Essay contestants share their visions

Robert Gutha of Carter Lake, Iowa, is the first-place winner in our 10th Anniversary Essay Contest. A total of 70 Massage & Bodywork readers took time out of their busy holiday schedules to enter. In 500 words or less, they shared their visions of the future of this profession — what they hoped to see and what they hoped would change about the profession as a whole.

The deadline was Dec. 31, 2002 and the final entry was e-mailed just before midnight.

Gutha’s prize is a Golden Ratio Master Bodyworker 2000 Portable Centerlock Massage Table with Quick Touch Head Support in Mayan and Almond Ultraleather courtesy of Golden Ratio.

We also wanted to share two additional essays, one from Jo-Ann Crawley of Cleveland, Ga., and one from Karma Isis Clark of Louisville, Ky.

We would like to thank all of the entrants for their time and effort. Everyone wrote from the heart with a demonstrated passion and concern for the profession. Here are the unedited essays:

Healthcare and Massage in the Next Decade
By Robert Gutha

Massage has come a long way in the last 10 years, but where will it go in the next few years?

After a two-year study, the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine delivered its final report this year. It revealed an inch-thick document listing more than 100 recommendations and courses of action to create a framework for the future of health that emphasizes information and education toward making intelligent decisions about healthcare.

In the next decade, massage will be a growing part of the healthcare paradigm. As more people seek better healthcare, they are moving toward preventive medicine. In short, people are “sick and tired” of being sick and tired, so much so that they are paying out of their pocket for things not currently covered by the many health plans.

As documentation and knowledge of the benefits of massage grow, it will become more accepted by mainstream medicine, very much like chiropractic and physical therapy grew in acceptance. Larger insurance programs and health organizations are already beginning to cover other healthcare therapies including medical massage.

Government and insurance companies will want to be sure the providers of therapeutic massage are qualified. This is a guaranteed move anytime there is a development in policy and may be unavoidable. Both will most likely push for tougher training and national standards.

There will be a change in healthcare in general. For the last few centuries, allopathic medicine has looked only at the physical aspects of disease. Occasionally, a valiant protagonist sings out the novel concept that the body is connected to the mind and spirit as well.

Massage therapists will take on larger roles as teachers of health to guide clients to maintain wellness. They will offer the support needed to help people get through the integration of body, mind and spirit.

As massage therapists, we already help to educate our clients about health issues and prevention. This integrated health teaching will become prevalent in the appearance of more “health malls,” where healthcare prevention is under one roof. These places have healthy thinking and living, nutrition and health food stores complete with cooking classes, a spa and gym with yoga and martial arts, and community classes in addition to traditional ideas of healthcare.

One of the most basic corrections needed is the stigma that equates massage therapy with the more disreputable aspects of its past. As a student, I am constantly amazed, but no longer surprised, at the number of people with whom I speak that still hold to this outdated concept. This can be corrected by massage working its way into the mainstream medical community as a legitimate CAM offered by qualified and certified people, and paid for by reliable health plans and offered by massage therapists endeavoring to re-educate the public.

As massage becomes more accessible, and we educate the public about healthy living, the common thought will be, “This is so reasonable, why were we not doing it before?”

Robert Gutha is a second trimester student of massage therapy beginning his clinics at Ancient Wisdom College of Healing Arts in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Although the school teaches Swedish massage, both he and the school are open to eclectic modalities.

The Best of Both Worlds
By Jo-Ann Crawley

After 30 years as an R.N., I became a massage therapist. This combination gives me a unique perspective. My dream for the future of massage therapy includes a general acceptance of massage as an integral part of healthy lifestyle. However, because of my many years as an R.N., my focus is the expansion of massage therapy into the medical mainstream — a picture that embraces both Eastern and Western approaches to health.

Our present reality in medicine includes the extensive use of invasive and dangerous procedures, with the addition of various medications to control symptoms, and more drugs to counteract the side effects of the first set of medicines. I believe the best medical system is one that emphasizes prevention and innovative treatments, as opposed to the all too frequent practice of “putting out fires.” Treatment options would include access to the best of both Eastern and Western models.

My dream is a system where prevention is the keystone; it occupies center stage. Great emphasis is placed on helping people to avoid and/or kick the killers such as tobacco and alcohol, harmful drugs and stress. Prevention includes an investment in exercise, diet, spiritual well-being, useful and rewarding work, and the development of fulfilling relationships with others.

