Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/494122
F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 39 PATHOLOGY PERSPECTIVES Positioning was also variable: some clients were able to receive a bodywork session that required no adaptation, but others could only receive work from a side-lying position. One therapist shared that her client had been turned away by other practitioners because of her condition. This brings up a subtle but important aspect of living with a chronic disease: its influence on self-esteem is hard to estimate. Anxiety, depression, and a sense of the loss of the ability to cope with even minor life stressors may seriously impact a person's quality of life. Whatever the status of your next client with Crohn's disease (flare or remission, under control with minimal treatment or gearing up for a surgery), I hope you'll feel confident to call on your patience, your ability to listen with all your senses, your compassion, and your unique skills to offer the very best of what massage therapy can give for this population of clients who live with such great challenges. Ruth Werner, BCTMB, is a former massage therapist, a writer, and an NCTMB-approved continuing education provider. She wrote A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2013), now in its fifth edition, which is used in massage schools worldwide. Werner is available at www.ruthwerner.com. "My first encounter with massage was the best experience I ever had. I just wish everyone with an autoimmune disease could get this kind of help." Meredith Kusmer Jerome Author note: Many thanks to the massage therapists who shared their experiences to add depth to this article: Jimmy Gialelis, Las Vegas, Nevada; a massage therapist in Shelby Township, Michigan; Kristal Halworth, Tampa, Florida; Lauren Muser Cates, Alexandria, Virginia; and a special thanks to Meredith Kusmer Jerome, whose history with Crohn's disease provided the through-line for this conversation. Resources Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. "What is Crohn's Disease?" Accessed March 2015. www.ccfa.org. Ghazi, L. J. "Crohn Disease." Accessed March 2015. emedicine.medscape.com/article/172940-overview. Purdy, M. C. "Viruses May Play Unexpected Role in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases." Washington University in St. Louis. Accessed March 2015. www.news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/27891.aspx. Rawsthorne, P. et al. "The Manitoba Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study: A Prospective Longitudinal Evaluation of the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Services and Products." Gut 61, no. 4 (April 2012): 521–7. Wu, Gary D. et al. "Analysis of the Human Gut Microbiome and Association with Disease." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 11, no. 7 (2013): 774–7.