I’m sure you’ve heard before that it’s not good to eat a meal and go right to bed. Makes sense but I guess I never really knew why.

During my last opportunity in a cadaver lab and I was able to see why this statement is true. The diaphragm is a muscle that elevates and depresses with breathing, the liver is attached to the diaphragm. As the diaphragm moves up and down it allows for increased motility of the liver aiding in the effectiveness of digestion. Meaning movement in the diaphragm after eating increases the ability and strength of the liver to absorb blood and nutrients from the food consumed. Moving around after a meal as opposed to going straight to bed will allow you to get the most nutrition out of the food you eat.

Are you currently in an entry level massage therapy job and want to take your career to the next level? Or are you an experienced licensed massage therapist wanting to break into the burgeoning health care industry and practice in a medical setting such as a hospital, nursing home or sports medicine facility? Or do you have a love of animals and want to practice in the growing field of canine massage? Or do you need to fulfill an education requirement? If so, then Continuing Education is what you need.

There are several Continuing Education options from which to choose and these courses are specifically designed for massage therapists to keep you current with trends, satisfy your curiosity, and engage you in new areas of exploration such as prenatal, canine, sports, Eastern massage or medical massage therapy. In fact, 80 different types of massage types, or modalities, exist according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Taking Continuing Education classes will not only benefit you as a person, but also it will benefit your practice. By learning new modalities you can specialize in specific populations and increase your clientele. This provides the opportunity to increase your hourly rate depending on the type of massage you are performing. Also, the more knowledge, comprehension and application of massage techniques you have, the more you will be able to define your clients’ needs and support them with massage therapy. This allows you to make a more specific pre-massage assessment which directly benefits the client and increases the possibility of him/her becoming a repeat client.

There are three main reasons for taking Continuing Education courses: 1) to obtain an advanced massage therapy degree such as an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree; 2) to obtain an Advanced Certification in massage therapy; and 3) to obtain Continuing Education (CE) credits in order to renew your state license or professional membership.

Let’s look in more detail at each one of these reasons for taking Continuing Education classes:

1) To obtain an advanced massage therapy degree, such as an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree

An advanced degree, such as an AOS degree, is geared toward students who want to explore advanced concepts in human anatomy and physiology, including neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, medical massage, and other topics not covered in a basic training Massage Therapy Certificate Program. An advanced degree is the way to go if you want to practice massage therapy in a medical setting such as a hospital or rehabilitative massage clinic. Here are some examples of courses required in order to obtain an AOS degree:

Medical Massage – In this course, the study of advanced pathophysiology and critical thinking skills is combined with specific practical hands-on techniques. Students learn treatment methods specifically geared toward clients with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and post-surgical conditions.

Trauma and the Body – This course introduces the major concepts of post traumatic stress, and outlines the benefits of massage therapy to survivors of trauma. Students learn techniques that can help restore a sense of balance in the nervous system as well as foster reconnection for survivors who often experience intense physical reactions, memories, and a sense of disconnectedness from their body.

Craniosacral Therapy – Students will learn the fundamental skills that serve as the foundation of craniosacral therapy, including an introduction to the core anatomical and physiological relationships of the Craniosacral system: the fluctuation of cerebrospinal fluid, body articulations, reciprocal tension membranes, dural tube and spinal cord dynamics, and the motillity of the central nervous system.

2) To obtain an Advanced Certification in massage therapy

Advanced Certificate Programs are designed for students who have completed basic training as a massage therapist. Students take advanced coursework in deep tissue massage, energy work such as Reiki and Chi Kung, Eastern styles such as shiatsu and Thai massage, and spa body treatments. This postgraduate training allows students to choose a focused track of specialization, mastering techniques which are immediately applicable and beneficial to their clients such as spa elements, prenatal, labor and postpartum, canine massage, orthopedic and sports massage, and energy healing. Continuing education hours are earned for each module taken.

3) CE credits required to renew your state license or professional membership such as the American Massage Therapy Association (amtamassage.org)

The majority of states require that you have a license to practice massage therapy and renewal of the license requires that you obtain massage continuing education. Even if you practice massage therapy in a state that does not require Continuing Education, it is important to continually be challenging yourself, learning more about your profession and, ultimately, becoming more successful in healing others through the power of touch.

How to Find Continuing Education Courses in Your Area

· Determine the Continuing Education requirements in your state by contacting the state licensing authority. If you don’t know the website URL to go to, a search for the name of your state and “massage therapy continuing education” should point you to the right place. The state licensing board may list approved providers on their website. If not, you can search online for approved providers.

· Determine the Continuing Education requirements by your professional association. The association should list approved providers on their website. If not, you can search online for approved providers.

· After completing the course, be sure to keep your completion certificate on file, even if your state licensing board or professional association doesn’t require that you submit proof of taking the course. If the state licensing board or association is audited, you may be asked to provide proof of completion.

