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C h e c k o u t A B M P 's l a t e s t n e w s a n d b l o g p o s t s . Av a i l a b l e a t w w w. a b m p . c o m . 13
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SCOPE OF PRACTICE
Leslie Young's Editor's Note [Massage
& Bodywork, May/June 2016, page 8]
made me grateful that scope of practice
was strongly emphasized during my
early training. One of my teachers told
our class about a mistake she made—
one that came out of her sincere desire
to help—that sent her client to the
ER. That story has never left me.
When we refuse to consider the
harm we might do, even with "gentle"
modalities, we do our clients and our
profession a disservice. I believe we would
benefi t from our own type of M&M
conference (mortality and morbidity), in
which physicians meet with their peers to
discuss their failures and how they may
have been avoided or remedied.
We serve our profession well
when we share our failures and our
missteps. We all make them, and
we can all learn from them. Every
therapy has its contraindications and
cautions. Every therapist has the
potential to injure someone. Remaining
within our scope of practice helps
keep us, and our clients, safe.
ROBYN SCHERR
LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA
LIFELONG LEARNING
I just read Anne Williams's article on
lifelong learning ["8 Ideas for Lifelong
Learning," Massage & Bodywork May/
June 2016, page 36], and I use several
of the inspirations she recommended.
I have found apps like Skillshare and
Curious to be great resources for lifelong
learners, as well as Coursera. Thank
you for providing something different
and interesting in Massage & Bodywork!
LAURA MOSCATELLO
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
FROM FACEBOOK
MULTIFACETED WORK
I recently read the article "Worrying About Worrying: Massage Therapy and
Anxiety Disorders" in the March/April 2016 Massage & Bodywork [page 40]. I have to
say that psychological health and touch therapies is a topic that seems so simple to
understand, yet eludes many. While completing my undergraduate degree, most of
the research available linking massage to psychology dealt with infant massage for
premature birth. Not much else was available. I look forward to seeing that change.
This question was raised: "Are massage therapists mental health-care providers?"
As touch therapists, we are very much holistic health-care providers, merging many
disciplines within our scope of practice.
JOSE M. OROZCO
APPLAUSE FOR HAND HEALTH
I was very glad to read the column "Hand Health: Gloves, Hygiene, and Microbiota,"
in the May/June 2016 issue [page 40]. This topic is something our industry
needs to pay special attention to at this time. Of course, absolutely
all of my instructors modeled handwashing before and
afterward, and I always used an alcohol-based sanitizer when
doing therapeutic chair massages before and afterward,
with a spray for the equipment between clients.
The diffi cult situations that we still have to seek
solutions to are issues that nail techs are acutely aware
of: how to protect against fungal infections from
clients and whether wearing gloves ruins the experience.
I would suggest pro and con arguments for wearing gloves and
a follow-up article on fungal infections, clients being required to
sign off on whether they took a shower on the client intake form, and
the smelly brevi/cornebacterium "problem."
MICHAEL DUBENSKY
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
NICE CATCH!
On page 98, in the article on Cubital Tunnel Syndrome [Massage & Bodywork,
May/June 2016], Image 2 is an image of the posterior view of the right elbow,
not the left. Image 1 is correctly labeled as a posterior view of the left elbow.
Thanks for a great magazine, always informative, usually impeccably clear.
CAROLINA CANDELARIA
OAK ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA
