Archive for 'Massage Therapy' Category
We Need More Articles Like This One
19 April 2011This article titled Massage Therapists are not Masseuse’s is exactly right, even if it is in Canada, the US faces the same issue. The general public is vastly out of the loop when it comes to the use of these terms regarding Massage. So it causes great confusion to the people who need a professional massage therapists help. The media uses the terms Masseuse and Massage Therapist interchangeably and there is a huge need for distinction, even in some legislative bills in some states.
A trained/certified and licenses Massage Therapist is a person that can help you with your everyday stresses, aches and pains in regards to muscles. A Masseuse or Masseur is deemed the untrained, working out of the scope of practice of a regular Massage Therapist that performs extra services involving sexual misconducts.
100% of the time when I personally educate people about this distinction, they have no idea of the difference. They just figure the name has no meaning and the individual either does or does not include “Extra” services.
Lets educate and inform, so we can all move out of archaic thinking….
The Federation of Massage New Contributions to the Industry
11 April 2011The FSMTB has announced the MPA or Model Practice Act and CE Approval Program. The Federation has always maintained that their goal is to Protect the public and create reciprocity and standards of practice for the benefit of the Industry. Organizing these programs is another intricate stepping stone for marked improvements in the Massage Community goals.
The CE Approval Program will be assisted by the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education or AFMTE. While the CE program focuses their efforts on the therapists, the MPA will focus on educating and supporting the State Boards and the legislative efforts. No good deed goes unnoticed and the FSMTB is living up to their promises. Thanks for the continued hard work, It shows.
Each Massage A New Experience
23 March 2011Once you have gone through a massage curriculum, you have learned things that are ingrained. The powers of therapeutic touch and the many techniques used to manipulate the muscles to get them to relax never truly leave your mind. Even when two therapists have been instructed by the same teacher, they come away with their own way of looking at a pathology and what they would do in order to relieve the negative symptoms and strengthen the weaknesses. That is why it is imperative that after you graduate you get massages from other therapists and take interesting continuing education classes. What one therapist is attracted to could not even enter the mind of another.
When you do get a chance to massage another therapist, don’t be shy, give them your best treatment. Who cares if they have practiced more or less then you or went to this school or had this mentor. We each have a gift we can offer, we are all talented in different ways and as such have individual touch that will bring about good because we all focus on doing no harm. There is no room for thinking about them stilling a technique you have perfected or negative shop talk. When coming away from a massage they want what anyone wants…. To feel good and enjoy the experience. Every situation you are in has the potential to teach you something. If you go away with nothing then it is your own fault.
Referrals are one of the ways your clients will know that you are looking out for their best interest. Some will say I only want to come to you and others will give it a try. Most of the time when I refer, it is to an Acupuncturist or Chiropractor. When I am unavailable I do give them other alternatives to massage if needed. If you don’t have a list of referrals, that might be something you can do this year. Search out the best and get the networking going. Truly find people you yourself would go to if you had a need for their services.
Make your Massage practice one of the best experiences your clients will rely on.
Massage Exams Reviewed
15 March 2011Each state that is regulated is regulated by a Board. Each Board has laws, rules and regulations set forth to govern the profession. The day will come when reciprocity or portability between states will be made easy, but it is not yet. Organizations and building blocks are being established and will continue to grow the Massage industry. The support and education of each individual Massage Therapists is not only wanted but needed. This education begins at the place of education, the schools that offer the curriculum.
So many educators are not “In-The-Know” when it comes to preparing their students for what comes after their education. Following are Ten Misconceptions about the massage licensing exams.
First Misconception:
NCETMB/NCETM is a National exam- meaning every state accepts it; Wrong, just because it has the word National in the title of the exam, it does not mean that it is accepted everywhere. As it stands right now if you wish to perform Massage Therapy in a state you have to check off the state requirements before obtaining a license to practice within that state, even if you are visiting as a practitioner or an instructor you must check in with the state board to do so.
Second Misconception:
The MBLEx gives me a License to practice Massage in my state; The MBLEx or Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination is a License issued when you have passed the standardized exam and shows you have a basic education, competent enough to start your practice. After receiving a passing score you must then give the results to the state along with your application to obtain a license to practice within your state. A certification is issued by regulated organizations and a license is issued by government regulated agency. The MBLEx is administered by the FSMTB or Federation of Massage Therapy Boards a group of all the government state Massage Boards. The NCETMB is a certificate of passing from the NCBTMB or National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork organization.
Third Misconception:
Reciprocity is easy; If you have been practicing Massage in your state with a current valid license you will have a better time with moving to another state and obtaining a license to practice. You must contact the new state and check off the license requirements. If you are short 100 hours of schooling, you may need to go back to school. Again this is left up to the discretion of the board regulations so contacting them is always key. They may accept the exam you have taken even if it is not the accepted exam for that state. Each state has different rules of accepting reciprocity.
