resourcesABOUT MT AUTHOR GUIDELINES CLASSIFIEDS EDITORIAL CALENDAR MEDIA GUIDE MASSAGE MART SCHOOLS & EDUCATION FEEDBACK
The Acupuncture Success Express
Time is passing very quickly these days. We are atoms half the way through the year of the horse. You could call it "horse racing season" for this profession. Perhaps it is time for reinvention during this time.
Primary Lateral Sclerosis: A Condition With a Chiropractic Connection
Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is a slowly progressive, adult degenerative disease of the upper motor neurons characterized by progressive spasticity or stiffness. It is a clinical diagnosis that has been avoided because it is (largely) a diagnosis of exclusion.
The Kidney Official
The Kidney is known as the Official Who Controls the Waterways. In Western medical terms, a major function of the Kidneys is to filter the blood. Every day, a person's kidneys process about 200 liters of blood to sift out about two liters of waste and excess water.
Looking Back: Abstracts From Chiropractic History
D.D. Palmer's Technique for the Posterior Apical Prominence; An Early Attempt to Achieve Consensus on Subluxation; Chiropractic Subject Headings: Past, Present and Future; Mabel Palmer: A History of Chiropractic That Almost Wasn't.
Inside Liver Failure, Cirrhosis and Cancer
The Liver belongs to Wood in Five Element Theory and is in charge of Dispersing and Expanding which means all the processing and detoxifying of harmful substances such as medications and chemicals require the efforts of the Liver.
F4CP: New Campaign to Promote Chiropractic as a Career
The F4CP has announced a "targeted cooperative campaign" that will engage doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic students, as well as chiropractic colleges, chiropractic media, state associations and vendors, to encourage DCs to recommend a chiropractic career to patients, family and friends.
Post-Concussion Patient Care: Relevance of the Chiropractic Adjustment
There is a widespread understanding within the profession of the general guidelines for care of the concussion patient. These include guidelines for physical and cognitive rest, return to normal activities and so forth.
Looking For Answers In Many Places
I am sure we have all heard the old adage: "When the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail."
Talking to Skeptical MDs: "Just the Facts, Ma'am"
The first lesson in public speaking is to know your audience. This is particularly applicable when talking to skeptical medical doctors about chiropractic. You have to understand where they are coming from and speak the language they understand.
The Gluteal-Knee Connection
The underlying causes of knee pain and dysfunction are rarely isolated to the knee. The knee is a relatively stable joint with limited intrinsic ability to adapt to aberrant motion.
Medical Qigong for the Heart: Part II
Chinese Medicine is rich in commentary regarding the emotions and how they affect our qi.
Healing With Hope
Ella is a Gulf War veteran and a survivor of military sexual trauma. Like hundreds of veterans, Ella was on 11 different medications for depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic pain.
Offline Marketing Techniques: Opportunities to Help Grow Your Business
In a world becoming increasingly dominated by connected devices, when we think of marketing, we often think of online and social media marketing. Considerable attention is given to Facebook and Twitter, as well as CPC [cost-per-click] advertising.
Getting Athletes Back in the Game: Low-Level Laser Therapy for Sports Injuries
Sports injury rehabilitation is all about getting back in the game quickly and with optimal health. A relatively new tool for the treatment of sports injuries is finding global success, and it is doing so in a fast, efficient way.
Spotlight on Acupuncture Research at IRCIMH
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine were well-represented at the International Research Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health (IRCIMH)- 2014 which took place in Miami from May 13–16.
Super Bowl Chiropractor
With opening night of the 2014 National Football League season only a month away, what better time to talk to Dr. Jim Kurtz, team chiropractor for the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks?
Advice for Young Doctors
When I began practice, I was just shy of my 25th birthday. I was young and I looked it. I had been told this would be a problem when starting a practice – and it was. Older patients often paused when they entered for care.
Hazards in the Environment Making Your Patients Sick
Working both separately and together, Western and Chinese medicine have many successes in the treatment of the myriad diseases that afflict human beings in modern times.
Not Another Typical Drug Company Lawsuit
It's becoming more common to see drug manufacturers negotiate "false claims" settlements for millions and billions of dollars.1-2 Most of these settlements have to do with violations in the marketing of the drugs they produce and sell.
