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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 . 47 benefits of such care. The physical and mental health concerns of people who served in the military are most likely different from the general population. Additionally, veterans who have poor self-rated physical and mental health are more likely to feel as though they do not fit in the civilian world, potentially causing further mental anguish. RECONNECTING WITH BODYWORK One of the most difficult aspects of returning from active military duty is reconnecting with family and society. Fortunately, one source of reintegration may be CA M therapies such as massage. A recent clinical trial focused on the issue of veterans' reintegration, particularly with their significant others. 3 In this study, veteran/partner pairs were randomized to one of four groups. The Mission Reconnect (MR) group required each pair to give and receive at least one 20-minute massage per week for the first eight weeks and allowed the pair to determine the use of other study-provided, internet-based activities focused on "connecting with yourself," "connecting with quiet," and/or "connecting with your partner." This program was developed to support psychological (posttraumatic stress disorder, stress, depression, resilience, self-compassion), social (mutual support, relationship satisfaction, collaborative participation, compassion), and physical (physical pain tension, sleep quality) outcomes. The second group was a Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) for Strong Bonds weekend for military couples. This instruction focused on communication and relationship building, problem solving, stress and relaxation, intimacy, forgiveness, and commitment. The third group combined the MR and PREP treatments, and the fourth group was a waitlist control group that received their usual care. The results of this study showed that the individuals in the MR and PREP weekend seminar groups showed significant improvements at weeks 8 and 16, thus demonstrating effectiveness of these forms of care. Between-group results indicated that the MR group showed statistically more improvement than the PREP group or the waitlist group on the Response to Stressful Experiences Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. In other words, stress responses and sleep were most improved in the group that completed partner massages along with internet-based training on improving connections. The veteran/partner pairs whose group included MR provided massage to each other and each received an average of 1.4 massages per week. The massage sessions led to significant benefits for both veterans and their partners in terms of physical pain, physical tension, irritability, anxiety, and depression. Interestingly, on average, the partners (rather than the veterans) had higher baseline levels of tension, irritability, anxiety, and depression. Only the average level of physical pain was equivalent between veterans and partners. This demonstrates that not only do veterans have high levels of distress, but their partners do as well. The pairs in the MR groups also had full access to the internet-based program that included sessions on connecting with yourself, your partner, and with quiet. On average, the pairs used some aspect of the internet-based program 20 times per week, totaling nearly 2.5 hours of use per week during the eight weeks of observation. This greatly exceeded the researchers' expectations. Interestingly, the most commonly used section of the program was "connecting with yourself," followed by "connecting with quiet," and a more distant third of "connecting with your partner." Overall, more treatment alternatives are needed for people with military backgrounds. Massage is a very popular form of care chosen and appears to provide a variety of benefits. However, more research is needed to determine the most common reasons that active military personnel and veterans seek massage care and the outcomes they experience. Notes 1. J. Kahn, W. Collinge, and R. Soltysik, "Post-9/11 Veterans and Their Partners Improve Mental Health Outcomes with a Self-Directed Mobile and Web- Based Wellness Training Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial," Journal of Medical Internet Research 18, no. 9 (September 2016): e255. 2. C. L. Park et al., "CAM Use in Recently-Returned OEF/OIF/OND US Veterans: Demographic and Psychosocial Predictors," Complementary Therapies in Medicine 28 (October 2016): 50–6. 3. C. Goertz et al., "Military Report More Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use than Civilians," Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 19, no. 6 (June 2013): 509–17. Jerrilyn Cambron, DC, PhD, MPH, LMT, is an educator at the National University of Health Sciences and president of the Massage Therapy Foundation. Contact her at jcambron@nuhs.edu. This study confirmed the high percentage of alternative care used by people with military backgrounds.