Monthly Archive for November, 2009

Essential Oils for Aromatherapy Massage

Published
by
Terry
on November 25, 2009
in aromatherapy and massage oils
. 1 Comment

massage-oilI’m sure many of you can make an educated guess about what aromatherapy massage is.  It is similar to Swedish massage except it uses essential oils.  Aromatherapy massage helps the body absorb these essential oils through the skin.  Essential oils are a fascinating field of study; this industry has witnessed the remarkable growth of oil products, boosting the practice of massage therapy.

The word aromatherapy was coined by a chemist – Rene Maurice Gattefosse in the 1920s.  He accidentally burned his hand while working and discovered that when he applied lavender oil into the affected area, it healed quickly without leaving a scar.  Because of its many benefits, aromatherapy is now recognized as an excellent first aid solution and the ideal partner of massage.  When you begin your practice as a massage therapist and intend to stock up on essential oils, make sure you’re aware that there are thousands of essential oils in the market.  Take great care in selecting those that are in their purest form and are of the highest quality.

Essential oils are evaluated on the basis of “notes.”  A note is a measure of their rate of evaporation.  You have top, middle and base notes.  A top note makes an initial impact and then quickly evaporates.  A middle note tends to last longer while a base note has the most staying power.  When an essential oil is used in a massage, it must be blended so that it has the right ratios of top, middle and base notes, ensuring that its effect can be felt for the entire duration of the massage.  Essential oils must be kept in dark bottles, away from direct sunlight.

A few essential oils to think about:

Eucalyptus (top note) – an oil with many features that can treat several diseases or disorders such as coughs, colds, sunburn and candida.  It is a good insect repellent.  It is also an oil that can fight fungi and viruses.  It acts as an anti-inflammatory and is also an analgesic.

Thyme (middle note) – this must be used in moderation and must never be used on children.  Effective as an insect repellent, it is considered an antiviral and an antibiotic.  It is used by some to treat flu, warts, fatigue and in a few cases, acne.

Lavender (middle note) – this essential oil has been known to be an anti-depressant and an antiseptic.  It offers protection against infection and is a balancing and relaxing essential oil.  It is one of the most frequently used oils – for insomnia and headaches.

Balsam of Peru (base note) – comes from the extracted liquid of a tree’s bark and is used to heal minor wounds.  It must not be used for more than a week.  It is a short term remedy but has been known to cause side effects if used longer.  It must not be applied on pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding.

Rosemary (middle note) – considered a mental and physical stimulant, some people have used it to minimize the effects of fluid retention, headaches and the flu.

Clients who ask for a massage with oils will have to inform the massage therapist of any existing allergies they have and any medications they are taking.  Some essential oils like Balsam of Peru should not be used when clients take sulfur-based medications like Azulfidine.

For additional information about aromatherapy massage and essential oils, see our article on Massage Schools Guide at http://www.massageschoolsguide.com/aromatherapy_massage.htm.

Continuing Education Resource for Massage Therapists

Published
by
Terry
on November 19, 2009
in continuing education
. 0 Comments

Did you know that in addition to reputable massage schools, the Touch Research Institute in Florida is another possible organization that licensed massage therapists and students could consider for their continuing education plans? It is part of the University of Miami School of Medicine and was created in 1992 by Dr. Tiffany Field (Director of the Institute) with start-up funds provided by Johnson & Johnson. It is the first center in the world that is devoted exclusively to touch and its application in health and medicine.

One interesting feature is that TRI offers workshops throughout the year (except August and December) and participants receive the equivalent of 12 CEUs (continuing education units) for attending the two-day workshops.  These workshops have a research orientation, teaching participants how to use TRI methods to conduct research studies.  Each spring, TRI also hosts a symposium where massage therapists and other research professionals get together to exchange ideas on touch therapy.  This yearly symposium grants six CEUs to attendees.