Best Practices for Website Success
If one asked 10 years ago whether a website was relevant I was the first to suggest no. Yet as the world moves increasingly towards electronic information there is a dire need to have a website for your practice. Your website is actually your electronic calling card.
Resolving Medial Arch Suspicions: The Navicular Drop Test
Healthy feet have three distinct arches: medial longitudinal, lateral longitudinal and anterior transverse.
Healing With Simple, Healthy Food
When it comes to your health, there is no better way to take control and create positive outcomes than by focusing on diet and lifestyle. As chiropractors, you know the power that regular self-care has for your patients.
June, 2008, Vol. 08, Issue 06
The Society for Oncology Massage Makes Its Debut
By Tracy Walton, LMT, MS
The Society for Oncology Massage (S4OM) was launched in April 2008, along with an extensive Web site. The society's vision to "ease the journey through cancer and beyond for patients, family members and caregivers" was established over one year of work by its founding members.The society's mission statement includes the following: "S4OM is grounded in a philosophy of compassion and service. We are focused on connecting cancer patients, their families and their caregivers with skilled oncology massage therapists."
Although it had been a shared dream for many years, the society finally began to take shape in May 2007 at the first Oncology Massage Healing Summit, a conference in Toledo, Ohio. I wrote about this conference in the August 2007 issue of Massage Today (www.massagetoday.com). It was the first gathering in North America of massage therapists working with people with cancer. While there, therapists were able to network, envision, delegate and begin work on the society infrastructure in earnest.
The society initially was envisioned to meet the pressing need for a qualified oncology massage therapist locator service. People with cancer and their loved ones have been in search of massage therapists trained in the specifics of massage for people with cancer, and therapists have moved well beyond the old myth in massage therapy contraindicating massage and cancer. Instructors in oncology massage provided these referrals to consumers and health care providers around the country.
As the society took shape, it began to meet other needs as well. A full list of resources is available on the society Web site, www.s4om.org. The Web site serves as a "watering hole" where therapists, health care providers, patients and caregivers can gather and exchange resources and support of their work. Some of the key resources provided by the society are described here.
A massage therapist locator service. Through the find-a-therapist feature on the Web site, people can access massage therapists for themselves and their loved ones all around the country. These massage therapists have training and experience working with cancer patients. This allows for several stepped-up levels of service. Members have training and experience in adapting massage therapy to the common signs, symptoms and complications of cancer. Finally, members adapt massage therapy to cancer treatments, which often have stronger effects on the body than cancer itself.
Education for patients, health care providers and the public. The society offers many resources including answers to frequently asked questions about massage and cancer, a bibliography of massage and cancer research, media coverage of massage and cancer, and a list of hospitals incorporating massage therapy in oncology support. There are links to therapists' Web sites as well. Each of these lists, along with the list of qualified massage therapists, is expected to grow in the coming months as membership expands.
Support for massage therapists. Through its Web site, the Society for Oncology Massage provides standards of practice; notices of upcoming events; a medical history form for use with people with cancer; instructors and trainings; and information about how to join the society. A newsletter is also in the offing. The idea is for therapists to find a center of support for their work with other therapists.
These and many other resources await therapists, consumers and others who tap into the society's Web site. The society's first president, Meg Robsahm, writes eloquently about the society's past year of development and its bright future. "We have developed a solid framework for professional growth. We are incorporated and our tax-exempt 501(c)3 status is pending. Our Web site is full of resources and continues to expand. We have grappled with the definition and scope of oncology massage. We have crafted a standards of practice that speaks to the exceptional quality of care our clients can expect. We continue to discover new ideas that we want to realize for sustained growth as a profession and as an organization. A major priority is to expand and publicize our locator service so clients living with cancer can find one or more trained oncology massage therapists nearby. ... Your Board is invested in our profession and confident that our Society will help countless people living with cancer to find compassionate, skilled massage care. ... [Join the society] and ride the wave of an emerging community of therapists with giving hands and open hearts."
From the burgeoning literature and the growing acceptance of massage therapy in oncology settings, and now this society, it's clear that now is an exciting time to be doing this work.
Click here for more information about Tracy Walton, LMT, MS.
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