• 1/24/2005
  • Carlisle, PA
  • Leah Farr
  • www.cumberlink.com

Marty Frost hit a low point in his life last year. In July, he was diagnosed with mouth cancer. Then in October doctors discovered he also had throat cancer. Frost began a long — and sometimes extremely painful — treatment plan that included surgery and 31 radiation treatments. However, the pain was eased with his discovery of reiki, a therapy that he says gives him rest and renewed hope.

Frost and other cancer patients are finding that yoga, massage therapy and reiki, a gentle touch long practiced in Eastern cultures to promote relaxation and energy, can help improve their quality of life. They can receive these complementary therapies at the Carlisle YWCA through a nine-month pilot program funded by a grant from the Carlisle Area Health and Wellness Foundation.

Designed for people in all stages of the disease – from those who are newly diagnosed to anyone 18 months post treatment – “this program can be like an oasis for people in the middle of treatment,” reiki practitioner Gigi Jantos says. It also “empowers the individual to participate fully in their recovery” as well as “improves their sense of physical and emotional well-being.”

The treatments are known as complementary therapies because they are not a substitute for proven medical treatment. “The main goal of the program is to improve the life quality,” Jantos says. The medical benefits include reducing anxiety, stress, pain, nausea and fatigue.

Other options

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 8 million people are living with cancer and many of those people may benefit from complementary therapy.

“Some people believe that mainstream medicine is the only option they have when it comes to treating symptoms and side effects,” according to the society’s Website. “Actually there are many complementary methods – such as massage, meditation, or yoga – which are very useful to help control some symptoms and improve the quality of their lives.”

As a cancer survivor, Frost says he can attest to the benefits of complementary therapy. Before, the pain of medical treatments and side effects “got really bad.” “I couldn’t eat or talk or swallow,” he recalls.

Frost’s wife, Mary, recalls her husband “was so bad” she thought he was going to die. “I took him into the hospital and they put him on an IV. And, then offered to give him reiki.”

Jantos performed reiki on Frost, helping him to slip into a deep sleep. “It was amazing,” he says. “When I was done, I was more alert and relaxed and it even got rid of some of the pain.” This is a common experience for cancer patients, Jantos says. “With constant treatment their fatigue improves and when that happens, their overall life quality improves.”

She continues, “I had a woman tell me that her experience in the program helped her to deal better with the stress in her life. She also said it helped her to be more peaceful and confident before her surgery.”

Research support

“More and more through research, it is found that patients utilizing these forms of complementary care do much better throughout their cancer treatments,” says Dr. Wallace Longton, Carlisle Regional Cancer Center medical director. “Not only that, but it appears these therapies will help patients even after they are finished with treatment,” Longton says.

“Studies show that yoga can be a tremendous relief for your entire body,” says Bonnie Berk, a registered nurse and the yoga instructor for the wellness program. “We do a lot of relaxation, mediation and visualization. For cancer patients, this class might be the only time they don’t think about their diagnosis.”

Berk continues, “Often when (medical) treatment stops, people are saying ‘now what?’ This program is good because they can concentrate on taking time for themselves.” Massage therapist Camille Baughman adds that by eliciting the relaxation response in people, she addresses issues not only in the body, but in the mind and spirit as well.

Massage supportive

“Everything surrounding massage therapy – a soothing environment, human touch which is essential to life, a caring therapist, the comfort of prolonged attention, relaxed muscles – all combine to make massage one of the most supportive and helpful complementary therapies available,” says the American Cancer Society’s Web site. Baughman says although the concept massage therapy has been around for years, complementary therapy programs such as those for cancer patients are new to the area. “Some people are skeptical because they don’t understand it,” she says.

A ‘safe haven’
Frost thinks he might have felt that way before he tried receiving the treatments, but now he is sold on the benefits of complementary therapy. He has learned to practice reiki on himself at home. “Just because something sounds different, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work,” he says. “It taught me how to get rid of some of the pain. The therapy for me was like knowing I had a safe haven that would help me through the hard times.”

The Cancer Wellness Program is a seven-week program for people who are in treatment for cancer, or up to 18 months post treatment. For more information contact the YWCA of Carlisle at 243-3818.

Some complimentary therapies for cancer

Yoga

Yoga can be prescribed by oncologists as a way for cancer patients to reduce stress and retain or regain movement and muscle tone. Research studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Cancer Journal support yoga’s capacity to relieve the pain and insomnia that often effect people with life-threatening illnesses.

“What I do in my yoga classes is attempt to decrease stress in mind and body, so that the body can do what it needs to do to heal,” says Cancer Wellness yoga instructor Bonnie Berk. Berk uses a gentle form of yoga which she says helps people eliminate tension and find relaxation. “There is a lot of research done on the value of rest for someone’s health,” she says. “Yoga helps to slow down the heart rate, decrease blood pressure and get rid of stress.”

The American Cancer Society states that yoga “contributes to overall physical fitness and it can help reduce the pain of some chronic illness.” “My goal is that by the end of the class everyone is feeling relaxed,” Berk says.

Reiki

The word “reiki” describes a healing and stress reduction technique, says practitioner Gigi Jantos of the Cancer Wellness program. During sessions, a clothed patient reclines on a massage table with pillows beneath the head and knees. Often, relaxing music is played. During a treatment, practitioners float their hands above or place their hands lightly on specific points on the body.

“Reiki helps people to slow down from the stress of the day and helps relieve some of that anxiousness,” Jantos says. “Reiki is offered to improve the quality of life and help relieve some of the symptoms of cancer.” According to the American Cancer Society, reiki has been found to speed healing, increase physical and spiritual well-being, and reduce the intensity and frequency of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.

“Reiki helps to promote a deep relaxation and helps patients to have a treatment that makes them feel better when they leave,” Jantos says. The value of reiki is also being studied in the treatment of HIV and diabetes.

Massage

Massage therapist Camille Baughman has seen the benefits of massage for patients with cancer. Massage bolsters the immune system and helps remove toxins from the body, she says. Baughman notes it also helps with circulation, restores energy and reduces pain associated with radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

A massage therapy session begins with a medical history and allows the therapist and client to discuss medical or emotional issues, Baughman says.

“It’s all about making the client feel comfortable. We use light touch to work with the muscles, but massage also works with the whole person.” A common result of massage therapy is clients feeling more energized when they leave, Baughman says.

“Massage brings people into a nurturing place with their body,” Baughman says. “Most cancer treatments n although helpful – are also very invasive. When people come for massage it is a very gentle, loving touch. It’s a wonderful way to balance that out.” Massage also had been credited by the American Cancer Society to reduce anxiety levels, relieve insomnia, aid with pain and nausea.