when I went for my facial and mani and pedi, I told the technician again that I had been recently diagnosed, and she said massaging opens up the lymphatic system, and they don’t want to do that if you’re sick.
Oookay. I still had fun, but I’ve more than one person since tell me massaging is not good for people with cancer.
So, Dopers, is this up there with ear-candling and pads to detox your feet, or is there some truth to this?
Yeah, I’m glad you posted this thread, because I was extremely :dubious: when you mentioned this in the other thread but was too lazy to actually start one myself.
My massage therapist declines to do massage on cancer patients as well, as does one of her colleagues I went to once. She mentions the concern about the lymph system that is addressed above. I think she also told me that even if she works very, very lightly, there is too much of a risk of making her client very uncomfortable in the following days…maybe she is talking about chemo patients bruising more easily or something, I’m not sure. More thananything, I got the impression that she was afraid a cancer patient would be in more pain after a massage than before.
I hope you find someone to do your massage. You might contact your hospital and see if they have massage therapists on staff who would do it. I know my local hospital does.