If you have had the unfortunate experience of having breast cancer, my heart goes out to you for the pain, suffering, and stress you have endured. You are to be congratulated and celebrated for the battle you fought and have overcome!
If you are living with residual effects from surgery, pain, swelling, or limited range of motion in your arm, massage therapy is proven to help all those conditions. Massage therapy reduces pain, muscle spasms and stress; it stimulates your immune system, drains toxins, increases blood and lymph fluid circulation ; and helps to restore emotional balance and lower blood pressure.
A massage therapist trained in breast massage will be able to help loosen and soften scar tissue and adhesions which may have developed. Light stretching of the arm and chest areas with assisted joint movement effectively break down the adhesions and allow for greater range of mobility without pain. Movement of lymph fluid through the affected nodes of the axilla and under the breast tissue will reduce any swelling in the area, which may be causing pain and muscle spasms in the chest wall. Lymphatic drainage massage is necessary to manage lymphedema, and highly suggested to help ward off lymphedema.
Lymphatic drainage massage, coupled with stretching effectively manages all ill-effects of cancer treatments, including quicker removal of the residual toxins from chemotherapy and anesthesia. Toxins can get trapped inside our bodies. Massage helps to increase circulation and encourages your body to eliminate those toxins and harmful substances.
Massage is clinically proven to help reduce stress in all those who seek the therapy. Stress reduction is important to balance your blood pH levels, as well as keep your body in homeostasis (a state of balance). When physical and mental relaxation occurs, you to tend to heal more efficiently, effectively, and wholly. If you are dealing with the loss of your breast(s), massage can help you grieve and accept your loss, as well as strengthen you and help you feel like a whole person.
I have had the extreme privilege of performing breast massage on several women who have undergone mastectomies, with or without reconstructive surgery. I consider it a blessing to help ease the pain and suffering another human being has to endure. By providing a loving, supportive, non-judgmental, and private atmosphere, I hope to offer you or someone you love and option to a healthier, more satisfying future.