In a three-year study of the effect of massage on more than 1,000 cancer patients—the largest study to date of massage used for cancer patients—patients rated their symptoms immediately before and after a single treatment of massage therapy.
Result: Anxiety declined by 52%...pain, 40%...fatigue, 41%...depression, 31%...and nausea, 21%. Massage was as effective as standard drug therapy for these symptoms.
Helpful: Insurance companies are more likely to pay for massage therapy if a doctor writes a referral to a certified therapist or if treatment is part of a hospital in-patient therapy.
To locate a massage therapist in your area, contact the American Massage Therapy Association, 877-905-2700, or visit www.amtamassage.org.
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