The first step in treating disease is the use of conservative treatments such as chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, herbs and appropriate dietary adjustments. When necessary, the next step is the judicial use of traditional medications, invasive procedures, technology and surgery.

The use of invasive measures in no way precludes the continuation of preventive and conservative approaches. Hospitals offer massage to every patient, regardless of diagnosis. Massage is encouraged pre- and post-operatively, thus decreasing the amount of pain medication needed, eliminating muscle spasms and increasing the efficacy of the medications used. Physicians and massage therapists work together to design the best massage plan for each patient.

The issue of reimbursement, of course, threatens to keep the dream from becoming reality. Contrary to prevailing opinion, reimbursement for massage is not that thorny a problem. Recent studies consistently conclude that massage decreases the length of hospital stays, thus saving money for the institution. If there is a sincere desire by hospital officials to solve the difficulty, a solution will arise, whether in the form of coverage by insurance, an independent practitioner status, or hiring massage therapists as regular hospital employees. My father used to say that money spent on a corporate level reveals corporate values; finding reimbursement for a service represents belief and investment in that service, regardless of what is being purchased.

The future I envision holds to the old standard “first do no harm” — an idea now almost ignored. It encourages the highest possible quality of life as opposed to just existence of vital signs. It is a system that celebrates investment in wellness and is a partnership between the patient and the healthcare provider.

Jo-Ann Crawley is trained in Swedish and neuromuscular massage, reflexology and repetitive use treatment. She has been practicing for almost five years.

My Vision for the Future of Our Profession
By Karma Isis Clark

Massage and bodywork is a growing and ever-changing industry as a whole. Diversity is present not only within our industry of professionals, but in the growing population of our clientele. Baby boomers as a generation are aging and the national focus on health and well-being is shifting from symptom and spot treatment of current conditions to longevity and quality of life. Massage and bodywork play a unique role in this growth right now and the transitional view of our work shifting from a luxury experience to a necessary aspect of our wellness routine makes it an exciting time to be in our field. Not only do I foresee the continued specialization of therapists in general, but I see the private practitioner become more scarce with the key trend of unique alliances forming to create holistic wellness practices and the growing spa, resort and day spa industry as the key partnerships in the future of our industry. I feel we can also expect licensure or regulation to become standard in all states for the protection of our clientele and the future of our trade.

I see a trend of massage therapists releasing their solitary private practice to work in groups, with each therapist focusing on a specialties of practice such as deep tissue/injury rehabilitation focus, relaxation therapies, cranialsacral work, etc. I also see the growing trend of massage therapists partnering with other allopathic practices such as surgery clinics, physical therapy practices, geriatrics and aging specialists and general health practitioners, especially preventive care practices. I see massage therapists becoming integral members of wellness teams all over the world. A client seeking preventive care or even intensive treatments for life-threatening illnesses such as cancer or AIDS will be able to go to wellness clinics or retreats where they will be attended to by allopathic physicians of varying specialties, naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists of varying specialties, exercise specialists, aromatherapists, psychologists, spiritual leaders and others all under the same roof attending to every conceivable need of the patient.

I also see more bodyworkers working in the spa, resort and day spa industries as wonderful opportunities for secure income and clientele bases as well as the honor and huge responsibility of providing first-time massage services in a safe and welcome environment for clients who have never received massage therapy or bodywork, including this growing population of Americans who may feel safer going to a day spa rather than a massage therapist’s home office for their first massage therapy experience. We need to embrace this trend of welcoming new clientele into our industry! Our spa industry professionals can introduce the concepts of bodywork and care to our clients while our specialty clinical practices will be able to take the clients to their next level of specialized care in bodywork within the clinic setting.

These group practices will be the future of re-educating our clients about the potential for what their lives can be like Ñ optimal health and longevity in body, mind, emotions, spirit and balance of life. This holistic trend will be the future of wellness in our country and will hopefully become the trend for wellness worldwide.

Karma Isis Clark is trained in Swedish massage, reflexology, deep tissue/injury rehab, sports massage, chair massage, aromatherapy, chakra therapies, spa therapies and body treatments. She has been practicing aromatherapy for more than five years and massage therapy for more than two years.

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