a community of practitioners

July 2009 Blog Posts (70)

Working in Chronic Pain

lately I've been thinking a lot about being a bodyworker with a chronic pain condition. I suffer from Fibromyalgia and I find that when I am working, I feel better. It's when I get home from work and attempt to relax that I am in the most pain. Most recently I had a flare-up that caused me to have to go home early from work one day. I am so tired of being in constant pain and being tired all the time. I have worked hard to not be labeled as disabled and I became a bodyworker because of my… Continue

Added by Kelly Tedrow on July 31, 2009 at 3:00am — 3 Comments

Movement as Medicine: Body Wisdom for Modern Times By Jamie McHugh, RSME

We live in exciting times. In the last 30 years, scientific knowledge of the human body has grown tremendously. Applications in the fields of bodywork, sports psychology and the somatic arts have similarly blossomed. You may not know many of these new developments in movement awareness and expression. Yet, it is worth the effort to find out about them as personal collaboration with your body is essential for ongoing health and well-being as you age.

Many of us are ignorant about our… Continue

Added by ASIS Massage Education on July 30, 2009 at 1:35pm — No Comments

The Gains and Pains of Energy Exchange

I'm sorry this took so long. I spent some time in Tampa recently at a Facilitated Pathways Intervention class given by Flo Barber her paradigm shifting work is amazing. I'll be devoting a post entirely to her work in the future.

Of late we've been covering energy at it's most basic. Now we move on to managing our energy exchanges with others. Energy exchanges occur at all levels between friends, family, clients and clerks. Literally every one all the time. Humans, as a means of self… Continue

Added by Ruthellen Wood on July 30, 2009 at 11:02am — No Comments

Fibromyalgia and drug based therapies

In the dying throes of 'pharmaceutical' ruled medicine, the purposefull interaction of therapists with tradiotional medicine can eliminate problems for both.

Many of my clients have come with complaints and somatic symptoms that are related to drug based therapies they have been put on by medical professionals.

One of the most common mistakes is being prescribed by multiple agencies that aren't aware of what the other is doing. What usually results is overmedication and… Continue

Added by Stev Pitt on July 29, 2009 at 6:30pm — 1 Comment

Expect More, With Les - In a Big Country - July 29, 2009

In a Big Country
Exploring the wide-open spaces, literally or figuratively, can help you find your center and keep you effective in your day-to-day work.

Added by Les Sweeney on July 29, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Massage Music

Hi,

I am looking for some new music. Any recommendations?

Kate

Added by Kate White on July 29, 2009 at 5:31am — 3 Comments

Starting Body Work

I have Joined A great Day Spa in Topeka. I am currently working at,
Elite Illusions full service Day Spa and Salon
785-233-2390
2018 N. Topeka Blvd.
Topeka KS. 66608
please spread the good word :)
Thanks, Adam

Added by Adam Shane Mayhew on July 28, 2009 at 9:15pm — No Comments

"Diet Trumps Genes" in the book, "Biology of Belief"

For years I have worked with my massage mentor, Stephen Yates, here in Lexington, KY. We exchange information on the lastest massage modalities, nutrition, astrology and he is everything that I could ask for in a leader. It just happens to be that we were born on the same day but one generation apart. Recently he has given me a book called the Biology of Belief, by Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. Lipton is a renown cell biologist and he describes his research and the implications of a new science called… Continue

Added by Shelly Slocum on July 28, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Effective, Holistic Injury Prevention for Massage Therapists

I'm really pleased to see that the subject of self-care and injury prevention has already been raised on this great new site. That confirms the importance of the subject to all students and professionals, particularly during these tough economic times when being able to protect your investment in your training and your career are more important than ever.

It's always gratifying to see people talking about the principles I introduced in Save Your Hands! in 1995: thinking of yourself… Continue

Added by Lauriann Greene, CEAS on July 27, 2009 at 4:23pm — No Comments

Belief about soft tissue

The belief you have about soft tissue is important in how you use your body to apply pressure. Soft tissues of the body respond to touch and when applied in an artful manner, a healing response can occur. Massage therapy and bodywork require a comprehensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology and a variety of approaches to the treatment of soft tissue. Expert knowledge in the bodywork field involves both intuition and intelligence to be successful. You must investigate all possible techniques… Continue

Added by Karina Braun on July 27, 2009 at 1:04pm — No Comments

How do you take care of yourself?

