I t p a y s t o b e A B M P C e r t i f i e d : w w w. a b m p . c o m / g o / c e r t i f i e d c e n t r a l 13
MASSAGE DETECTIVES
When I read Whitney Lowe's most recent
article ["Darren's Back and Leg Pain," May/June 2014, page
100], I thought to myself, "How many times have I had clients
come in with this low-back complaint, with pain running down
the leg?" If only I knew a little bit more about the assessments,
I could have been of more help. I know these complaints can
come from so many sources, but sometimes it's hard to know
which one. Thank you for passing on your knowledge and
for making it fun to be a detective as I investigate the pain to
fi gure out if massage and manual therapy can be of help.
NGUYET "VIKKI" HOWARD
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
THRIVING WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER
I just wanted to tell you that I truly appreciated Ruth Werner's
article in Massage & Bodywork on bipolar disorder (BD) ["Bipolar
Disorder: Living at the Edge of Experience," May/June 2014,
page 42]. My wife and I are both thrivers with BD; my wife has
type I and I have type II. We are both massage therapists. I am
a big supporter of educating people about BD and debunking
the myths and misconceptions about the disorder. If there
is anything we can help you with please let us know!
Thank you for helping us fi ght the good fi ght!
ROSS OLIVER
BRIGHTON, MICHIGAN
MASSAGE THERAPIST
VS. MASSEUSE
I don't see why some people take offense at being called a
"masseuse" ["From Falling in Love to Falling Asleep," by
Charlotte Michael Versagi, March/April 2014, page 72]. It's
French for "a woman who gives massages, especially as a
profession" ("masseur" is the male version). I fi nd nothing
offensive about that description, and am happy to be labeled so.
I certainly wouldn't embarrass or chastise someone publicly for
not assigning me the more "respectable" massage therapist title.
If someone has the wrong idea about what a masseuse does,
that's their ignorance to own, not mine. I resisted the "therapist"
label for a long time because I think "therapist" implies a lot of
things, like maybe you have to be sick to look for one, instead
of just stressed out, tired, or in need of overall relaxation.
Please don't judge us "masseuses" harshly!
SUSAN STONE
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
READER FORUM
PRODUCT SAFETY
"Safety First: Look Twice at Products
You Use Daily" [March/April 2014,
page 36] just showed the tip of
the iceberg. I learned from Gayle
MacDonald years ago in one of her
classes to research what's in the
bottle. Since then, I look at all the
ingredients in my makeup, soap, food,
and massage products, and I know
where my essential oils come from.
FAYE MAKARSKY
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
KUDOS
I am really benefi tting from the
magazine's focus on specifi c
structura l approaches to injuries,
muscle groups, joint dynamics, etc.,
and I've found Douglas Nelson's
articles [Table Lessons] to be
some of the best in this regard.
JENNIFER REINBRECHT
DENVER, COLORADO
EMAIL YOUR LETTERS TO EDITOR@ABMP.COM.
INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME AND THE CITY AND
STATE IN WHICH YOU RESIDE. WE RESERVE THE
RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS FOR LENGTH AND CLARITY.
Although
it
may
be
hard
to
believe
after
reading
this,
I
have
never
been
tossed
out
of
the
profession
or
reprimanded
by
a
state
board.
But
in
17
years
of
practicing
massage
therapy,
I
have
made
some
whopping
errors.
The
following
are
absolutely
true
stories
in
which
I
goofed.
Big
time.
As
you
start
shaking
your
head
and
thinking
you'd
never
make
mistakes
like
this,
understand
that
I'm
a
textbook
author,
I
have
a
thriving
private
medical
massage
practice,
and
I
have
spoken
nationwide
on
lymphatic,
medical,
and
oncology
massage.
If
I
can
make
these
mistakes,
perhaps
you
can
use
the
following
as
a
road
map
to
keep
yourself
out
of
trouble.
72
m
a
s
s
a
g
e
&
b
o
d
y
w
o
r
k
m
a
r
c
h
/
a
p
r
i
l
2
0
1
4
I
t
p
a
y
s
t
o
b
e
A
B
M
P
C
e
r
t
i
f
i
e
d
:
w
w
w.
a
b
m
p
.
c
o
m
/
g
o
/
c
e
r
t
i
f
i
e
d
c
e
n
t
r
a
l
73
Professional
Land
Mines
Every
Bodyworker
Should
Avoid
to
Falling
Asleep
Falling
in
Love
From
By
Charlotte
Michael
Versagi
article ["Darren's Back and Leg Pain," May/June 2014, page
