Plain Language Summary, April 2006

Does massage or aromatherapy massage

relieve symptoms of nausea, pain, anxiety
and distress in people with cancer?
Treatment in Brief
Massage therapy involves manipulation of the soft tissues of the body by the hands in order to produce
effects on the vascular, muscular and nervous systems. It can physically stretch muscles, ligaments,
tendons and fascia, encourage the circulation through the tissue, inhibit muscular spasm and be either
sedating or stimulating to the nervous system.
Aromatherapy massage uses essential oils blended with a base oil, such as almond or grapeseed oil, as a
massage oil.

Cancer and Symptoms

Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the body that tend to spread in an uncontrolled way. Nausea
(feeling sick), pain, anxiety and distress are all symptoms that may be experienced by people with cancer.
They may be caused by the cancer itself, by the treatment or a combination of these and other factors
(White 2002).
For more information: http://cancer.wehealny.org/symptoms/1_1.html

Background
Aromatherapy massage is one of the most commonly used CAM therapies (Eisenburg 1998, Lundie
1994). The main purpose of using aromatherapy massage in cancer care is to improve the persons mental
well-being and quality of life.
Essential oils are volatile liquid substances that smell like the plant they are derived from. The oils are
extracted from the flowers, bark, leaves, roots or fruit depending on the type of plant. As essential oils are
highly concentrated, they are added to a base oil, such as almond or grapeseed oil before being used for
massage.
The use of essential oils, individually or in combination, is thought to reduce stress and promote overall
mental and physical wellbeing. Each essential oil has a different effect, for example, lavender is calming,
rosemary is stimulating. This happens through stimulation of the olfactory senses

The Evidence
There is level 3 evidence from two studies that massage or aromatherapy massage improves nausea in
people with cancer.

There is level 3 evidence from three studies that massage or aromatherapy massage improves pain in
people with cancer.
There is level 3 evidence from four studies that massage or aromatherapy massage reduces anxiety.
There is level 3 evidence from three studies that massage or aromatherapy massage improves distress or
quality of life in people with cancer.
There is contradictory evidence as to whether aromatherapy enhances the effects of massage.

Other Important Issues

Most of the benefits described were short term. Longer follow up studies are needed to determine whether
these short-term effects persist.
Care should be taken to monitor digestive problems during a course of massage. This is the only negative
effect reported in these studies. Despite the fact that some forms of massage involve substantial force,
massage is generally considered to have few adverse effects.
Contraindications for massage include deep vein thrombosis, burns, skin infections, eczema, open
wounds, bone fractures, and advanced osteoporosis (Cherkin 2003, Ernst 2002)
For more information: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/backgrounds/manipulative.htm

Key Messages
There is evidence that massage or aromatherapy massage may improve
nausea in people with cancer.

There is evidence that massage or aromatherapy massage may improve

pain in people with cancer.

There is evidence that massage or aromatherapy massage may reduce

anxiety in people with cancer.

There is evidence that massage or aromatherapy massage may reduce

distress and improve the quality of life in people with cancer.

Key: Levels of evidence

Source
The information in this summary was developed by assessing:
The Cochrane review: Aromatherapy and massage for symptom relief in patients with cancer. 2004
http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD002287/frame.html

Additional References
Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Deyo RA, et al. A review of the evidence for the effectiveness, safety,
and cost of acupuncture, massage therapy, and spinal manipulation for back pain. Annals of
Internal Medicine. 2003;138(11):898-906.
Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, et al. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United
States, 19901997: results of a follow-up national survey. Journal of the American Medical
Association. 1998; 280(18):1569-1575.
Ernst E. Manipulation of the cervical spine: a systematic review of case reports of serious
adverse events, 1995-2001. Medical Journal of Australia. 2002;176(8):376-380.
Lundie S. Introducing and applying aromatherapy within the NHS. The Aromatherapist 1994;
2:20-35.
White C, MacLeod U. ABC of psychological medicine: Cancer. BMJ 2002;325:377-380.

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substitute for seeking medical advice from a registered health practitioner.