cancer

[vinay_6543]

I'm on my contra-indications soap box again and I apologise in advance for any repetition. I have just started my aromatherapy course - have been waiting for this for three years so I am delighted and so far, love everthing about the course, the tutor is great, small class etc etc. The fact that it's a Friday night 6 - 9 is a downer but hey, I'll live! I have decided to put this under reflexology as it's my favourite. I have a client that comes in every week almassageplanetnating reflexology, Reiki and massage. She had Reiki last week and I have never experienced anything quite like it - a lot of magnetism literally pulling me about - anyway, it turns out that she has been back to her consultant and has a diagnosis of breast cancer - she has previously been successfully treated for cancer of the uterus. She is to start chemo-therapy and I have explained to her about the contra-indications and asked her to discuss treatments with me with her consultant. She would rather have the treatments than the chemo therapy but knows that she has to go with the medical advice. My problems is, one book says don't ever treat cancer and lots of others say that reflexology is very beneficial! I have little patience with all this talk of contra-indications - had a discussion with my new tutor around the fact that I am only going to be able to give aromatherapy to well people!What would you all do? If her consultant says go ahead, would you? From my reading, it seems that I could actually do her a lot of good, particularly with reflexolgy. I know a lot of you are multi-skilled and as always, really value your great advice.

Love and best wishes

Pauline

 

[Adn]

Hi Pauline, I agree with your stance on contraindications and am known for being a controversial about it! However, I think you should cover yourself. Very few doctors or consultants will say you can't treat her, most won't know what it is!

It doesn't bother me as I have worked in two cancer centres and given treatments to all sorts of people, so I personally don't worry about it. Having said that I would get the Dr's permission.

Just cover yourself, that's all.

 

[Suck my Lollipop]

I was taught that the only real contra-indication for reflexology is DVT and that's because if someone has a DVT they have a life threatening condition and should be in the hospital ASAP. The IIR course was designed by Dwight Byers (nephew of Eunic Ingham) - he thinks it's ok to treat people with cancer.

Love

Sulis xx

 

[Maira]

Candie and I have very similar views on contras and I would treat however as this is a new diagnosis and treatment is in progress I would get consultant consent.

T
x

 

[sjegzuciizviumewp]

Thanks, all of you! I am so glad you all agree with me and I have told the client that she must get permission - she doesn't think it's an issue as she had all of the treatments during her last "episode". Every client I have had who has had reflexology has never been asked about their doctor's opinion. Does this mean that a lot of people don't bother? I have noticed quite a lot of puzzled looks from experienced recipients of therapy when I do a consultation - they have obviously not had this done. Someone I was talking to the other day said that she had been for a number of beauty treatments and had never been asked anything at all! (My daughter handles this side and we always do consultations, even for minor treatments. Am I going overboard do you think?

Thanks, once again.

love and best wishes

Pauline

 

[alexander m]

No Pauline, I don't think you are going overboard. Most of my clients feel that I am very thorough. Using my consultation, I am also able, in a short space of time to build a health and lifestyle picture of my client - important either for blending oils in aromatherapy or knowing which areas to give extra time on during a reflexology treatment.

If you do decide to treat someone undergoing chemotherapy, you also have to be aware of things such as platelet counts as this can drop dramatically, causing the client to bruise quite severely - just another thing to be aware of.

Lesley

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hi Pauline,

I agree with TigerBee and Aromababe on this one.

My wife and I offer treatments to members of our local cancer support group and, if they are undergoing any therapy prescribed by their medical team, we always get that team's permission first. We've never been refused.

I wish you and your client every success.

 

[Kendra Langston]

No you are not going overboard. I have never had a client suggest that the consultation is too much. I have spoken to other therapists who have said they have encountered this and I do wonder if it is how the consultation is done. I always tell them I have to take some notes and I have got it down to a fine art at extracting the vital info from them without boring them. I keep it fairly brief but manage to get all that is necessary.

Beauty therapists maybe aren't trained to do so and I have friends who have had such treatments and not been asked anything at all.

Anybody who has been ill, ie with cancer, will be used to being asked lots of questions and probably won't mind at all and they will respect you for being professional and feel safer with you. The worse thing is being turned away for a treatment that you are expecting. I once went for a massage as my shoulder and neck were bad and the therapist took no notes, started the massage and then told me that she thought that I had a problem with my neck and shoulder (Doh!) and that she wouldn't be able to continue the treatment but she would only charge me half! [&:] Not best pleased.

 

[Tiffany T]

If you consider things from the mainstream medical view, then they are unlikely to consider that working on someone's feet would exacerbate uterine or breast cancer, or indeed any sort other than in the feet themselves.

Massage with or without aromatherapy of a directly related area via the lymphatics or vascular circulation - they may consider a contra-indication.

Andrew.

PS The orthodox criteria for a 'succesful treatment' of someone with cancer is for the Patient to survive for 5 years after the treatment.

 

[Ada I]

adding to the comments regarding consultation forms... my first client at a health centre was not kind to me on the consultation. there i was, wide eyed and bushy tailed, crisp new diploma clutched in my stickies, amazingly detailed consultation form... well, she was some director of a health authority, had reflexology many times before, no real contras (as it turned out) but got quite stroppy with me for asking , what she considered, too many questions! i explained why i needed to know but she wasnt happy so i just said i would not complete the form, put a note to the effect she didnt want to answer anymore questions and got her to sign it.

as it happens it went well and she asked for a back massage as well!

now the moral to this tale is that, as soon as i got home i adapted my college form, condensed it right down to more prompt type questions and with experience, you get to ask and know what you want to find out. however, this health club, (who i have had no work from since the begining of summer mainly because its beauty fixated and they prefer to get therapists who are fresh from NVQ 2 (17 - 18?) and pay them minimum wage!). anyway, as i was saying, i got to the point where i cursory used the club's form and if anything came up, i would ask more pertinent questions. transitory clients are a whole other thing in some respects... they are at the hotel for a weekend of pampering... they dont seem to care that we then arent doing our job so well, in that respect... and the hotel dont care... bodies on couches!

 

[**444**]

and (still slightly off topic), there are those clients that absolutely love to talk about themselves. For instance, when you ask about diet, they give you a blow by blow account of what they've eaten for the past week. I have become quite adept at wrapping up and moving on. They don't seem to realise that the longer the consultation, the shorter the treatment!

Lesley

 

[Keyla J]

Oh Dear, I had one today. Lovely lady, but I had already been warned so was prepared. She talked and talked and bless her she didn't even know why she was there as her daughter had booked her in. It was probably all a bit confusing for her really. Some clients consider that you are medically trained and tell you all sorts of irrelevant information because of it. She even brought all her medication along to show me.[&:]

 

[whrijtms]

A list of current medication can be very useful, especially if they are a bit confused as to what diagnoses they have had, as you can look up what the drugs are & what they are supposed to do.

And you can help with simple things that the GP may have missed due to lack of time. e.g. it's not uncommon to find that some folks actually drink less when they are taking water tablets (diuretics), because thay are embarrassed because they have to pee more often. So they may be unaware about the importance of drinking water and that some things are more important than a little embarassement.

Andrew.

 

[opevrnrf]

Well said, Andrew.

 

[krystalclare]

Just to chuck my two pennorth in, I know from personal experience that when you are being treated for cancer a comp therapy treatment is sheet bliss. You are being touched by a stranger in a non medical way for once, and it is very powerful and beneficial.