I attended the 2016 Massage Therapy Foundation International Research Conference. It was excellent and the focus of the conference was Integrating Therapies for Pain. There were many excellent speakers but for this conversation 3 stand out.
Wayne B. Jonas, MD
Wayne B. Jonas is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Samueli Institute, a non-profit medical research organization supporting the scientific investigation of healing processes and their application in health and disease. He is a widely published scientific investigator, a practicing family physician, Professor of Family Medicine at Georgetown University, and Professor of Family Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Additionally, Dr. Jonas is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Medical Corps of the United States Army. Dr. Jonas was the Director of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health from 1995-1998, and prior to that served as the Director of the Medical Research Fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Samueli Institute is advancing the science of healing worldwide by applying academic rigor to research on healing, well-being and resilience; translating evidence into action for the U.S. Military and large-scale health systems; and fostering wellness through self-care to create a flourishing society. http://www.samueliinstitute.org/
The Impact of Massage Therapy on Function in Pain Populations—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: Part I, Patients Experiencing Pain in the General Population
http://painmedicine.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/05/06/pm.pnw099
Brett A. Bauer, MD
Dr. Bauer is board-certified in Internal Medicine, a Professor of Medicine and has been on staff at Mayo Clinic for 23 years. His main research interest has been the scientific evaluation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies that patients and consumers are using with increasing frequency. He has authored several book chapters and over 100 papers on this topic, and is the Medical Editor of the Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine. He is a member of numerous scientific review panels and is currently collaborating on over 20 studies being conducted at Mayo Clinic evaluating CAM therapies. Dr. Bauer spoke proudly of the healing environment created at Mayo Clinic called Rejuvenate Spa. He reclaimed the historical foundations of the the spa as a place of healing and explained that a person healing and a person being treated for illness/injury and sometimes cured are not the same. You can heal without a cure and you can be cured without healing.
Rejuvenate and Restore
SPA AT MAYO CLINIC
Experience a tranquil environment that embodies the essence of wellness.
Enjoy an array of esthetic treatments and integrative therapies designed to improve your quality of life. All services are delivered by licensed and certified professionals with extensive experience in esthetics, massage, and wellness. https://healthyliving.mayoclinic.org/rejuvenate-spa.phpAND FROM ANN BLAIR KENNEDY IMPORTANT GUIDANCE FOR UNDERSTANDING THE PRACTICE OF MASSAGE THERAPY TWO IMPORTANT PAPERS------------
Clarifying Definitions for the Profession: The Results of the Massage Therapy Foundation's Best Practices Symposium - Ann Blair Kennedy, LMT, BCTMB, DrPH
http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/3206/
Process for massage therapy practice and essential assessment
http://www.bodyworkmovementtherapies.com/article/S1360-8592(16)00008-5/abstract
Massage therapy is a HEALTH PROFESSION. Massage therapy can be delivered in multiple settings. I keep reflecting on comments from both Dr. Jonas and Dr. Bauer about the importance for shifting from an illness model-pathogenesis to a healing and wellness model- salutogenesis. The question is---Is the medical/illness setting the best place for a focus on Healing, Resilience, Wellness and Performance? I don't think so and neither did these experts. Another question ---Is massage therapy valuable in the medical setting-- OF COURSE especially for palliative outcomes which are so very important. Massage therapy for comfort care is maybe the most important outcome achieved. Massage therapy does not have to cure to be valuable. Massage therapy is rarely curative anyway.
I support the self care side of the figure above. I support an integrative approach where the circles overlap in the figure above. I support health care professionals that provide care primarily in the health care circle and believe appropriately trained and respectful massage therapist can add to the quality and effectiveness of their care. I believe we can care for the care givers.
NONE OF THIS IS GOING TO OCCUR IF WE KEEP SPLITTING OURSELVES INTO FACTIONS
PLEASE -- STOP IT.
Massage therapy is a HEALTH PROFESSION. Massage therapy can be delivered in multiple settings. I keep reflecting on comments from both Dr. Jonas and Dr. Bauer about the importance for shifting from an illness model-pathogenesis to a healing and wellness model- salutogenesis. The question is---Is the medical/illness setting the best place for a focus on Healing, Resilience, Wellness and Performance? I don't think so and neither did these experts. Another question ---Is massage therapy valuable in the medical setting-- OF COURSE especially for palliative outcomes which are so very important. Massage therapy for comfort care is maybe the most important outcome achieved. Massage therapy does not have to cure to be valuable. Massage therapy is rarely curative anyway.
I support the self care side of the figure above. I support an integrative approach where the circles overlap in the figure above. I support health care professionals that provide care primarily in the health care circle and believe appropriately trained and respectful massage therapist can add to the quality and effectiveness of their care. I believe we can care for the care givers.
NONE OF THIS IS GOING TO OCCUR IF WE KEEP SPLITTING OURSELVES INTO FACTIONS
PLEASE -- STOP IT.
In working with a new client this past Saturday we had this conversation. She was 58, good health, works on the line at GM 12HR 6 days. Hurt all the time, she reported. On my 2nd dr for plantar fascia. She thought her session was nothing more an a fancy luxury. I shared with her what I learned in HEC about what is happening to the body during massage and how the body heals itself. Also pointed out similaractivites we do to aid in our own health. She thinks of massages differently now.
ReplyDeleteafter a career of 26 years graduating from hec in 1990 everything sandy teaches, naturally takes place during a massage, the best investment in my future so long ago has kept me happily pursuing the healing benefits of massage therapy.
ReplyDelete