This is exactly the question that researchers have begun to explore.
During a recent lecture to members of the Fascia Research Society (of which, this author is a member), Dr. Stephanie Otto, PhD of ULM University Hospital in Germany, explained how some manual therapies can be beneficial to cancer patients. Specifically, the therapy must target the fascia, and the practitioner must use a global approach to overall stiffness and not a local approach to the tumour. (Although she didn’t name specific types of therapies, FST® takes this exact approach to stretching and mobility – a global approach!)
To understand how this type of treatment could be an effective adjunct, we first need to understand a few facts about fascia, the mechanisms of how cancer grows, and how it affects the fascia around it.
Fascia
- Fascia is the largest sensory organ in the body. Emotional and physical stressors can rearrange and damage fascia.
- Healthy fascia is maintained through regular movement in several planes, as well as through mindful practices in aid of emotional stress reduction. Stress is not inherently negative, so long as it is not sustained long-term.
Cancer
- While the body rests, cancer spreads more aggressively.
- Tumours thrive in stiff tissue for growth. When tumours grow, they realign the fascia surrounding it and therefore stiffen the fascial tissue. (When I asked if the cancer causes the tissue to stiffen or whether the stiffer tissue causes the cancer to spread more readily, Dr Otto responded that the answer is both. Since cancer spreads in stiff tissue more readily; it stiffens the tissue surrounding it, creating an environment for faster growth. So not only does it stiffen the tissue but tissue that is already stiff provides a great host for its growth.)
- Hypoxia (lack of oxygen to tissue) is a driver of cancer metastasis (growth of the cancer to secondary sites).
So, Dr Otto hypothesizes that part of an overall cancer treatment option prior to surgery should be to preserve fascial health in the following ways:
- Movement or Exercise Therapy as an effective way to keep fascia healthy. Healthy fascia needs movement to stay supple and to glide and slide as it should.
- Global Fascial Therapies (like FST®, Osteopathy, structural integration, etc. which keep the fascia supple, help oxygenate the tissue and keep inflammation down) should be effective in counteracting some of the effects of cancer
- Mind-body interventions (like meditation, yoga, LifeStretch, etc)
- Naturopathic interventions to help aid in self efficacy of treatment side-effects at home.
- Nutritional counselling to set good habits prior to cancer treatments.
Dr. Otto’s pilot study, “Prehabilitation in an Integrative Medicine Day Clinic [PRIME-DC] for Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Treatment: Single-Center Feasibility Pilot Study” concluded that it “is a promising concept to address many unmet needs of patients undergoing neoadjuvant treatment, combining aspects of movement therapy, naturopathic treatment, naturopathic counseling, dietary advice, and other lifestyle modifications like stress management.”
She further indicated during her lecture that her next steps would be to study manual therapies and their full effects on treating cancer patients via fascial health.
Until next time… ~ breathe ~ move ~ unwind ~
