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Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) Phase 1 Upcoming Events

You may have noticed my absence for a couple of weeks, and I'm sorry about that. I don't expect it to continue. Right now the MTBOK Task Force is keeping themselves, and me, quite busy.

As you may know, we are working to create Phase 1 of the first Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) created by and for the Massage Therapy community. Although the content we develop is independent, we are sponsored by six "Steward" organizations who have pooled their resources and joined to get… Continue

Added by Chip Hines on August 24, 2009 at 10:54am — No Comments

my Blog

www.massageandbodywork.wordpress.com

Check it out!

Added by Hillary Kate Arrieta on August 23, 2009 at 9:24am — No Comments

Elections Here, There, and Everywhere

This past week the North Carolina Board of Massage & Bodywork Therapy, of which I am a member, held our annual elections. Last weekend, at our state chapter meeting of AMTA, we had those board elections, and the national AMTA has also just released their ballots and candidate bios.

To me it is a disturbing fact that the same people seem to cycle through every position at the state and national levels. Several of the national candidate bios said things like "I have been an… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on August 23, 2009 at 7:12am — No Comments

Re: Massage Apparel

Thanks to all for the suggestions. Looks like I'll be going shopping and now I have some great ideas to try!
Peace
susan kalima

Added by Susan J. Wise on August 22, 2009 at 8:52pm — No Comments

U.S. Department of Education Releases New Research Finding Online Education More Effective than Traditional Face-to-Face Education

The U.S. Department of Education has published a new study that found “online learning has been modestly more effective, on average, than the traditional face-to-face instruction with which it has been compared.” (p.51)

The 93-page meta-analysis examined 99 comparative studies conducted between 1996 and 2008. Some of the studies were done in K-12 settings but most of them were done in colleges and adult continuing education programs, including military and medical… Continue

Added by Sharon Burch (Saranagati) on August 20, 2009 at 1:49pm — 6 Comments

TOMA ( teaching Orthopedic Massage overseas

Looking for fellow massage therapists that are interested in Volunteer teaching Medical Massage to developing nations.
We would target medical personel that work in clinics with limited medical facilities for injuries.
What I am specifically looking for are massage therapists with contacts in foreign countries so we can make plans
to visit their country and teach Orthopedic massage.
Please contact me if you can help or join in.
d"jango

Added by django sanders on August 20, 2009 at 10:49am — 1 Comment

Making Your Massage Career Last - Part 2

In a previous post I wrote about two secrets for staying in practice for the long haul: knowing your limitations and diversifying your work. Although those are both great ideas for giving longevity to your massage career, they alone are not what has kept me working beside the table for so long. Here are a couple more ideas:

Work only with clients that you enjoy. I have the best clients in the world. They educate, energize and enthuse me in a way I would have never expected… Continue

Added by Felicia Brown on August 20, 2009 at 3:56am — 2 Comments

Expect More, with Les - August 18, 2009

Ideas On the Run - Food for thought from the road.

Added by Les Sweeney on August 18, 2009 at 10:15pm — No Comments

Comparing Massage Chairs

I am currently looking to buy a massage chair. I am debating between 2 different chairs offered on massagewarehouse.com. The first is the NRG grasshopper which is less expensive and the other is the stronglite ergo pro chair which is more money. I'm looking for information on either one of the chairs. Im debating whether it is worth it to spend the more money for the ergo chair or if I will be just as happy using the less expensive grasshopper? I do not need anything flashy I just need a chair… Continue

Added by Ginnette Ryan on August 18, 2009 at 3:38pm — 8 Comments

Massage apparel

To have a network of massage professionals is wonderful! I am thrilled to now be working full time in massage. I find clothing can be distracting. As I bend and move during a session, my pants sometimes pull at the knees. It seems that cotton sweat pants move and stretch the best, but not professional looking enough. Does anyone else have this issue? Any solutions?

Added by Susan J. Wise on August 18, 2009 at 6:43am — 5 Comments

Does long distance running damage the knee's cartilage?

Interesting Runner's Knee study that one of my teachers sent me today...what's your experience with this condition?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/phys-ed-can-running-actually-help-your-knees/?em

Added by Erik Dalton on August 17, 2009 at 12:49pm — 8 Comments

Websites

I frequently get compliments on my website from massage therapists. When they found out that I have done most of the work myself (my husband did a little of it too), they are shocked! With ibuilt.net, you don't have to know HTML code (what the heck is that??? most of us wonder). If you're thinking about doing a website but don't know where to start, check them out. You have a free 10 day trial period.

No, I don't work for ibuilt. I'm just suggesting that if you want to market… Continue

Added by Mary-Claire Fredette on August 16, 2009 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Home-Study Conundrum

Here's a topic that's been hotly-debated among many educators. Please join in by visiting my blog at http://massagemag.com/massage-blog/tech-talk/2009/08/14/home-study-conundrum/#comment-514. I've posted some 'teaser' comments by Art Riggs and Tom Myers on this controversial subject. Also check out the insightful comments by Whitney Lowe @ http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=7523&catid=251&title=home-study-ce-conundrum

Here's a sample of my contribution after… Continue

Added by Erik Dalton on August 14, 2009 at 4:34pm — 54 Comments

Massage Therapy Programs Experience Rise in Enrollment

U.S. Department of Labor reports that employment opportunities for massage therapists are expected to rise by 20% by 2016. Coupled with the fact that 45% of women and 21% of men reported receiving a massage within the last five years, the projected rise in demand for massage therapist certainly seems to make sense. Read full article here.

Added by Lisa Curran Parenteau on August 14, 2009 at 12:17pm — No Comments

Guest speaker for AMTA in KY

Yay! I'm excited to announce that I'll be a guest speaker for the Kentucky chaper of the AMTA at their spring conference in March. It'll be a 3 hour class on Bamboo-fusion.

Added by Mary-Claire Fredette on August 13, 2009 at 10:37am — No Comments

How Important is Documentation?

A colleague and I were discussing the importance of documenting massage sessions this morning, so I decided to throw the question out there: How important is documentation?

I can tell you that in my practice, it is extremely important; I have more than a dozen practitioners, and clients may be seen by more than one person. We also file insurance and get a lot of doctor and dentist referrals, and you simply cannot conduct that type of business unless you are willing to keep careful… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on August 13, 2009 at 8:29am — 4 Comments

Online CEUs for hands-on?

I'm sure it is possible to get a good quality education through reading or online if one is self motivated. Certainly, courses abound for those massage therapists who can't get to classes for one reason or another. Travel expenses, time off of work, babysitting issues, etc. can make it difficult (if not nearly impossible) to take a CEU class.

Because I am licensed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, I am required to have 3 hours of ethics every 2 years. My first time, I took a "book"… Continue

Added by Mary-Claire Fredette on August 12, 2009 at 9:00pm — 3 Comments

Hearing your suggestions

I often write articles for Massage & Bodywork and I also write the back page column (Practitioner Parables.) I've brainstormed a bunch of ideas for future columns but I'd also be interested in hearing your suggestions here. Is there a topic you'd like me to address through the column? Is there an issue or aspect of politics or practice that you feel needs to be explored?

What topic would you like to read about and what are your thoughts and… Continue

Added by Robert Chute on August 12, 2009 at 8:37pm — 2 Comments

Ashi-Thai foot photo

I think this is a cool picture of Ashi-Thai. It's one of the very few strokes in this modality that is actually skin on skin. Perfect for stretching out the client's gastrocnemius!

Added by Mary-Claire Fredette on August 11, 2009 at 9:06pm — 3 Comments