Jenni Gilbert Never is a person more in need of TLC than when suffering a serious illness or debilitating physical or mental condition.
Having a beautiful massage or facial treatment, for instance, can renew body and spirit exponentially, make the recipient feel nurtured and special and, even if just for a short time, not a “patient” who feels “different” from everyone else.
However, many myths and misconceptions abound about what treatments are appropriate to perform on, say, a woman who is undergoing treatment for cancer or has recovered from cancer.
There can be great fear on both sides – the person seeking a treatment and the therapist performing it at a salon, spa or clinic – as we have discussed in previous SPA+CLINIC stories.
However, in the last 12 months particularly, we have noticed a growing interest in specialist oncology aesthetics training for therapists across the spectrum.
On May 18-19, derma aesthetics (distributors in Australia of dermaviduals skincare products and protocols) is hosting internationally acclaimed oncology aesthetics expert Morag Currin, from Canada, for a two-day certified oncology training event at their HQ in Sydney: 12/14 Rodborough Rd, Frenchs Forest, from 9am-4pm.
This certified program now consists of an online component which minimises your time away from your clinic. The online work on average will take two days and covers all the theory.
Morag will then conduct a live class ensuring you are well equipped with the practical applications to become a qualified Oncology Aesthetician. Cost is $899.
dermaviduals and Oncology Aesthetics
dermaviduals products are ideally placed to manage the changes that occur to the skin during cancer treatments.
Many people don’t know that each cancer treatment can cause the skin to react in different ways.
As a patient goes through each stage of therapy, they need their skin therapists to adapt the products they are applying to their skin to ensure they don’t overly suffer and also that the products will continue to assist repair of compromised skin.
About Oncology Training International
Oncology Training International empowers wellness and aesthetics practitioners to positively impact the lives of cancer patients with compassion and healing.
Oncology Training International has pioneered training programs to complement traditional skincare, spa, and wellness therapies, and is now the world leader in its field with an international reputation for innovation and revolutionary instruction methods.
The accreditation programs offered by Oncology Training International are revolutionising the wellness industry to be inclusive of people with cancer. It will help your clinic or spa welcome cancer patients – and treat them well.
THE RIGHT TOUCH
SPA+CLINIC also highly recommends Oncology Massage for Beauty Therapists training courses at regular intervals during the year, provided by Oncology Massage Ltd (a registered charity and not for profit).
“People with cancer themselves are often cautious about doing anything that sits outside what their doctor or oncologist have told them,” says says Kylie Ochsenbein, general manager and a director of Oncology Massage Ltd. “So they go without massage because they are afraid.
“But therapists with oncology massage training can see people with cancer at any stage of their treatment and will be skilled at taking specific medical histories so that they know what they can and can’t do.
“By proudly stating that therapists in a clinic have been trained to understand cancer and the treatments, current patients or those with a history of cancer will trust they are in the right place.”
The course teaches practitioners about the science of cancer, cancer treatments, appropriate products for cancer clients, and the importance of organic and safe massage techniques that trigger the relaxation response.
GOOD VIBRATIONS
Aside from massage and aesthetics treatments, holistic wellness modalities can make a very welcome adjunct to conventional treatment protocols of medications and often gruelling surgical and other medical procedures.
Take, for instance, sound therapy for cancer patients. We have written about this subject in general for SPA+CLINIC but, according to Spa Opportunities magazine, Christine Clinton Cancer Care (with branches in the US, Europe and Ireland) and US-based sound healing organisation Eastern Vibration have joined forces to bring healing touch and sound therapy to spa clients with cancer.
The Touch and Vibration for Cancer Care program was created to prevent those with cancer from being turned away or offered unsuitable treatments in a spa, such as nail and thermal experiences that are inappropriate for compromised immune systems.
Teaching therapists how to safely and effectively work with cancer clients in a spa setting, Christine Clinton is a massage therapist, skin care specialist, educator and entrepreneur.
She was trained at the renowned Sloan Kettering hospital in New York in medical massage for cancer clients, and has participated in workshops with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She is also chair of the Global Wellness Institute‘s Wellness for Children initiative.
Eastern Vibration was founded by Jahmaal Hays and later joined by spa and wellness pioneer and former director of spa for Oberoi Hotels, Christine Hays.
With their tool of choice the Himalayan singing bowl, along with the Ayur-Kansa, an Ayurvedic massage tool made of teak and the same metals as the singing bowl, the organisation is dedicated to bringing the healing benefits of sound therapy to spas, wellness centres and healthcare professionals worldwide.
The wellness professionals have joined together to educate spa professionals and, in turn, help those who have been diagnosed with cancer.
“There’s growing interest in using sound frequency to boost human health and research backs it up,” says Christine Hays. “This therapy can have profound healing benefit for those who have impaired immune systems.”
The Journal of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine published a review of 20 studies of brainwave entrainment and patient outcomes. The conclusion was that brainwave entrainment is an effective tool to use on cognitive functioning deficits, stress, pain, sleep disorders and headaches.
Christine Clinton adds: “We truly want wellness properties to embrace their ability to work with cancer clients and for them to have at least one service on their menu that caters to those with compromised health.”
