Inheriting the Desire to Serve and Touch - Why some of us become massage professionals.

This last week my father also celebrated his 40th year in practice as a chiropractor (Forty years!). In 1969, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Palmer College of Chiropractic and opened his practice in my small rural Iowa hometown at the ripe age of 23. At that time, the chiropractic profession was only seventy years old. The day he opened his practice, my mom saw a car pull up in his parking lot from their home down the street. Her excitement was later dampened when she found out it was just his parents sending congratulatory flowers. He did have one patient that day, two then next day, and from what I hear he has been busy ever since. I attribute his success to his genuine care for every person who walks in his door and his confidence in his profession and the body’s ability to heal itself.

I thought about all of the changes he has seen in his profession in forty years. He has seen increased insurance reimbursement. There has also been a change where most doctors warned their patients to avoid chiropractic care to many doctors who encourage chiropractic treatments. He has seen the overall public acceptance of chiropractic as a health care profession. Any of these sound familiar massage therapists? I know it has not always been easy for him to deal with skeptics and the negative impact of unethical practitioners. Again, does this sound familiar? We massage professionals have a lot in common with the chiropractic profession, similar struggles, benefits, and goals. I am excited to see the changes our profession will see in my next thirty years.

So, congratulations Dad on your amazing achievement!

I think this is my last week for nostalgic blogging for a while. Last week I celebrated my massage practice anniversary, as well as my 30th birthday. It is hard to believe I spent my entire 20’s as a massage professional. In my 30 years, I have been truly blessed to be surrounded by positive, healing touch. I know there are many more of you out there with reflexologists, massage therapists, or chiropractors, in your family that have encouraged, inspired, or passed their genes onto you. I certainly know where I inherited my desire to help and serve others through touch. Where did you get your inspiration to touch? Was it someone in your family, a friend, or stranger who nudged you into the field?

Ivy Alcott-Hultquist

Advanced Massage Techniques