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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