Best Health News

“Hope is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so hopes strongly, has within him the gift of miracles.” — Samuel Smiles

On the Mesothelioma site, their byline is Hope, Support and Help.  They are real people there to help – with an appreciation of the difficult time the patients and their families.
They have worked had to provide a website brimming with information which ranges through all the different aspects of possible treatments, and symptoms and also includes information on the latest  research that is being carried out.

And it’s not only all about the medical model – they have sent me a brief description about the benefits of massage for the sufferers of Mesothelioma:

The potential benefits of massage for people with cancer include improved blood circulation, less pain, and relaxed muscles.  Many comprehensive cancer treatment regimens include massage as a palliative treatment, meaning it makes the patient feel better but does not directly attack the disease.  Palliative therapy is widely recognized as an important and valuable part of overall patient care.  There are many elements and types of palliative therapy.  Massage is just one.

The symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include chest pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath.  People with peritoneal mesothelioma often get ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity) and distentation of the abdomen.  Massage can help ease the discomfort caused by those symptoms.  A common side effect of cancer treatment is lymphedema, the swelling in the arms or legs caused by obstruction in the lymphatic system.  Massage has been shows to treat lymphedema.  There is more to be discovered here about  massage and cancer patients.

“Too often we under-estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
–Dr. Leo Buscaglia

Never underestimate the power of support – in fact statistics have shown in many cases that survival rates for cancer sufferers improve when they are involved in support groups.