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Cancer treatments are often difficult to bear, especially when it is children who have to follow them. This is why massages are a good way to help them through this difficult period and to reconnect them with those around them.
Chemotherapy, surgery, long-term hospitalization… Being treated for cancer is a difficult ordeal. To bring a little sweetness to the children concerned, the La Roche-Posay Foundation, in collaboration with the association Everyone against cancer, wishes to accelerate the deployment of its magic massages for children hospitalized in oncopediatrics.
What are magic massages?
Magic massages are massages designed by a group of multidisciplinary scientists. These massages take the form of a game of illustrated cards for children up to 10 years old. The game has 24 cards on which are described as many massages with simple, comforting and fun gestures, designed to soothe children with cancer and recreate a bond with their parents and the healthcare team.
“This series of 24 massages with nursery rhymes and childish iconography is a way to reconnect the child to his loved ones. This allows parents, brothers and sisters to perform these little massages, which are gentle touches, in order to bring them a privileged moment. explains Benjamin Brunschwig, director of the La Roche-Posay Foundation. “For three years, we have trained 400 nurses, who in turn have trained 2,000 families in these magical massages” he continues, ensuring that he is ready to send other trainers throughout France, to make these massages better known.
What are the benefits of massage?
Neuroscience studies have proven for many years now the benefits of touch and massage: they reduce stress, anxiety, pain and generally improve the quality of life and physical condition. and emotions of patients.
“Supportive care is an essential part of care and magic massages are part of it.“Again assures the director of the La Roche Posay Foundation. In connection with the association Everyone against cancer, the Foundation therefore wishes to train ten additional hospital establishments, in addition to the 40 establishments which already offer them, throughout France.
A new study further proves these benefits
According to a recently published American study, massages produced clinically significant reductions in pain, stress and anxiety in children, adolescents and young adults with cancer or sickle cell disease treated at a pediatric academic medical center.
These findings, published in the journal Pediatric Blood & Cancer, are from a retrospective study conducted between October 2019 and December 2021. For this work, a masseur performed 3,015 massage therapy sessions on 243 patients during 1,494 encounters at UH Connor Whole Health in upstate Ohio, USA. As part of clinical care, the masseur rated patients’ self-reported pain, stress, and anxiety on a scale of 0-10 at the start and end of each session and documented these sessions in the health record electronic.
“Massage therapy must be an integral part of care”
“The work of massage therapy is not disconnected from the other care received, but rather an integral part of it. This relationship allows us to see how massage works in a real environment and how this intervention offers a safe way to provide effective treatment and non-pharmacological for pain, anxiety and stress” says David W. Miller, medical director of pediatric integrative medicine at UH Connor Whole Health and co-lead author of the study. According to him, “theThe work done demonstrates that massage therapy should be an integral part of clinical services in this area.”