Massage & Bodywork

MARCH | APRIL 2017

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READER FORUM 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 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. READER FORUM MUSCLE RELEASE TECHNIQUE FOR FIBROMYALGIA Thanks for the article "Sensory Overload: Effective Touch for Fibromyalgia," by Ginevra Liptan, MD, and Jamie Liptan [Massage & Bodywork, January/February 2017, page 48]. It is the best work I have seen relating to that subject. In 18 years of doing massage therapy, I have specialized in pain-reduction work. I have advanced training from Michael Young in the Muscle Release Technique, which is also very effective in providing relief for fibromyalgia sufferers. A physical therapist brings her son and husband to me for help with soft-tissue needs. She says, "We are not trained to do what you do." Pain sufferers want relief. Chronic pain is debilitating! Ineffective sleep, constant fatigue, and impaired concentration plague their life. After trying time and time again, many just give up hope. But there is hope! TOM SUDERMAN VISALIA, CALIFORNIA GRATITUDE FOR PATHOLOGY PERSPECTIVES I wish to thank you and express my profound appreciation for Ruth Werner's latest column [Massage & Bodywork, January/ February 2017, Pathology Perspectives, "Guillain-Barré Syndrome," page 38]. My story: I just returned from out of state as my mother faced a difficult last two months of her life. She had been given antibiotics while the diagnoses of encephalopathy and Guillain-Barré from Zika infection had been overlooked. Reading the brief article confirmed again what had been my experience. There was no point in confronting the medical establishment. They just hadn't looked closely enough at the facts. Once the life was lost, it no longer mattered to anyone except me. There have been so many occasions that when I pick up the magazine, I find uncanny relevancies I can apply to myself or share with those I care about. This particular article choice will remain in my mind as a true gift for many years to come. Your willingness to explore broadly in the realm of health-related issues is why I value you so much. VALERIE WHITING KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE BLOOD PRESSURE AND BOUNDARIES Wanted to let you know how touched I was to read Leslie Young's Editor's Note in the latest Massage & Bodywork [ January/ February 2017, "Living Gratitude," page 8]. So nice to hear of her experience of presurgery foot massage. I have done this for others and am always impressed as I watch the blood-pressure and heart- rate monitors. Blood pressure lowers to normal, and the heart rate becomes very steady—great indicators of relaxation. This could provide a built-in setting for research to demonstrate the benefits of massage in a medical setting. I am also so happy to see Laura Allen's new column with excerpts from Nina McIntosh's 4th edition of The Educated Heart [Heart of Bodywork, "The Nuts and Bolts of Boundaries," page 33]. The list she provides in this first offering is a great checklist for any massage therapist. This could be used in any ethics course or discussion among professional peer groups. I was especially struck by one item on the list. "(The therapist) talked about other clients to me, so I figured she'd talk to them about me." In the age of online massage therapist forums, this particular violation of confidentiality has really gotten out of hand. Also, great to see those delightful illustrations of Mari Stein's back in the magazine! MARY KATHLEEN ROSE LONGMONT, COLORADO NUTS AND BOLTS RESONATE I am a big fan of the writing in this magazine (and many of the writers), but I have to say Laura Allen's Heart of Bodywork column, "The Nuts and Bolts of Boundaries" [Massage & Bodywork, January/February 2017, page 33], made me practically stand up and cheer. Indeed, so many of the bulleted points are those little needle-y things that, unacknowledged or unfixed, can drive people away, mostly because they feel like the therapist doesn't care enough about their timeliness, cleanliness, or the client's welfare, and that includes the subtext of being chronically late or trying to sell them something. No one likes feeling manipulated by a massage therapist's bad habits, and lack of boundaries is a bad habit. The massage is not enough. The "container" for the massage can be a lot more important than any of us realize. To Laura's list I would also add: "When I went to open the door to leave her office, the door knob was coated in oil." KRISTEN BURKHOLDER BELFAST, MAINE

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