Some concerning news from New Hampshire

Several law makers in New Hampshire wish to remove the licensing requirement for many professionals, including Massage Therapists.  This is incredibly concerning to me as a Massage Therapist and it should be concerning to the public as well.

Massage Therapists go through extensive training and schooling, with over 750 hours of hands-on clinical study.  We take a licensing exam and are required to complete continuing education classes every year to continue holding a license as well as maintaining a clean background check.  Without licensing, clients could be seriously injured by someone claiming to know what they are doing.  This can leave the client with no cause of action, as there would be no record of who their "MT" was.  Licensing also helps protect the public,  by completing criminal background checks to prevent unsafe people (sex offenders and those with assault charges) from working on people.

Professionals Testify Against Bill Ending Licensing Requirements

Proposal Would Make Licensing Optional For Cosmetologists, Fishing Guides, Barbers

CONCORD, N.H. -- A large crowd of cosmetologists, barbers and landscapers testified against a bill Tuesday that would deregulate their professions, eliminating licensing requirements.

The licensed professionals called the bill insulting.

"Why don't we get rid of all the licensing?" said barber Spencer Hibbert. "Get rid of lawyer licenses. I'll hang a shingle out front and be a lawyer."

Bill sponsor Rep. Spec Bowers, R-Georges Mills, said the proposal is about consumer choice.  "If a willing consumer chooses to hire a willing provider, the state should not interfere with that choice," he said.

Bowers is streamlining his bill and is now calling for licensing to become optional in certain fields, but skin care professionals said that would compromise public safety.

"I'm not sure if people are aware that herpes can be spread through improper waxing," said Pam New of the New Hampshire Cosmetology Association.

"Competency is also very important, along with every service that we can do," said Gary Trottier of the New England School of Hair Design. "There is also a risk of injury if it's not done properly."

The bill also targets massage therapy, athletic training, court reporting and fishing guides. Maj. Kevin Jordan of the Fish and Game Department spoke in opposition to the bill, again citing safety concerns.

"Sportsmen and women who are hiring guides want to be sure they are getting a quality person, and we want it, so I'm not sure why we'd want to change that," he said.

More than 100 people attended the hearing in Representatives Hall. The committee hearing the bill could make its recommendation by next week.

A Session of Massage Keeps the Doctor Away: one more reason massage is good for you.

This article was published in December 2010 in Massage Today.  Its pretty interesting.

 

A Session of Massage Keeps the Doctor Away

Study Confirms Improved Biologic Effects

By Christie Bondurant, Associate Editor

A recent study, reported on in the New York Times, determined that a single session of Swedish massage produces beneficial biologic effects on neuroendocrine and immune function in healthy adults.

The study, published in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, evaluated 53 medically and psychiatrically healthy adults, aged 18-45 years old. These participants were given 45 minutes of Swedish massage therapy versus a light touch control treatment. After just one session of Swedish massage therapy, adults experienced an increase in circulation of lymphocytes (improving the immune system) and a decrease in cortisol (aka the stress hormone), arginine-vasopressin (a hormone stimulating cortisol levels), and mitogen-stimulated levels of interleukin, which also improves the immune system as well as the nervous system and endocrine system (or neuroendocrine function).

Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, concluded that while this was a preliminary study, if more research confirms similar findings, massage therapy might be used toward managing inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.

The findings in this study may not be revealing to many massage professionals, who already consider massage to be a healing treatment that restores and improves health. However, reputable research findings such as these that are also reported in mainstream publications is a step in the right direction toward validating and improving the larger perception of massage therapy.

The article titled "A Preliminary Study of the Effects of a Single Session of Swedish Massage on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal and Immune Function in Normal Individuals" can be found here. The study was sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

Benefits of Massage

Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress-related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. Massage is an effective tool for managing this stress, which translates into:

• Decreased anxiety.
• Enhanced sleep quality.
• Greater energy.
• Improved concentration.
• Increased circulation.
• Reduced fatigue.

Massage can also help specifically address a number of health issues. Bodywork can:

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
• Ease medication dependence.
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural defense system.
• Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
• Improve the condition of the body's largest organ—the skin.
• Increase joint flexibility.
• Lessen depression and anxiety.
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
• Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
• Reduce spasms and cramping.
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body's natural painkiller.
• Relieve migraine pain.