Things that made me go "Hmmmmmmm....." - MT Research in CIM Part II

"Hmmm...." can be said in many different ways, right?

It can be a good "Hmmmm...." from a "I gotta think about this" perspective. It can be a surprising "Hmmmm....." and unfortunately sometimes it can be a disappointing "Hmmmmmm...".

Here are a list of some of the things that got that reaction, the type of "Hmmmm...." and why!

* The role of massage therapy in public health. Hmm-Type: Made me think, had me ask questions of the big picture and where we're going.

There was no doubt that the general consensus of opinion at the conference is that we are healthcare providers and a panel discussion on that highlighted that. Now, I confess to NOT being a big-picturey type of person. Langevin's presentation that morning and her discussion on the action of the fibroblasts in the connective tissue is more my bag - I love that stuff. The big picture stuff? Not so much, BUT I know I need to pay attention to it because I know what goes on in the outside affects my business. I was totally unaware of the fight that had to be done in WA state for massage to be covered by health insurance. And so the whole health insurance question made me say "Hmmmm." with regard to my own business. What way will things go here? I might have to rethink my direction. The panel also covered the role of massage practitioners in public health, which is really something I'd never really given much thought to. The scope of practice issue with regards to educating the public on their general health came up. What I got from this is that maybe I can have my clients be more aware of what they are doing in their lives. I couldn't see myself ever advising people on their habits regarding nutrition or exercise, but maybe doing more to highlight their habits might help make them make better choices? Also, as far as impact, volunteer work was brought up from the audience and I'm a big believer in that. So our roles in public health was something I'd never really given much thought to - but I'm thinking about it now! The big question I had is the disparity over the education levels of the therapists in the U.S. and the impact of that alone in that alone..

* How do we do research? Hmmm-type: surprise.

I'm going to cover this in another post, but let's just say that I'm starting to think I'm an oddity in being drawn to research that involves having control for the placebo effect. Howzat for a surprise! How it's done is a biggie for sure. More to come on that topic......

*Low back pain - relaxation massage just as effective as structurally-oriented work? Hmmm-type: surprise

OK, so this is one of those studies (and there were many covered on LBP) that's controversial, right? Think of all those classes that we've gone to in order to get better techniques to help with LBP and maybe a relaxing massage can do as much good. VERY INTERESTING!!! The study is...CONTINUE