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Gayle Macdonald has
produced an exceptional treasure store of valuable information. Her book will certainly be
joining my book reference shelf.
Medicine Hands provides an authoritative, compassionate and
medically invaluable reference about cancer and bodywork which is unique to my experience.
The seven comprehensive Appendices alone make the book extremely informative, providing
extensive lists and explanations regarding Medical Terminology and Vocabulary,
Abbreviations, Types of Cancers, Organisations, Publications, Patient Data and Evaluation
Forms, Types of Bodywork and the Benefits of Bodywork for Cancer Patients.
The book discusses the aetiology of cancer in considerable
biochemical and medical detail, and explains the different routes by which metastases
occur. The author reviews the research literature of a variety of bodywork techniques,
including Massage, Therapeutic Touch, Reiki and Shen, and discusses many central issues of
enormous interest to cancer patients, bodyworkers and their caregivers. These include pain
and pain relief, quality of life, major types of treatments such as chemotherapy,
radiotherapy and surgery and their side effects including hair loss, oedema, nausea,
constipation and radiation burns. There are extremely useful sections describing medical
devices such as types of catheters, nasogastric tubes and colostomy pouches, and medical
procedures used with cancer patients such as bone marrow transplants. and major alerts and
contraindications for people with cancer.
The author explains in depth the reality of the hospital and home
experience for cancer patients, and intersperses her explanations with many genuine and
practical case studies from her own experiences which indicate how the application of
touch can so enormously benefit the patient and the caregiver.
When I was training as a massage therapist, one of the
contraindications drummed into our class was an absolute bar to performing massage on
cancer patients. This climate of fear amongst medical professionals is discussed at length
in the book, along with scientifically reasoned research indicating that the benefits of
receiving most forms of bodywork far outweigh the risks. It is mentioned that in some rare
cases, cancer may be spread using Manual Lymphatic Draining, although the basis for this
possibility is speculative. The author is passionate about the huge benefit and need for
touch in cancer patients, even in the stages of dying, and is adamant in trying to dispel
the fear and phobia instilled into professionally trained bodyworkers regarding the
dangers of massaging people with cancer.
I couldn’t hold back the tears while reading the personal
stories throughout this book, which is unusual in its compassion and information content.
I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone with an interest in Cancer and Bodywork.
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