Fourth Misconception:
The MBLEx is a cop out for less knowledgeable students; The MBLEx was designed to test the basic knowledge of a newly graduated student of a 500 hour class curriculum. The exam is scored on a scale starting at 300 and ending at 900. A passing score is obtained at 630, you have advanced knowledge of massage if you obtain a higher score.
Fifth Misconception:
The MBLEx is a less recognized exam; The FSMTB or Federation was founded in 2005. It is a government agency consisting of 39 State Massage Boards. Of those 39 states that are members of the Federation of Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), 32 have adopted the use of the MBLEx into Law scenes the exam began in 2007, some of these states have exclusive use.
Sixth Misconception:
The MBLEx does not have CAM (Complimentary Alternative Medicine) questions; The MBLEx has definitions of CAM’s, CPR and History questions. The NCETMB has A&P, Assessment and Application CAM questions.
Seventh Misconception:
I graduated with a 4.0, I will pass no problem; Many graduates find out that they had not properly been prepared for the exam when they take it for the first time. How are you to know if what your school is teaching is what you will need to know for the exams? Check the outlines for the MBLEx and NCETMB. Because the schools are not yet regulated across the states with standard approved curriculum. They are free to teach you what they think you should know. One school could have an abundance in energy work and massage theory and lack in A&P, another could focus on A&P and forget about Kinesiology. That is why we need associations like the MTBOK to established ground for standardization and reciprocity.
Eighth Misconception:
My state accepts the MBLEx and NCETMB so I must take both; The application for a state licensure will accept one or the other. It is your choice on the exam to take, it is not necessary to take both. If you pass one then you can send those results to the state for your license to practice.
Ninth Misconception:
My state has a Massage Board but I don’t need a current license to practice; When Laws, Rules and Regulations and voted into law and a Massage Board is organized for your state, you MUST have a current License to practice. The first reason and most important is that when practicing without a license you are subject to fines for both yourself and the establishment you work for this is per incident/massage and is not cheap. Second, not abiding by the statues put into place, gives the Massage Industry a bad name and can decrease the reliability of the good responsible reputation we are trying to create for the consumers, government organizations and media.
Tenth Misconception (most frequent):
My state has its own exam; The only states that do not utilize the MBLEx, NCETM/TMB, NCCAOM and NBCA are New York, Ohio and Hawaii. States may have a take home Jurisprudence exam they give with the state license application, others may have a practical in addition but the MBLEx and NCETM/TMB are the most accepted and used exams.
Motivation and Momentum
1 March 2011From my early years I have been taught to set goals and work hard at achieving them. If you want a successful business you must work hard to maintain the ground you have acquired and build upon it. This information age of resources upon resources at our fingertips is a perfect opportunity to abound in abundance and grow your business.
Where do you want to take your business? How much success do you see in your future? Is your goal to work less and make more? Or is it to work hard everyday all day and make enough to sustain your family?
Working for yourself is a great start, but why stop there? Consider being a boss as well, expand your business and rent out rooms in a office or hire employees. Purchase a franchise or build your own. Start a local publication creating awareness of the benefits of Massage and alternative modalities that support health and wellness. Create brand awareness, utilize or create health fairs, networking groups and additional products. Adapt your business to suite your personality, you don’t have to be a cookie cutter business owner, what else are you good at?
Massage is wonderful but you could also become a life coach or a personal trainer. Think Big develop and grow the possibilities are endless.
The 2011 AMTA Fact Sheet Is Now Available
21 February 2011It is always interesting to see the facts gathered from our industry. Compare the two articles about the AMTA Fact Sheet by Massage Today and Massage Mag and they both pretty much pulled the same information.
When I looked over the sheet, the things that stood out for me were different. The above articles focus on the section about “Who Is Today’s Massage Therapists”. I automatically jump to the “Massage Therapy as a Career”; “Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) started practicing massage therapy as a second career” data. Along with “More than half of massage therapists (57 percent) also earn income working in another profession.” Also “Of those massage therapists who earn income working in another profession 23 percent practice other form of bodywork, while 22 percent work in education and 18 percent work in healthcare .”
They probably don’t focus on this information because of their intent to attract more Therapist to the Industry. Understandably so, it’s an Awesome field to work in, however it is always best to get the bigger picture when reading articles, do your own research and form your own opinions. Most of the time perspective students of Massage are bombarded with sugarcoated outcomes of becoming a Massage Therapist. The schools advertise the ability to start earning massive amounts of money right out of school, or something along those lines. Good Advertisement but not a guarantee for all who go through a massage education course and this line of attraction increases distortions for totally unrealistic expectations and will most likely experience a very different outcome.
In fact if you are concentrating your efforts on becoming your own boss and creating your on work schedule, check out start up business plans. The majority of information out there will tell you straight up not to expect to make a profit at a new business for the first 3-5 years. Realistically it is best to have another part time job that gives you stability and maybe even health care benefits until you get your clientele base and business in good working order.
