Massage therapy for HIV patients
The massage therapist can play a vital role in the care of a patient who is HIV positive. Massage therapy has not only been deemed beneficial by HIV/AIDS patients for many years, but their claim that massage therapy helps them has been supported by medical professionals and outcomes of various studies. The importance of massage therapy in the care of HIV patients, therefore, cannot be underestimated. With proper training and knowledge and with massage therapy programs tailored to individual treatment plans, the massage therapist can be a very valuable complement to the treatment of the HIV patient.
Stigma and massage therapy in the HIV patient
AIDS has been quite the mystery since it was first discovered. The stigma that it was confined to homosexual males and IV drug users led many to be stuck with labels that they did not deserve at all. It was not long before that stereotype began to falter, as HIV started spreading rapidly among heterosexual males and females. Fear that HIV and AIDS was spread through casual contact may have led some people to choose professions where they were likely to never come in direct contact with a patient with HIV. There is still fear among some alternative health care providers about being in direct contact with a patient or client who is HIV positive. The massage therapist working with HIV-positive patients needs proper training not only in how to provide proper massage therapy to an HIV patient, but in how to deal with any fears or stigma still associated with HIV patients.
Studies regarding HIV patients and massage therapy
The Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami has conducted a number of studies regarding the benefits of massage therapy for the HIV patient, according to The Body. The first study was conducted in 1999 and involved 29 men who were HIV positive. After the results of this particular study showed that most of the participants exhibited improvement in immune system function, two additional studies were conducted. In the second study, subjects consisted of nine healthy female students during exam period. The results of the second study demonstrated reduced stress levels, as well as a significant increase in white blood cell count and in the activity of natural killer cells. The final study consisted of 20 breast cancer patients. Study participants were divided into two groups. One of the groups watched relaxation tapes, while the second group received massage therapy three times weekly for a period of five weeks. Results indicated that patients receiving massage therapy showed an 80 percent improvement in immune system function, while the group who watched relaxation tapes demonstrated only a 30 percent improvement in immune system function.
Massage therapy for children infected with HIV has also proven very beneficial. The results of yet another study conducted by the Touch Institute were discussed in Massage Mag. In this study, 54 HIV-positive children not receiving antiretroviral medications were assigned to one of two groups. One group received massage therapy, while the other group received a friendly visit twice weekly for 20 minutes for 12 weeks. Blood was drawn from both control groups at the onset of the study. At the end of the study, blood was drawn from 24 remaining study subjects. Authors of the study determined that the positive impact of massage therapy on the immune system may offer hope to HIV-positive children who either did not have access to antiretroviral meds or could not benefit from antiretroviral treatment. Exactly how massage therapy impacts the immune system is not completely understood, but with the right massage therapy implemented into the individual HIV patient’s treatment plan, there is no doubt that the patient will most likely demonstrate some benefits vital to fighting HIV.
Massage therapy for the HIV patient
The Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies (IIHS) recommends massage therapists educate themselves about HIV and follow a set of nine tips listed on the website when providing massage therapy to the HIV patient. The IIHS indicates that massage therapy increases immune function by reducing stress, increases white blood cell count, decreases cortisol levels and activates natural killer cells. Additionally, massage therapy reduces cramps, muscle aches, spasms, and inflammation and body tension. According to The Body, the STEP Project ascertains that massage therapy increases blood flow, which in turn, aids with removal of toxins in the body. Jacob Gnanakkan, in an article titled "The effects of therapeutic massage on HIV and AIDS patients," published in Massage Today, stresses the importance of the massage therapist utilizing a technique of full-body, stress management approach, which should include a minimum of one hour of pressure strokes at least once a week. The STEP Project offers information so that the massage therapist can become educated in eastern and western methods of massage therapies and follow a set of general rules of thumb to determine which type of therapy would be most appropriate on a case-by-case basis. If the massage therapist undertakes an education program that teaches the aspects of HIV/AIDS, the types of massage therapy that are beneficial to HIV patients, and the medical and psychological benefits of massage therapy, the massage therapist working with HIV clients may be better able to understand why the IIHS states that the massage therapist may provide “…the single most important component” of the HIV patient's treatment plan.