The monthly workshops are for two days and cost $500.00.  Applicants to the workshops are encouraged NOT to book their flights before their place is confirmed.  There is a dress code that attendees must follow:  office clothes or scrubs with comfortable shoes (e.g. slacks and a polo top).  The reason is that workshop participants will spend a lot of time in hospital units and clinics.  The TRI therefore specifies no jeans, mini skirts, thongs or flip-flops!  Apart from hands-on training, participants will be provided information on pre- term infant massage, watch videos, lunch with the director, learn physiological measures, score and review assessments for pregnancy massage, data collection, yoga, tai-chi and a demonstration of the Brazelton method. The TRI believes that touch therapy plays a significant role in promoting weight gain to pre-term infants.  As we mentioned earlier, the TRI appears to lean heavily on research methods; this approach would be perfect for massage therapists and would-be therapists who desire to advance the field of massage therapy “by conducting research in their own community.”

Beneficial Effects of Massage on Skin

Published
by
Terry
on November 9, 2009
in benefits of massage, massage and health, massage school and types of massage
. 1 Comment

Massage schools offer courses dealing with the importance of massage on skin. These courses fall under the prerequisites of Anatomy and Physiology.

One of the things a massage school student will learn is that skin is generally of three types:  oily (this skin condition occurs when there is an overproduction of sebum), dry (aging and environmental pollutants drag the moisture out of skin, making it dry) and sensitive (people with allergies or are exposed to too many chemicals at work can have sensitive skin).

Skin is the first organ that a massage therapist comes in contact with.  After spending time consulting with her client, her instincts will guide her on how to massage the person.  When the client has a skin condition that is serious or contagious, the therapist should postpone the massage until the condition is completely healed.  In massage therapy, students learn about what the medical profession calls “skin contraindications.”  Doctors define “contraindication” (CI) as a condition or factor that can potentially increase the health risks of a person when that person takes a type of drug, undergoes a medical procedure, or receives some form of therapy like massage.

Three possible situations can result when a client has a skin condition.  The massage therapist can (a)  postpone the massage or request the client to present written permission from her doctor that it is safe to receive a massage; (b) still massage the client but will avoid the skin’s affected areas or (c) massage the client with protective gloves.  Massage schools will provide a list of skin conditions that students must be familiar with.  Some of these conditions include open wounds, sore ulcers, burns, frostbite, edemas, varicose veins, radiation sites and others.

For otherwise healthy patients with no history of skin disorders, massage delivers wonderful benefits to the skin.  It helps to eliminate the skin’s dead cells and improves circulation which in turn gives skin that healthy glow.  Massage helps to stimulate the sebaceous glands  to produce more sebum, the substance responsible for making skin soft and supple.  Thanks to massage, the sweat glands are able to release toxins from the body.  Massage also helps to expand the blood vessels enabling them to distribute essential nutrients to the body.

A synopsis from the Dermatologic Clinics journal (Vol. 24, Issue # 3, October 2005) highlighted the beneficial effects of massage on children with skin conditions.  The study was sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health and funded by Johnson and Johnson:  “In the first study children being treated on a burn trauma unit received 30-minute massages before debridement or dressing change. The children who received massage therapy were more relaxed during the procedure. In the study on children with eczema, those who were massaged during the application of their skin medication showed less anxiety after the massage sessions.”  Reading this extract from the Dermatologic Clinics journal led us to the Touch Research Institute in Florida.  We’ll do some homework and talk about it in our next post.  Stay tuned!

Massage Therapist: Just One Day (Part 2)

Published
by
Terry
on November 5, 2009
in massage and health, medical massage and types of massage
. 0 Comments

medical-massageIn our last post, we talked about a typical day for a massage business owner.  Today, we’ll look at a massage therapist who gives massages in a hospital.  Ms. Shirley Vanderbilt wrote an insightful article in the June-July 2000 issue of Massage and Body Work Magazine where she featured two massage therapists – Lynn Daniels and Cynthia Swan.

Ms. Daniels starts her day at 7 in the morning and offers her services in Longmont United Hospital in Colorado.  Longmont is a hospital that has adopted the Planetree model that includes alternative healing options for patients.  “Beginning simply with massage therapy and t’ai chi, the center gradually added services and grew steadily with the support of the hospital and its clients to become one of the largest hospital-based alternative therapy programs in the country”, Ms. Vanderbilt said.

It’s not always smooth sailing for hospital-based massage therapists.  Ms. Vanderbilt wrote that therapists work long hours.  Add to that the challenges that come up unexpectedly.  But when Ms Daniels does her rounds, she is rewarded a hundred times over says Ms. Vanderbilt.  Getting a smile from a cancer patient, a “you made me feel so relaxed” comment from a new mother and a doctor’s nod of approval are strong incentives for her to continue what she loves doing.

