Medical Massage Blog

Following the publication of my recent article titled "Claiming Evidence-based Massage Practice," a knowledgeable colleague of mine made a comment that I found appreciable: " I appreciate you being open to colleagues’ thoughts and feedback. 
I briefly scanned the linked article and regarding your summary, “Now days,no massage practitioner should or can consider themselves advanced practitioners, without capability to perform medical stress management massage.”

The expression "the only truths will set us free" applies to many life situations, but it's especially relevant in the massage field . We are the only occupation in healthcare that stimulates the healing process through touch. We work from insight, leaving no room for pretense or making up clinically unproven methods. If massage therapists pretend otherwise, it creates barriers that hinder their ability to practice the healing art freely.

In my writing on a clinical approach to holism, I emphasized the necessity of defining healthcare fields and, when clinicians discuss holism, specifically relating to treatment methods before explaining the holistic approach. Otherwise, it would be mere talk on holism, described as "no patient benefits intellectual demagoguery."

That's the topic of our discussion today as we delve into the realm of clinical depression, specifically major depressive disorder. It's akin to the age-old question: "What comes first, the chicken or the egg?" In this case, does clinical depression precede sleep disorders, thus triggering them? 

Modern conventional medicine has reached fantastic levels. Like 40 years ago, only in science fiction books could we read about lung, heart, kidney, and other organ transplantations. Today, surgeons perform them routinely. It's not science fiction anymore. Having said that, conventional methods of medicine are practically helpless when it comes to treating muscular syndromes.

Three orthopedic surgeons, after looking at MRI images, decided on hip replacement, citing "bone on bone." To be precise, "bone on bone" implies complete fusion of the bones. During my initial examination, despite experiencing pain, Eileen could move her hip joint to different extents and planes. When palpating, I detected a lot of tension within the entire gluteal muscles group, particularly within the piriformis muscle and Tensor fasciae latae muscle. This tension typically creates significant pressure within the hip joint, making it difficult to put weight on and impeding standing and walking.

Recently, the FDA has ceased accepting applications for approvals without patient-reported outcomes. This decision stems from the realization that 60 to 70% of research data, particularly in biology, cannot be reproduced. This alarming statistic indicates unethical practices among scientists and researchers, often resulting in manipulated outcomes. I have decided to adopt the practice of teaching through case presentations.

If we overview personal trainers' Scope of Practice, considering definitions of what they do, including designing and executing individual and small group exercise fitness programs tailored to the needs and attainable goals of the individual apparently healthy client, it would be appropriate to define "healthy client."

Have you ever experienced pain, clinical depression, and other symptoms, yet tests fail to reveal any support for your suffering? Does this make you question your mental well-being? In this blog post, we delve into such situations and explore the complex interplay of symptoms and mental health.

I am writing to share a noteworthy case presentation involving the successful application of medical massage protocols in the treatment of a chronic case. The patient, Sosi, had been suffering from symptoms such as charley horse/muscular cramps, headaches, dizziness, and hypertension for several years.

I am about to present a complicated case where the medical community couldn't find a solution using the clinical standards and reasoning of conventional medicine alone, without incorporating the practice of an integrative medicine approach. Prior to presenting the case, which includes but is not limited to a massage procedure, assessments, and the creation of an appropriate treatment plan, as always, we must listen carefully to our patient's presentation.

Dear collegues.I am writing to address a matter of concern within our community that warrants our collective attention. It has come to my notice that some of our esteemed colleagues, who are graduates of reputable massage schools, licensed massage therapists, and members of professional trade associations, 

It is absolute misinformation for the general public when it comes to detoxification and cleanse programs. A simple Google search for "full body detoxification and cleanses" yields thousands of products, all claiming to cleanse and detoxify, along with different diets making similar claims, many boasting scientific evidence for cleansing and detoxification. 

In my previous blogs, I’ve discussed that four years ago, I was hired by the biomedical research company as an massage therapist consultant. This group tried to develop drugs, for the prevention of developments of post-concussion encephalopathies.

By the way, in regards to the incident described in Part one of this blog, the lady who likely have gotten injured by the wrong application of massage, refused to see me. According to her husband, no matter how much he told her about my approach of avoiding vigorous pressure and only using gentle palpation in assessing soft tissues while figuring out the reasons for pain, she was stricken by fear and thus adamant about not seeing another massage therapist.

Over three decades of practicing and teaching in the United States have led me to explore the definitions of medical massage. But in my search, I encountered various explanations that often lacked coherence. It seems that the context in which a specific massage protocol is performed determines whether it is deemed medical or not. For instance, if the massage is given in a hospital setting, it may be labeled medical massage, but if the same protocol is applied outside the hospital by the same practitioner, it loses its medical designation.