Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68005
news notes COMPILED BY SEAN EADS Instructors will be able to pass along new research skills to incoming massage students in support of evidence- based ACUPRESSURE BEFORE SURGERY A study published in the September 2008 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia suggests acupressure helps children shed tension before surgery. The report examined 52 children between the ages of 8 and 17 who were all scheduled to undergo a gastrointestinal procedure. The patients were divided into two groups: one receiving acupressure and the other receiving sham acupressure, which followed acupressure procedures without actually applying them to known pressure points. The children who received genuine acupressure reported a 9 percent drop in presurgery anxiety levels while those receiving the placebo experienced a 2 percent drop. New Officers at FSMTB Delegates to the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) elected a new president and several new officers. Kevin Snedden, chair of the Missouri Board of Therapeutic Massage, was elected FSMTB president for 2009. Other new officers include Kathy Jensen as vice president and Susan Beam as treasurer. In 2007, the FSMTB created the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx), which has been increasingly adopted by states that regulate massage therapists. For more information, visit www.fsmtb.org Massage Therapy Foundation Launches New Education Program The Massage Therapy Foundation announced an education program designed to promote research skills. The program, Teaching Research Literacy: Teach Your Teachers, is a continuing education class to help practitioners develop awareness about ongoing research in the field. The program will be provided to massage school instructors in the form of an eight-hour workshop that qualifies for NCBTMB continuing education credits. After the workshop, instructors will be able to pass along new research skills to incoming massage students in support of evidence- based education and performance. For more information, visit www. massagetherapyfoundation.org. 16 massage & bodywork january/february 2009 education and performance.