If someone is on medication for cancer is it OK for them to have massages, beauty treatments etc or are there restrictions?

[NorbertDentressangle]

A very dear friend of mine is currently on medication for cancer (tablets rather than full-blown chemo etc at the moment) whilst various tests and processdures are on-going.

I really want to do something for her and thought of a voucher for a place that does massages and beauty treatments but I'm sure that I've read somewhere that some treatments are not advisable for people undergoing treatment for cancers.

Can anyone throw any light on this please?

When my DM was recieving chemo i know she wasn't allowed massages, she had a manicure tho.

Depends, depends, depends! Your friend needs to ask, I'm afraid.

it is all dependant on the treatment but an open gift voucher that could be used for manicure/pedicure/hairdo would probably be more than welcome (most people get their hair cut if there is a chance that it will fall out through chemo- lessens the shock effect)

Sorry to hear about your friend, there is a cancer support thread (albeit disguised!) and we do welcome freinds and relatives as well and patients (and we sometimes have tea and cake ) i can direct you if you would like any further assistance

Thanks all. I thought that might be the case.

It would be an open voucher that I would get for her but the place I had in mind doesn't do hair, just various treatments so nails would be an option

I know she's been there before which is why I thought of it and in fact she bought me a massage there.

I'm not sure exactly what treatment is at the moment other than tablets that make her feel very sick. Its been difficult to talk on the phone, with DC around etc. I'll hopefully see her next week when our DC are back at school.

reallywoundup -I might like to pop in to that thread sometime if thats OK? I have a feeling that I will need to talk to someone at some point. At the moment I'm a bit dazed and trying to process it all in my head IYSWIM.

It depends on the therapist whether they administer massage to cancer patients.

Massage is a detoxifying treatment and by it's process it releases toxins into bloodstream. This is thought, by some schools of practice, to worsen some illnesses and ailments, cancer included.

It's same with massage during the first trimester of pregnancy, there's a risk of miscarriage because of the release of toxins.

An open voucher for a spa is a lovely idea though, she wouldn't have to have a massage if the therapist wouldn't give her one, she could have something else.

My family own a few salons and I know that our rule are no massage on cancer patients, it is a contraindications but I know there are some therapists who will do it/specialise in it so you might be able to track someone down if that is what you think she might like.

Alternatively a manicure or pedicure is usually fine and can be equally relaxing and most places you can use a voucher on products if a treatment doesn't appeal. Lovely thought, so sorry your dear friend is going through this.

Gah, I typed that quickly, apols for poor spelling/grammar/tense etc.