IHM and non-hodgkins lymphoma

[BLAH BLAH BLAH]

I'm running a small informal course tomorrow for a group of people who want to learn some IHM movements to help each other. I have just found out one of them has non-hodgkins lymphoma. I'm basically showing them a gentle ten minute treatment to the upper back and scalp and they will be working on each other. From my training, I know doctors authorisation is required - there is no time to consult his doctor so do I play safe and advise against him receiving a treatment (even though he wants to)?

 

[Wadoldmafdfdf]

It's a tough one. I suppose it depends on what stage they are at with the disease. I haven't worked at all with people who have cancer (only those who have had it in the past) so I cannot give you a definitive answer whether it is a good idea to go ahead with it or not as I am not experienced in that area. However, like you I was taught to obtain GP consent in these cases.

In the book A Massage Therapist's guide to Pathology it says "Rigorous circulatory massage is inappropriate for clients whose lymph tissue may be malfuntioning, regardless of whether it is possible for massage to seed up metastasis." It does also say that "non-circulatory work may be more appropriate, since the client may reap many supportive benefits without the risks of pushing a lot of fluid through a system that doesn't work smoothly."

Maybe just let them have the head part of the routine if they insist on taking part- avoid any lymph nodes around the neck area especially if they are affected. Ensure their partner uses light pressure.

Good luck with the course.

 

[gwettucbijaifgewd]

Has this person been treated for the NHL? If they are in remission, then it may be OK, but they must sign a disclaimer. I would tend to err on the side of caution though, and ask them to get GP permission before any form of comp therapy is given.

 

[bdokhsse]

Thanks Lavandula and Jabba - He has had several treatments of chemotherapy. I've been thinking about this all morning and I've decided to advise him against receiving treatment today and offer him a seperate individual treatment at a later date when he has his consultants go-ahead. Hopefully he will be happy with this.

One thing I will do in future though (if I do this type of thing again) is to send out details well in advance to allow for situations like this.

Well, I'm off soon and feeling very nervous now - around 10 people in all to talk and demonstrate to and I've never done anything like this before so fingers crossed!

Thanks again xx

 

[Starz]

Hi Raya

How did it go?

It would be good to hear what worked well on your course and what happened re your client with NHL.

Love Binah

 

[infidel]

Hi Binah

It went well thanks. I was very shakey to start as I'm not used to addressing groups of people, but absolutely fine as soon as we got into the practical element. I kept the routine short and demonstrated one section at a time and observed them working on each other and giving help where needed. This seemed to work well and I would definitely do it like that again.

What pleased me the most was that a few people were very reluctant to join in and were adamant they were only going to watch - but gradually they did join in with the others and seemed happy with the experience in the end.

The client with NHL enjoyed treating others and understood the situation - no problems.

All in all it was a very positive experience. It gave me a confidence boost - I was on a bit of a high afterwards and you also realise just how far you have come with regards your training and experience. What you might think are quite simple moves can be quite difficult to grasp - I had forgotten how hard I found it when I started out!

Cheers xx