Janet Penny

If a Patient Doesn't Feel Safe… Clinical touch is about presence and permission. The nervous systems knows the difference. What The Tao of Clinical Touch Adds to Our Understanding of Oncology Massage Every now and then, a book comes along that reminds us massage therapy is about far more than the techniques. The Tao of Clinical Touch (Drew Freedman, 2026) shifts our attention to something deeper than technique: the quality of our presence and the relationship we create with the person in our...

Compression garments are HOT in the summer! As oncology massage-trained therapists, we often notice things about our clients before they do. This summer, some of them may be feeling the heat differently — more intensely, more unpredictably — and they may not know why. We do. And sharing that knowledge is one of the most meaningful things we can offer. Cancer treatments and heat Cancer treatments — including chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and many medications — can...

Safe oncology massage is less about knowing every detail of our client's signs and symptoms, and more about responding to their needs on the day of the massage. A few basic questions can distill the information we need, and guide us in adapting pressure, position, duration and site to ensure safe, individualized massage. 1. What Is happening in our client’s body right now? Two clients with the same type of cancer may have completely different treatment histories, side effects, energy levels,...