Pre-surgical patients who undergo invasive surgery are offered massages to help them relax.  As a massage therapist, Ms. Daniels feels that she has a dual task:  to ease the patient’s anxiety and to help her cope mentally with the impending surgery.  It is the combination of gentle and compassionate conversation, light caressing movements and a mildly scented lotion that helps patients breathe more deeply, their surgery fears gradually diminishing.

Then there are the new mothers. Ms Daniels is either received with a “yes, please” or a “not now, maybe later” reply.  She makes sure that they know she’ll be back the next day or can resume the massage when breastfeeding time is over.  With new mothers, Ms. Daniels’ priority is relaxation.  Many brand new mothers feel lower back pain and that’s one area that Daniels pays special attention to.  She asks the mother how the area feels and then she proceeds to massage the back and shoulders alternately.  She knows the massage is working because the mother has stopped talking and has drifted off to sleep.

Cynthia Swan has her share of heartbreaking encounters – women who have lost their babies or mothers whose babies are born with a health disorder.  Cancer patients who are in the hospital for radiation/chemotherapy sessions are another special group; a massage therapist is expected to be tactful, diplomatic and armed with a strong sense of empathy. As one administrator explained, “bodywork is essential to this population while their bodies are being bombarded with radiation. We want to help them be back into their body before treatment…when you see these cancer patients, there’s a blank, empty look. We try to help them reconnect by giving them the space and atmosphere to bring their body and spirit back together.”

Massage Therapist: Just One Day (Part 1)

Published
by
Terry
on November 1, 2009
in massage career, massage employment options, massage techniques and types of massage
. 0 Comments

We have to admit that we struggled for a few minutes about choosing an appropriate title for today’s blog.  Two reasons:  a massage session lasts an hour, so when people come out of the massage room feeling re-invigorated and more optimistic about the future, it’s really the 60 minutes spent under the healing hands of a massage therapist that make the difference.  But the intention for this blog was to describe “a day in the life of a massage therapist” type of story so we can give new students and graduates of massage therapy a peek into what their days will be like after massage school.

There is no such thing as a “typical day” for a massage therapist.  The profession, being a flexible one, offers massage therapists several options on how they want to structure their work hours.  A snapshot of a working day would depend on whether the person works part time or full time, the kind of working environment the therapist chooses to work in (as an employee in a health club, a freelance therapist working for a spa or resort, or working for physical and occupational therapist or doctor in a hospital or clinic) or as a business owner.

Jenny Platt owns a massage business in Virginia and her days can be hectic or relatively unhurried.  There are joys and challenges.  Some of these challenges arise when clients don’t show up for their appointments.  She says that clients need to provide two hours’ notice; if they don’t, they forfeit their session.  Ms. Platt says she often has to explain this to clients in an ethical and non-offensive way, and it can get tricky because many clients are on multiple session packages.  Clients tend to forget that some massage therapists who are hired are paid for actual work they do, not for hours sitting around waiting for clients.

Ms. Platt and her massage therapists reserve an extra half hour for each session to prepare:  changing linens, pulling out the client’s file, preparing the products, choosing the music and lighting candles.  As a business owner, she also has a myriad of administrative matters to look after.  Taking three to four clients a day, therefore, is the ideal client load for her.  When clients come in, they are offered water and directed to the washrooms.  If she is meeting clients for the first time, she spends 20-30 minutes for consultation.  Because client needs are different, the types of massage vary.  The variety is what she enjoys most;  it prevents her from feeling tired or burning out at the end of the day.  She could start her day applying a rigorous type of massage, but before lunch, she could be doing the raindrop technique or the Thai herbal compress - lighter forms of therapy.

Ms. Platt’s clients range in age from 20 to 70, but she says majority are in the 30-50 age range.  Regular or repeat customers account for 85% of her business.  Of those who come, 60% have a specific problem so they’re not getting a massage purely for relaxation.  Her center is open seven days a week and the last session is at 7:30 in the evening.  When she started, she was working seven days a week, but now she works only Mondays through Fridays from 11:00 am to 6:00 or 7:00 pm.

In our next post, we’ll peek into the day of a massage therapist working in a hospital setting.