I dream of becoming a massage therapist. I am a bit discouraged though. I have mild tendinitis in my right wrist. Any ways around this?
Alice L. replied:
Ryan Gauthier, the preponderance of evidence shows that acupuncture is ineffective. Stating that and providing the evidence to back that up is not attacking people. "Further more have you looked into what placebo acupuncture is?" Yes. They have a couple of different methods. In one study, they twirled toothpicks on the skin. In another, they developed a very strong adhesive and had blunt-tipped needles that adhered to the skin so it appeared that needles were inserted. " In this method the skin is still stimulated and it is arguably not a placebo at all." I think you're really grasping at straws there. At the risk of boring those who have heard me say this about 100 times: I've had a lot of acupuncture myself and found it rather pleasant. And I was very good friends with a doctor who did research on acupuncture for 30 years. I had many conversations with him about his research beginning long before I became a massage therapist 23 years ago. Dr. Ulett was on the first team of researchers in the U.S.that got a grant to study acupuncture. His interest was very personal; his wife had been born in China (she is American, not Chinese) and he had been treated for LBP with acupuncture while traveling in Japan. Anyway, he got trained in China, worked in partnership with Chinese researchers in Beijing and, later, Shanghai. He had high hopes for it. Early research looked promising but over time, with better controls and greater numbers, it was turning out that acupuncture was not as effective as it first appeared. In my last conversation with Dr. Ulett, who is now in his 90 s, he admitted it was nothing more than a placebo effect. That is not an easy thing to admit when one has spent three decades doing research. True believers will ignore the evidence, but that doesn't change it. What you have to do is look at the *preponderance* of evidence. If you are willing to do that with an open mind, then I suggest you check out the articles on SaveYourself.ca on acupuncture. They are well-researched and easy to read. References are provided. If, however, your mind is already made up, just let me know and I won't bother you with any more information.
Alice L. replied:
"While they might not be mine, all views are valid options to be considered by the person asking the question." No, all views are not valid. " I just came from a medical conference where physicians stated their only fear with massage therapists is that they often recommend things to patients that have no scientific validity or proven results." Not only that, some of the things they recommend are downright harmful. And some make us a laughing stock in front of other professionals. If we are going to call ourselves "therapists," we are assuming responsibility for other people's well-being. It's up to us to be informed and to make sure our information is correct. " I'm just not sure she understands the science. I would be willing to explain the issues with acupuncture research and comparing to placebo." Ryan Gauthier, not only have I been reading the research myself for the last 4 years, I've been in conversation with a researcher for about 25 years. Dr. Ulett moved away from St. Louis about 4 years ago so I haven't had a conversation with him since then and I doubt I will. He's about 94 years old now. "Not every study is credible and those that put stock in studies not done by third party groups are "fools for the read" as one of my professors used to say." Ryan, are you asking yourself those same questions about the study you found that supports your notion that acupuncture *is* effective? Or do you only raise those questions when the results are not to your liking? If you'd followed those links and read those studies, you'd have the answers to those questions. In fact, they researchers tried to put a positive spin on them by saying that real acupuncture was as good as a placebo. That's pretty pathetic.
Ryan G. replied:
I'm glad you think I'm grasping at straws,however there is a whole style of acupuncture that uses non-insertion technique and rapidly spins the needles over a given point to stimulate the skin. Also the world health organization did a full report and meta analysis on acupuncture that lists Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved, through controlled trials, to be an effective treatment. Here's a link to the full report. http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/pdf/s4926 e/s4926 e.pdf
Brent J. replied:
Jessie Rae Cooper to answer your question. I've had many graduates with various conditions that have excelled at massage therapy. I would suggest scheduling an appointment with a licensed healthcare physician. There are various remedies, both traditional and holistic, that your doctor can recommend. Make sure that only a qualified practitioner is diagnosing your condition and that it is within their scope of practice to do so. There are exercises, PT, medications that can assist in controlling your condition. Your doctor can also assist you in determining if your body is properly hydrated, has connective tissue disorders and can recommend if your body/lifestyle is a candidate for a strenuous career path. One of my favorite graduates was a 76 year old woman with RA. Keep your chin up.
