Massage eases pain in cancer patients

Massage therapy eases pain in patients with advanced cancer, when friends and family members can be afraid to touch them and painkillers don't always work. Researchers from the University of Colorado in Denver tracked 380 patients who were feeling moderate to severe pain, treating them with either Swedish massage or simple touches.

Patients getting six episodes of 30-minute massages or touches experienced immediate improvement in pain and mood each time, although the benefit didn't last. Neither approach reduced the amount of pain medicine needed. More than 1.4 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year, and 565,000 die from it, according to the American Cancer Society. For pain control, some patients and health professionals are turning to massage, which may lead to relaxation, improve circulation, release endorphins and decrease inflammation and swelling.

The study, funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and other cancer and charitable foundations, appeared in Annals of Internal Medicine. David Mejia, a 39-year-old engineer in Denver, said massage has helped him during his two-year fight against a blood cancer called multiple myeloma. He said he gets an emotional and psychological benefit from the experience in addition to pain relief, easing bouts of depression, irritability and anxiety.