Free massages for cancer patients at Boston Medical Center

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Boston Medical Center

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Cancer patients treated at Boston Medical Center now have access to free massages thanks to an innovative program pairing Cortiva massage school students getting trained in oncology massage with patients undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments. "We've done over 400 free massages over the past two years," says Dr. Paula Gardiner, assistant director of integrative medicine at BU Medical Center. "Studies we're conducting indicate that cancer patients who have these massages experience less nausea and depression and can get by on less pain medication."

BMC patients -- two-thirds of whom live below the poverty line -- can get massages before, after, or even during their chemotherapy treatments. "Massage therapists get special training on how to work with port lines and IVs," says Gardiner, "and can teach family members to perform massages at home."

Therapists can teach the art of employing a lighter touch, especially on fragile skin areas that have been treated with radiation.

"I love the massages," says Evelyn Shen, 55, a colon cancer patient who lives in Quincy. "I used to have a problem with stomach upset during my chemo treatments and the massages make me feel so relaxed afterward that I just fall asleep. I've had professional massages and I can't tell the difference when a student does it."

Shen also took advantage of the free acupuncture treatments offered by BMC -- also in conjunction with a nearby training school. "I had frozen hands and couldn't lift anything," she says. "Physical therapy didn't help, but the acupuncture did."

Gardiner says she sees the hospital's partnership with training schools as a win-win. The therapists can get much needed training on cancer patients -- under the guidance of the hospital's integrative medicine department -- and the hospital gets free services to offer patients who otherwise couldn't afford them.

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