Interestingly enough it is also better to have a part-time Massage Therapy practice to save your body and increase the amount of time you spend in your chosen profession. If you don’t take care of your body inside and outside of work you will have a very short career. Continuing education credits can be spent on educating your body to perform efficiently and effectively. This also increases your knowledge that can be shared with your clients well being as well.
The other interesting statement made in the Fact Sheet was under ” State Regulation of Massage Therapy Profession”; “The American Massage Therapy Association and most other massage therapy organizations prefer the MBLEx, administered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Board (FSMTB), as a state licensing exam.” The rest of the information is also enlightening. Check it out 
The last statement I focused on from this Fact Sheet is this; “AMTA works to advance the profession through ethics and standards, the promotion of fair and consistent licensing of massage therapists in all states, and public education on the benefits of massage.” I say Amen and good work, lets all keep up the good work of helping to educate and inform the masses.
Professional Massage Community Continues to Grow
14 February 2011The MTAA or Massage Therapy Alliance of America is the new essential for Professional growth and educating the masses in 2011. Show your support by becoming a member and maybe even obtaining a position on its board.
Don’t sit back and complain… Be all and Do all… Make a difference
California Massage Regulations
8 February 2011Each city or county was in charge before 2009, this article from Morgan Hill Times shed some light on how the transition is affecting the massage community.
The comment at the bottom shows how much education is truly needed. We need to see more articles like this.
Pain Knowledge
7 February 2011According to Medterms.com:
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The word “pain” comes from the Latin “poena” meaning a fine, a penalty.
Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors.
”
Medical personal use the 1-10 pain scale in assessing; 1 is no pain and 7 equals that persons pain tolerance and 10 equals extreme pain.
Their are many types of pain; chronic, cutaneous, deep somatic, functional, ischemic, psychogenic, radicular, kick-back, referred and visceral. Just to name a few.
There is no way to adequately describe everyone’s questions about pain in one article. The knowledge base, tolerance and view of pain varies for everyone.
The best thing anyone can do, is find out for yourself by personal research. If your in pain and you don’t want to be you have two choices. Do something about it, or don’t.
Now I know some are attracted to pain and love its company, however there are those who would chop off their left foot just to be pain free.
Pain is the bodies way of telling you that something is wrong. We westerners have been taught to push through/ ignore or take something to cover it up. Don’t lie its the first natural tendency of many… So is denial.
As great as the Western Medicine is and for all the strides they have made in the last few hundred years, they don’t know everything and do not have access to the cure all’s. It is truly amazing what has been accomplished and Western Medicine defiantly has its place.
So only turning to one source for your answers and management of your condition is ludicrous. Just like there are many definitions and types of pain their are supporting Medical modalities that have been around much longer and deal directly with preventative, management and complete recovery.
I live in the Great Northwest, we are known in the medical community for our noticeable use of doctor referrals to other supporting modalities. Its not new, and many hospitals and physicians around the US are adapting to refer for the care and use of their patients.
Did you know that in the original handbook for nurses by Florence Nightingale there was a detailed section on the benefits of and treatment techniques for Massage?
Did you know that Acupuncture has been around for 4000 + years?
Did you know that a REGISTERED Aromatherapist can make you a topical oil that will relieve/ reduce pain? (Must be Registered not certified)
Did you know a good Physical Therapist can give you the knowledge and tools necessary for a pain free life?
Did you know that some muscle pain and fatigue can be due to Joint alignment? Get a hold of a Good Chiropractor…
Did you know that some muscle pain can also be relieved by better posture?
Do some research there are a ton of resources available. Every pain is different for every individual. There are going to be different ways of getting rid of, or managing that pain condition. There is no cookie cutter sure fire way. But there are plenty of Therapist that are willing to work with your Family Doctor or Physician to get the job done.
Massage In The Now
2 February 2011This is a great article from Massage Today. The best way to find out how to create a successful business is to ask those that have done it before you.
Her points rang true. Educating the client and responding to their treatment needs is what enhances the love I have for my profession. So the energy you put into providing good care for your clients is number one, just like it is the number one cardinal rule to “Do no harm”. In order to stay in business it is imperative you are allowing the client to communicate before each session what they hope to get out of this treatment.
Honesty, honesty in work ethics and treatment efforts. Keep it clean and all will be well. Get confused on previous words and loose the trust. Loose the trust, deplete success.
For instance, I take insurance and some new clients have come to me and said I didn’t pay a co-pay at the last place I went to. Did you know that not taking a co-pay is in violation of your contract with the insurance company and you could loose your provider status with them and be in danger of loosing your license? I know that those therapists probably wanted to retain these insurance clients and thought that the insurance check provided is more then cash clients so why not just skip the co-payment? Wrong-O!
It is a very simple thing, yet detrimental to the credibility of the Massage community as a whole. Take care that you follow the rules and you will continue to evolve as a Massage Therapist and business owner. You are either helping or hindering, I hope it is on the Helping side of the fence.