Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1501042
who love us and who mentored us and gave us our most foundational understanding of the very work we love. For example, we have known for quite some time that massage therapy does not f lush things from the body— not lactic acid and not the dastardly "toxins" we hear so much about. If you do an online search for "Does massage therapy f lush lactic acid?" or "Does massage therapy f lush toxins?" you will see massage schools, franchises, and science nerds around the world sharing about their new understanding of these things. And yet, our clients thank us for doing just that and we smile and agree and hand them a glass of water. We all wander off assuming that our strokes are picking up mysterious slack for the body's vital organs and for our connective tissues— even if we've heard and read that this is not the case. Critical thinking demands that we learn what's true and then integrate it. This includes sharing what we've learned with our clients. Your client says, "Thanks for the water. I know I have to get these toxins out after that great session." You can say, "Water is so important for all of us and, actually, even before you walked into my office today, your kidneys, lungs, and liver were killing it in terms of f lushing the leftovers from your body's natural processes, which actually aren't toxic, just not useful anymore and already on their way out." 3 Our bodies are amazing, and while massage therapy does have the potential to elicit relaxation and possibly disturb or improve local circulation, it's not "necessary" to ensure that we avoid the fate of becoming walking cesspools. This is important for both you and your clients to understand as you think about what's happening during your time together. This is truly the tip, or maybe it's the base, of the critical-thinking iceberg. We have to be willing to notice the ways we are unwilling to accept or at least are resistant to new information. And then? Seek it out and share it. It's our ethical (and often fun!) obligation to the well-being of the people we serve. L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 79 Notes 1. My son uses nonbinary they/them pronouns. 2. NOAA, "How Much Oxygen Comes from the Ocean?," accessed June 2023, https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ocean-oxygen. html. 3. National Geographic, "Save the Plankton, Breathe Freely," accessed June 2023, www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/save- the-plankton-breathe-freely. 4. Lexington Healing Arts Academy, "Massage and Releasing Toxins: Educating Clients on This Myth," June 17, 2019, www. lexingtonhealingarts.com/massage-releases-toxins-educate- your-clients-on-myth; AMTA, "Myths, Massage and Research," February 1, 2022, www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage- therapy-journal/myths-in-massage-research; Massage, "Old Myths Die Hard: The Truth About Toxins," December 12, 2018, www.massagemag.com/myths-massage-releases-toxins-87973. Cal Cates is an educator, writer, and speaker on topics ranging from massage therapy in the hospital setting to end-of-life care and massage therapy policy and regulation. A founding director of the Society for Oncology Massage from 2007 to 2014 and current executive director and founder of Healwell, Cates works within and beyond the massage therapy community to elevate the level of practice and integration of massage overall and in health care specifi cally. Cates also is the co- creator of the podcasts Massage Therapy Without Borders and Interdisciplinary. TAKEAWAY: What we know about the body and how we affect it with our work is constantly changing. We must do the same. MASSAGE THER APY AS HE ALTH CARE ABMP CE COURSE: "THINKING ABOUT THINKING: CRITICAL THINKING EXPLORED" 1. Open your camera 2. Scan the code 3. Tap on notification 4. Learn!