Alice L. replied:
"Alice Sanvito, will you please post a study that shows that acupuncture in this condition is no better then placebo." I will be happy to provide several studies that demonstrated that acupuncture was not better than a placebo. It doesn't matter whether it is specifically for tendinitis. This study used 638 adults with low-back pain. Participants got either real acupuncture, fake acupuncture, or usual care. Participants who got either real acupuncture or fake acupuncture did better than those that got usual care, but the real acupuncture did no better than fake acupuncture. So, you cannot say that the acupuncture itself was the mechanism. Faking it produced the same results. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2832641/?report=classic Then there is the famous study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that demonstrated that fake acupuncture was no better than real acupuncture. I'm sorry I only have access to the abstract. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMct0806114 However, you can read an analysis of it here: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/nc/ The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which funds research for CAM, has found that "acupuncture and similar therapies work no better than a sham treatment at easing symptoms like pain and fatigue." http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-nccam-overview-20111211,0,1371814,full.story And, finally, a recent favorite of mine: one can induce the same sensations one gets from acupuncture by sticking needles into a rubber hand. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236925049_Modifying_Bodily_Self-Awareness_during_Acupuncture_Needle_Stimulation_Using_the_Rubber_Hand_Illusion For anyone unfamiliar with the rubber hand illusion, see this short, fascinating video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxwn1 w7MJvk Is that enough?
Alice L. replied:
"Or YOU could provide evidence that they don't help anything. " It is up to the person making the claim to support their claim with evidence. What if I said that pink marshmallows cure headaches? You can't prove me wrong. I dare you to come up with a study that proves that pink marshmallows do not cure headaches. I'll bet you $20 that you can't find one. No, it's up to me to produce evidence to back my claim. However, in the case of acupuncture, there is a *lot* of evidence that it is no more effective than a placebo, which means it is not effective. By the way, Cory Blickenstaff has some good movements for the hand, wrist, and forearm. You can do this yourself for free and see if it helps. But really, Jessie Rae Cooper, get it looked at and find out exactly what is going on and why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hlWgH3_0NU
Brent J. replied:
Ryan, I don't think she is attacking your suggestions. Alice is trying to help you. I just came from a medical conference where physicians stated their only fear with massage therapists is that they often recommend things to patients that have no scientific validity or proven results. We are in our ethical rights to try any treatment to ourselves, but the you cross an unethical threshold when you suggest to patients/clients treatments with no proven medical validity. You may "feel" it is working, but it crosses into unethical and now some states unlawful behavior. Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of soft tissue. She's asking for that science.
Ryan G. replied:
Alice Sanvito, will you please post a study that shows that acupuncture in this condition is no better then placebo. I just did a search of pub med and couldn't find one. In fact I did find a small study that shows promise using acupuncture with rotator cuff tendinitis, when compared to placebo. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10534595
Dianna L. replied:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22675224. If not de quervain's then the appropriate tendons would need to be identified and exercises altered accordingly.
Kumari K. replied:
Dianna Linden is right that many types of clients' problems cannot be addressed with techniques when I use my feet. If I were exclusively or even mostly doing barefoot work I would have to seriously change the client base. And dianna I have come to think that weirded out connective tissue is most of peoples problems- my own included.
Bev S. replied:
All of the above sound great at different times of course. I wouldn't get too discouraged. Maybe check with your Dr. to find out for sure what is going on with wrist and then try to integrate these forms of bodywork into your daily self care. Hydrotherapy might work great as well and James Waslaski is an excellent resource for more information on orthopedic massage and pain management. Best of luck in your future and in making self care a top priority in your life first and foremost.
Kumari K. replied:
Yes, come to Florida and take my class....or find me a group of students where you are! http://www.spasuccessllc.com/bar-less-barefootthai-fusion.html
Kumari K. replied:
Katarah Barge see the link above....also, when you go to that same site, see the Asian Fusion Barefoot Class. Vicky Karr teaches this and it's a fantastic, fun class. If you take Vicky's class, then you take my class, you would be absolutely set to do full modalitys on the table and floor in a spa or as a housecall. And come to Disney. Also, I use some structural integration stuff I have learned that are very effective and are less taxing on the body, so you may look into those modalities...SI or myofascial work. I haven't tried bamboo massage but I would think that would be great. http://www.spasuccessllc.com/asian-fusion-barefoot.html
Bev S. replied:
Lomi lomi massage has been an excellent form of bodywork that has not only saved my wrists but my back as well for almost 11 yrs. You use mostly forearms during the massage and it is also a beautiful form of bodywork for the client and the therapist. Sacred Lomi with Tom Cochran and Donna Jason can be found online and on FB. They have seminars and videos for home learning. They are terrific teachers of Lomi lomi.
Andrew L. replied:
Alice Sanvito Lbt ..pink marshmallows have been shown to help fight cancer..When people buy them in support of "Race For The Cure"...They can also cure the ugly color of plain brown hot cocoa..lol.
Anyone know of a good massage therapist? My left shoulder area is knotted up, hoping its muscle related. I most definitely don't want to have a 4th surgery.
Richard A. replied:
Did you work with Vicki Johnson at ra-tec? she is a massage therapist in gilroy and MH.
Recommended... a great massage therapist Juliet Ramos Stagi.... Has magic in her hands ... Does personal calls in the northern bay area, and central coast. Speaking...
Sunny S. replied:
Gregorio Aguilar... Ok I'll let her know ... I'll get back to you soon