Whether you choose to take Continuing Education classes to move to the next stage in your career or just for the credits, the purpose of Continuing Education remains the same. Continuing Education ensures that massage therapists keep current on new developments in the field and continue improving their skills in order to help others.

AMTA MERT prepares and manages volunteer massage therapists for professional deployment to disaster sites to perform massage on rescue and recovery workers.

Displaced Haitians set up tents in football stadium

The concept for a MERT Program started in 1989 following the California Loma Prieta Earthquake. During that disaster, more than 8,000 massages were given to disaster workers, demolition workers, grief counselors, highway patrol officers, and many others. Since that time, volunteer massage therapists have participated in numerous disaster responses.

AMTA MERT offers emergency management agencies and rescue workers the expertise of highly qualified, professionally trained massage therapists. To volunteer, therapists must:

• Maintain their AMTA Active Professional classification membership in good standing, and
• Have liability insurance coverage (included in your AMTA Professional classification membership).

A woman is helped after being trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Port-au-Prince.

MERT members may be working alongside individuals from the federal and state emergency management agencies, the Red Cross, the National Guard, law enforcement and other responding agencies. Long before the concept of MERT, emergency management agencies developed policies and procedures allowing them to respond cooperatively and effectively to disasters.

To volunteer, contact your AMTA chapter.

Care of your body should be at the top of your priority list. You will feel and look better if you take the necessary steps regarding health and nutrition. Stress relief alone can improve your vitality and state of mind. Massage, bodywork, and somatic therapies can play an important role in your life.

Receiving massage on a regular basis will help to promote a healthy circulatory system, along with good posture. Massage also releases tension and pain in the muscles, allowing them to move more freely. People who receive massage frequently tend to be more flexible and comfortable in their bodies, since they are maintaining a higher level of general health.

Because of the various benefits that massage offers, it is unlikely a person could receive too much. Therapeutic massage has a cumulative effect on both soft tissue repair and decreasing stress, therefore regular massage is recommended to achieve the best result.

There is not a ‘one for all’ answer to this question and will vary from person to person.  Generally speaking, if you are recovering from injury or trying to ‘dial down’ some red flags that your body is putting up, then I feel weekly massage is in order until your body is able to re-establish balance.  For health maintenance and to assist in your activities of daily living once a month is ideal.  Talk with your massage therapist and get a personalized recommendation regarding frequency of receiving massage.

Before we can answer this question we must know what stress is. Simply put, stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental and emotional responses.
Stress, to varying degress, is a normal part of life and our body, mind and spirit is designed to experience and react to stress. Stress can be positive in that it helps to keep us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress, as we know, can also be negative and without relief or relaxation, it will negatively effect every system in our body.

Here are some interesting statistics on stress:

- 43% of adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
- OSHA estimates that stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
- The lifetime prevalance of an emotional disorder is more than 50% due to chronic, untreated reactions to stress.
- It is now believed that 80% – 90% percent of all disease is stress induced.
- 75% – 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress related ailments and complaints.

My intent is to help you understand just how important it is to allow our mind, body and spirit to experience relief. Whether you are an elite athlete, a corporate executive, college student or average joe, we all need to be active participants in our own care.  So please, take an hour out of your life and receive a massage. Let your massage therapist assist you in living a healthy life.

*references for the article include webmd.com, healthy.net and medicalnewstoday.com

BCMT alumni Erin Knox is interviewed along with her husband Kevin by retireearlylifestyle.com.  Erin attended BCMT in 2000 and shares the power of touch with family and friends as she enjoys early retirement in Chapala, Mexico.

Opportunity Knox
A fascinating couple, with world-wide experience both in their previous careers and in travel, Kevin and Erin Knox give thoughtful answers to the many questions we asked about their early retirement. Newly arrived to full-time living in Chapala, Mexico, The Knoxes contribute on many levels to the community in which they live.?Join us in reading this interview with Kevin and Erin. We know you will gain from their wisdom and insight.

To read the full interview, click here.

The psoas muscle, the under-worked, under-appreciated primary hip flexor. More commonly known as the tenderloin, a beautifully lean muscular structure. In its entirety it is called the iliopsoas, originating on the anterior (front) bodies of the transverse processes T-12 (thoracic vertebrae #12) through L-5 (lumbar vertebrae #5). As it descends towards it’s insertion point on the femur it blends with the iliacus muscle forming a common tendon and attachment point on the lesser trochanter (a body landmark on the femur).

The psoas muscle is specifically linked to low back pain, sacroiliac pain, sciatica, disc problems, spondylolysis, scoliosis, hip degeneration, knee pain, menstruation pain, infertility, and digestive problems. The list can also include bio mechanical problems like pelvic tilt, leg length discrepancies, kyphosis, and lumbar lordosis.

If you are an athlete, exhibit any of the symptoms/conditions listed above or are just curious about this type of work, I encourage you to give it a try at your next massage session.