Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/149404
somatic research setting can better understand the current standard of care based on these clinical-practice guidelines. As an example, in 2013, the American College of Chest Physicians did a review of the literature assessing complementary therapies and integrative medicine for lung cancer. This review included the following statement: "In lung cancer patients whose anxiety or pain is not adequately controlled by usual care, addition of massage therapy performed by trained professionals is suggested as part of a multimodality cancer supportive care program."3 Having a recommendation such as this from a highly regarded association will build your professional credibility, possibly leading to better collaboration and collegiality. Discover Your Passion Most therapists start their careers with a general focus, and as time goes by they drift toward a more specific clientele—whether that is athletes, pregnant women, senior citizens, or another population. This shift may occur naturally as clients refer other people who have similar characteristics or conditions; however, some therapists are inspired to reach out to, and focus on, underserved or distressed populations. The decision to focus on a specific population may be based on a past experience, a high level of interest, or by reading research about the population. Knowing that there is evidence supporting massage therapy for a certain condition or a certain type of client may provide the background support that is needed in order to feel comfortable pursuing the type of clients you want. At the recent International Massage Therapy Research Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, Mary Fabri discussed her experience with massage therapy for torture survivors.4 Her talk was both shocking (the horrendous treatment that some people have undergone) and inspiring (the fact that massage was able to help some of these victims). During her presentation, my thoughts went back and forth between the type of massage that would need to be utilized with the victims of such abuse and the massage therapists who were treating these clients. This type of work is usually a calling for people who feel compelled to be of service to a specific community. There are many communities of people in need of massage. But how can you learn about the different possibilities that are available? One way is through reading research articles. Frequently, health-care providers who treat unique populations will write research articles based on their experience. For example, there are research articles on massage for increasing the weight of premature infants, as well as on improving quality of life for cancer patients. There are articles on massage for people who abuse drugs, as well as for people who are homeless. The Bottom Line There are many reasons to read research articles, and there are many ways to incorporate research into your practice. The bottom line is that we do not know what interesting, important, compelling, or touching studies are out there until we start reading and discovering for ourselves. As this column progresses, I will present different areas of massage therapy and bodywork research and consider what they might mean for your practice: how they will affect the way you work with clients, collaborate with other health-care professionals, and build your practice. Reading research articles can open our minds to new possibilities for massage, helping to build our practices and our profession. Notes 1. P. Posadzki and E. Ernst, "The Safety of Massage Therapy: An Update of a Systematic Review," Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies 18, no. 1 (2013): 27–32. 2. R. B. Silva Gallo et al., "Massage Reduced Severity of Pain During Labour: A Randomised Trial," Journal of Physiotherapy 59, no. 2 (2013): 109–16. 3. G. E. Deng et al., "Complementary Therapies and Integrative Medicine in Lung Cancer: Diagnosis and Management of Lung Cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines," Chest 143, no. S5 (2013): e420S–36S. 4. M. Fabri, "Massage Therapy for Torture Survivors" (presentation, International Massage Therapy Research Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, April 26, 2013). Jerrilyn Cambron, DC, PhD, MPH, LMT, is an educator at the National University of Health Sciences and president-elect of the Massage Therapy Foundation. Contact her at jcambron@nuhs.edu. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 55