I was just teaching to a group of massage therapists and was amazed how many of them in the class

do not or never get massage. Hmmm? The excuse is they have no time.

When asked how they convince their clients they should come regularly they explained how maintenance is important, consistency is preventative etc.

When I asked what their biggest fear in their profession was????? They said burnout, wrist hurting and forgetting why they became a massage… Continue

Added by Gloria Coppola on July 25, 2009 at 11:12pm — 19 Comments

Making Your Massage Career Last - Part I

I've been in practice since 1994, a few years longer than I originally planned. Initially I thought I would retire from doing hands-on work after about seven or eight years to focus on managing the busy (and demanding) day spa I opened in 1996. But even as my spa grew to a staff of almost fifty before I sold it four years ago, I never could make the decision to walk away from my massage practice.

Now, fifteen years after I saw my very first paying client, I am actually building my… Continue

Added by Felicia Brown on July 25, 2009 at 7:31am — No Comments

Dermagenetics is making a big hit at large spas.

For all of the massage therapists out there, who work at a large spa or work with skin care products for your clients congradulations because the skin care field is improving all of the time. First introduced in 2005 (but not sold to the general public), the Dermagenetics Skin Care System is the first comprehensive system of personalized (mass customized) skin care product manufacturing based on genetic testing that measures single nucleotide polymorphisms (pronounced “snips”) in… Continue

Added by Shelly Slocum on July 24, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

NUTRITION RULES by John Ogle

NUTRITION RULES by John Ogle

In the unforgettable words of Jack LaLanne, “. . . exercise is the king and nutrition is the queen.” He nailed that comparison. In life, as in the game of chess, Regina is much more influential than Rex.

Nutrition can compensate for sloth much better than exercise can overcome bad food. In today’s world, how much of which foods you put in your mouth determines roughly 60% of your level of health. Even the American Medical Association… Continue

Added by ASIS Massage Education on July 23, 2009 at 12:47pm — 3 Comments

Craniosacral Therapy by Heidi Wilson

Describing what a craniosacral therapy session feels like is not easy. A recent client of mine said, “It feels like being in the womb of the world!” Words like “peaceful, relaxed, balanced, centered, free, calm” are often used to describe the experience of a session.

You might think of receiving craniosacral work for numerous types of symptoms or conditions. Headaches, low back pain, symptoms from injuries, recovery from surgeries, nervous system disorders, brain injuries, spinal… Continue

Added by ASIS Massage Education on July 23, 2009 at 12:34pm — No Comments

Ethics Violations.

Here's my latest attempt at making a video, about …

Continue

Added by Laura Allen on July 23, 2009 at 12:31pm — 1 Comment

Evidence-Based Practice

I have been observing and participating in discussions about the Evidence-Based Practice of Massage Therapy on several different Internet groups lately. It’s interesting to see the interactions between those who think the scientific approach is the only way to go, and those who think the fact that massage makes people feel good is the only evidence that’s needed. And of course there are some who take the middle ground. I probably belong to the latter group.

I think research is… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on July 23, 2009 at 9:09am — 2 Comments

Test

test

Added by Zac on July 22, 2009 at 6:19pm — No Comments

Expect More, with Les

Do They Like Massage, or Want to Like Massage?
Identifying potential clients will help focus your marketing efforts.

Added by Les Sweeney on July 22, 2009 at 6:33am — No Comments

E=MC2 What Einstien knew about massage

OK, that's it! Relativity?! Some one obviously fell down and hit their head! Keep the linens on your table and we'll take a stroll back to high school science. We all remember that E is energy and M is matter. Right? The sign in the middle is equals. Einstein theorized and subsequently proved that matter contains energy and energy contains matter. Therefore all things including ourselves and our clients are made of matter and contain energy. In physics when matter interacts with other matter it… Continue

Added by Ruthellen Wood on July 21, 2009 at 3:35pm — No Comments