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Dance Therapy for Mesothelioma

Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation; these are the traditional treatments recommended upon a mesothelioma diagnosis. Any doctor would consider them first, but these are not the only ones. Often people with mesothelioma go for a duo of the traditional and alternative therapies to control and manage the pain effectively. Together they make a significant element of the mesothelioma management plan. People find many therapies effectively reduce the stress of the whole cancer episode. These alternative treatments like Dance Therapy establish a body-mind balance that contributes to the overall success of mesothelioma treatment. Some people dance to lose some weight, while others express. The perception and purpose of dance vary from one person to the other. However, dance may help you deal with the mesothelioma symptoms tactfully.

Dance Therapy has been introduced as a medical therapy in 1942 by a woman named Marian Chace. To put it on a normal footing the American Dance Therapy Association was set up in 1956. Presently, the count of dance therapists in the U.S has crossed 1,200. They encourage the patients to express their feelings through dance, observe their movements and then decides upon the best dance therapy routine. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has picked dance therapy as a part of the Medicare facilities in 1996. Both the federal government and the medical community have embraced the value of dance therapy.

The therapists can help the individuals in counseling centers, health centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and so on. Speak to your doctor first. He will tell you if you are healthy enough to include the new therapy into your on-going treatment plan or not.

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How Does Dance Therapy Help People with Mesothelioma?

Any malignant ailment exploits the patient both physically as well as emotionally. Diseases like mesothelioma cause extreme anxiety and despair. The disease along with its treatment could be weakening. Some of the treatments like EPP requires the patient to take absolute bed rest. Lack of movements weakens the body muscles and reduces the person’s capability to live independently. Under such situation, dance not only helps the patient to express and drain out the anxiety but also provide mobility. It reduces muscle tension and improves the coordination.

Dance also help the patient to reinstate the lost self-confidence. It strengthens the immune system of the body and thus prevents diseases. Apart from that, it improves the patient’s lost appetite and boosts the energy level.

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Expected Cost of Dance Therapy

It depends if you are consulting a dance therapist privately or in a group. However, an individual private session for one hour could range from $60 to $100 or more. If you are going for a group session, then it is likely to cost you much less.

Stats & Side Effects of Dance Therapy

Not any dance teacher can be a dance therapist. Only one with a master’s degree in Dance and Movement Therapy who meets all the requirements laid by ADTA (www.adta.org) is eligible to become a Board Certified Dance and Movement Therapist. It can help anyone no matter what the age is, but it is extremely useful for those who are incapable of expressing themselves verbally. It helps people to strengthen physically, emotionally and psychologically. Just confirm with your doctor before signing in for a dancing session.

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Show Sources

Resources:

  1. https://adta.org/
  2. http://www.cochrane.org/CD007103/GYNAECA_dancemovement-therapy-for-cancer-patients
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16236009
  4. http://cancer.ucsf.edu/support/crc/healing-through-dance
  5. https://www.temple.edu/boyer/research-center/documents/DanceTxCancer.pdf
Last Modified: Apr 14, 2017 @ 12:05 am

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