During the procedure, something went wrong – the girl eventually lost her child, and six months later she died.
Thai dancer and model Viravan Kedkesri was only 25 years old. She was experiencing a happy time – she was expecting the birth of her second baby. Viravan was already six months old when she decided to go to the salon for a foot massage: she was already very swollen and filled with the weight of her legs. And massage in Thailand is a way of life.
But something went wrong. In the middle of the procedure, the expectant mother suddenly fainted. The frightened masseuse called an ambulance, and before the arrival of the doctors tried to give Viravan artificial respiration. But it didn’t work. The doctors took the girl to the hospital. Her condition worsened by the minute: while still in the car, she had a stroke, and her heart stopped. The consequences were dire. Viravan lost her child. She never regained consciousness, fell into a coma.
The hospital was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism and ischemic stroke. The arteries that supplied the brain with blood and oxygen were blocked. Viravan could not even breathe on her own, she had to connect the girl to a life support apparatus. Relatives were constantly on duty nearby: they watched, suddenly there would be at least some signs of an improvement in his condition. But day after day, nothing changed. Consciousness never returned to Viravan.
Six months later, the relatives made a difficult decision – to disconnect the girl from the life support apparatus. Viravan had a five-year-old son, for all six months he did not leave his mother’s bed, waiting for her to return. But the miracle did not happen.
A police investigation was launched against the masseuse: local experts are convinced that Thai massage cannot harm a pregnant woman if it is performed by a professional with a medical license. “The specialist will always be able to assess the patient’s condition and stop if something suddenly goes wrong,” said the head of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.
But Western doctors believe that neither massage nor any other practices of alternative medicine can be used without consulting your obstetrician-gynecologist.
“No type of alternative therapy can replace traditional medical care,” say experts from the UK’s National Health Service. “It is very important to see your doctor regularly throughout your pregnancy and to consult with him about any additional procedures.”
“You have to be very careful with wraps and massages. There are no contraindications for manipulations above the abdomen. But if the masseur touches the legs, then a good specialist is needed here who will not harm. Mechanical “pushing” of lymph from below to the pelvis and inguinal lymph nodes is potentially dangerous.
Pregnant women often experience discomfort in the lower back and pelvis. Retention of fluid in the body provokes edema, and forced sleep on the side – aches in the muscles of the neck. The massage helps to relax the muscles in the back and bring the body into balance. “