Medical Massage Blog

Massage therapy is a very powerful therapeutic tool. Did I say something new?

Yesterday I had an opportunity to attend the presentation “Active Engagement Techniques” with Whitney Lowe at AMTA-CA Annual Education Conference.

Yesterday at the AMTA-CA Annual Education Conference, I was engaged into few interesting discussions.

The critical thinking is based on: analysis, critique and conclusions. In our field in most cases critical thinking is necessary at the time of meta-analysis. If scientists have an interest in research and development of hands-on protocols/techniques, the purpose of which is to accelerate quantities of lymphatic drainage, scientists analyze huge amount of available data on the subject, including, physiology of lymphatic system, its main duty, etc.

Massage therapy is not a remedy for all diseases. Yet it is so powerful, that for the sake of one's well-being, it cannot be ignored. We cannot rely on "feel good" sensations only. To achieve the best results, treatment strategies and underlying concepts have to be understood and step-by-step protocols should be followed to the letter.

As a therapeutic tool massage has been known and used since ancient times. The scientific community has given it serious consideration only in the last 100 years. Within this time, scientists have discovered many important factors that links massage with the treatment of multiple diseases.

Our lives are full of events that are connected by cause and effect. For instance, if we lift and release an object it's going to fall down. Gravity existed long time before Galileo and Newton described its behavior quantitatively. Millenniums before their time, knowing nothing about gravity beyond its cause and effect relation, military engineers created machines that catapulted rocks over the wall of besieged cities.

A sense of touch is a demarcation line that sets apart a good therapist and a great one. The greater therapist being the one who constantly delivers better results.

The existence of Vasomotor Reflexes /increase of blood supply triggered by massage therapy was originally shown by Prof. Zabludovsky (1913) who used a plethsymograph to register the phenomenon.

Back in 1987 one Russian neurologist, the specialist in sports medicine, has invited me to participate in a pilot experiment for chiropractic medicine educational program. He was hired by Medical College at city of RAMAT GAN at Israel to develop and to supervise this program for further approval by the Department of Education. At the time I was already experienced medical massage practitioner but knew little about chiropractic medicine.

Recently I had a rather stormy discussion in one of the user groups regarding my article "Body cells carry emotional memories.” This theory doesn’t have existing scientific explanation, only a working hypothesis.

Several weeks ago, I received a 53 years old male client who was suffering from what was introduced to me as sciatic nerve neuralgia. He had reported all classical symptoms of this disorder, including pain in the buttocks with irradiating to the leg.

According to Wikepedia the origin of the expression "No pain, no gain" goes back as far as the second century A.C. At that time though it was referring to spiritual rather than physical activity - unless a person endures some spiritual search or suffering - he or she won't achieve any spiritual gain.

20+ years ago when I arrived to Los Angeles, I have obtained the only available at that time license of massage technician. Adding to my bewilderment was fact that my license was listed under adult entertainment category.

It was said that ability of the mind to re-evaluate existing convictions upon acquiring new information is the sign of intellect. In other words a human being has to always strive to doubt existing authoritative opinions, push the envelope, and get outside the box to be on the winning team of progress.

Massage procedure is about rapid but sustained results. Lately too often I hear from people and healthcare providers who are a source for referrals, statements similar to this: "In the beginning massage therapy helped me and/or to my patient, but then it didn't work and therefore I continue consume/or prescribe painkillers, steroids injections, etc.”