Massage & Bodywork

MAY | JUNE 2022

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L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 89 side effects that could best be addressed by massage therapy, acupuncture, and other less- invasive supportive care. She also knew and argued that this approach was an essential aspect of optimal, ethical care. Deeply curious and unflinchingly honest, Dr. Cassileth was a member of American Cancer Society's Subcommittee on Questionable Methods of Cancer Management and an adviser to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Alternative Medicine, now called the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. She drew a very clear distinction between "alternative" and "complementary," arguing (and researching) ardently in support of massage therapy's role in improving the experience of illness. She spoke out against diets and other so-called "natural cures" for cancer and other illnesses that purported to cleanse the body of "toxins," saying, "It is malpractice on the part of public health services to offer an untested, unscientific method as a real alternative." Dr. Cassileth was the founder and longtime chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York (where many massage therapists are on staff to this day!). She began arguing for what became known as "whole person" care in the 1970s and she never stopped working for a world where that was the only kind of care that existed, including the presence of massage therapists in that care. In the early 1960s, she started a palliative care program at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center . . . long before palliative care was cool. (Oh, wait . . . it's still not cool . . . but it's getting there!) She founded and served as the president of the Society for Integrative Oncology and was also the director of the National Cancer Institute's first training program in integrative oncology. "It was always clear that patients and family members need more than excellent surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and all the new treatments," Dr. Cassileth said. "Top-notch cancer care, including the now-accessible complementary modalities, is a vastly updated new world." She made that world. She showed that it was possible, and she advocated for it her entire career. If we're looking for someone to induct into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame, we need look no further than this physician and research champion who opened more doors than we may ever know for an improved experience of illness and for massage therapists to be a nonnegotiable aspect of that experience. Thank you, Dr. Cassileth. Note 1. Barrie R. Cassileth and Andrew J. Vickers, "Massage Therapy for Symptom Control: Outcome Study at a Major Cancer Center," Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 28, no. 3 (September 2004): 244–9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2003.12.016. Cal Cates is an educator, writer, and speaker on topics ranging from massage therapy in the hospital setting to end-of-life care and massage therapy policy and regulation. A founding director of the Society for Oncology Massage from 2007–2014 and current executive director and founder of Healwell, Cates works within and beyond the massage therapy community to elevate the level of practice and integration of massage overall and in health care specifically. Cates also is the co-creator of the podcasts Massage Therapy Without Borders and Interdisciplinary. TAKEAWAY: Barrie Cassileth, PhD, a pioneer in the field of oncology massage research, passed away on February 26, 2022. Author Cal Cates offers their thoughts on Dr. Cassileth's life and the lasting impact of her research. If we're looking for someone to induct into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame, we need look no further than this physician and research champion who opened more doors than we may ever know.

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