In Summer 2023, I was enrolled in Historical and Cultural Foundations of Integrative Health at ASU. In the first couple weeks, we studied the origins and philosophies of various mind-body medicine practices and complimentary medical systems such as Ayurveda and Native American traditions and practices. The following was my discussion on the topic, applying it to my career and professional role, and how the knowledge I gained will change or impact the way I deliver (or plan to deliver) care to patients. 

I worked as a massage therapist providing a blend of neuromuscular massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation and reiki energy work at UCI’s Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute for two and half years, and it mostly felt like an incredible paid internship.

This week’s reading has re-sparked my interest and practice as a master-level Reiki practitioner. Since the beginning of the 2023, I have studied pediatric massage and oncology massage. Oncology massage isn’t a specialized protocol of bodywork to perform, but rather a knowledge base and skillset to assess and safely apply massage therapy to people living through cancer treatment, in recent recovery, or cancer survivors. As I got through my studies though, it dawned on me how oncology massage therapy epitomizes integrative health, especially the various forms of bodywork. 

Oncology massage incorporates relaxing Swedish massage within a pressure range that is safe yet satisfying, acupressure points for alleviation of anxiety, nausea, and fatigue, craniosacral therapy is gentle enough to be safe for this demographic, and reiki energy work provides comforting and relaxing spiritual comfort.

I found an interesting discussion article from the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine discussing the inclusion of integrative therapies alongside western oncological care, specifically involving Ayurvedic medicine in their Integrative Oncology department. The article discussed how prevalent the use of Ayurveda is in India, the journal’s country of origin, but also how prevalent the use of integrative and complimentary therapies are, and some of the benefits of being integrative. 

“The anxiety of patients about the side effects or adverse effects of the modern oncology treatments… keep them looking for [integrative therapies] as safer options.” 

The article also discusses the lack of clinical research and evidence-base some of these therapies have, and how including them anyways can still be beneficial. 

“The advantage of the inclusion of [integrative therapies]/Ayurveda Physician in the multidisciplinary team keeps all diagnostic and treatment data together along with the follow up data as well as surveillance date.”

It is inspiring to see that the demand for integrative therapies and complimentary health systems such as Ayurveda is creating a situation that will incorporate these practices in the places that are set up to advance both the individual fields, but also the existing collective knowledge of health and well-being. (Wanjarkhedkar et al., 2023)

When reading about how “the focus on the senses and their primary role on a person’s well-being is unique to” Ayurvedic medicinal practices, I couldn’t help but to compare it to massage (Pinzon-Perez & Pérez, 2016, pg. 125). My typical massage at my private office will involve the application of manual therapies, using cream that has a subtle scent of ivy, the lights are dim but the blues walls have a set of paintings of a sprawling blossom tree, relaxing piano music plays in the background, and a lamp is in the corner that can be any color (I usually have it set to purple) as well as a salt lamp on the countertop. While none of this is specific or individualized, it was interesting to think about engaging with all the senses, and how I already engage with sight, sound, smell and touch.

It has me considering how I could adjust and customize all these features, and how I could incorporate taste. Perhaps I’ll start having a selection of hot tea before or after the session. It is certainly something to consider.

References

Pinzon-Perez, H., & Pérez, M. A. (2016). Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Health: A Multicultural Perspective. John Wiley & Sons.

Wanjarkhedkar, P., Kulkarni, P., Hingmire, S., Deshmukh, C., Pawar, S., Melinkeri, S., Prabhakaran, A., Baheti, A., Pingley, S., Shende, S., & Kelkar, D. (2023). Integrative Cancer Care Unit: An institutional experiment towards Integrative Oncology. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 100714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100714

For more information:

Ayurveda Information for Mount Sinai - https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/treatment/ayurveda

Integrative Medicine at City of Hope - https://www.cityofhope.org/patients/living-with-cancer/wellness-during-and-after-cancer-treatment/integrative-therapies

UCI's Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute - https://ssihi.uci.edu/