The Newsletter of the American Massage Therapy …k.b5z.net/i/u/6080438/i/AMTA_May8_web.pdf · professional practice of massage therapy. See you there! In This Issue Meet the New

2008 Copyright AMTA Geogia Chapter

February’s membership meeting and continuing education saw a great turnout. Roughly 60 people attended the gathering where our new Georgia Chapter Board of Directors was elected. It was our biggest gathering yet! We said goodbye to some great volunteers as we welcomed in our newcomers. As our membership grows, we hope to see more and more new faces and fresh ideas.

At the meeting, Delegates Jane Johnson and Steve Earles answered questions about the new state license and how we’ll all be affected by the change. We were all encouraged to keep ourselves updated on the Georgia State Board of Licensing http://www.sos.state.ga.us/plb/massage

as the laws and regulations are changing rapidly at this time. We will also bring you newsworthy happenings and a continuously updating calendar of events on our website at http://www.amtaga.org. Please visit often as our website is always changing and growing!

Since February, the Board has been hard at work planning the next year’s events and offerings. We encourage you to join us at the next continuing education and membership meeting in June. Your input as a member of the AMTA Georgia Chapter is invaluable to our board as we all work together to better the field and professional practice of massage therapy. See you there!

In This IssueMeet the New Board of Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Newsletter Information . . . . . . . 2Welcome New Members . . . . . . 2 Letter from the President . . 3 & 4Chapter Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 4Delegates & Units . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Don McCann Continuing Education Review . . 8Body Memory Recall . . . . . . . 10Reconnecting Neuromuscular Responses (RNR) . . . . . . . . . . .11Critical Milestones in the Future Development of our Massage Profession as Health Care Providers . . . . . . 12 What is Fibromyalgia? . . . . . . 13 Outstanding Service Awards . . 16Highlight a Member . . . . . . . . 16Education Survey . . . . . . . . . . 17Laurel J. Freeman . . . . . . . . . . 18Highlight a Member . . . . . . . . 16June Chapter Membership Meeting . . . . . . . 19

Please support our advertisers!Erik Dalton’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5High Tech Institute . . . . . . . . . . 7ASHA School of Massage . . . . 9Global Healing Seminars . . . . . . 9Georgia Academy of Massage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Reiki Master . . . . . . . . . .15 & 19Academy of Ancient Reflexology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Volume 23: Issue 7 May 2008

HANDS ON GEORGIAThe Newsletter of the American Massage Therapy Association — Georgia Chapter

Meet the New Board of Directors

2 Hands On Georgia May 2008

The AMTA-Georgia Chapter Newsletter, Hands On Georgia is published three times annually by volunteer members. We reserve the right to alter accepted articles for grammar, syntax, space available, and relevance to the Chapter and the profession of massage. Advertisers should reference the AMTA “Advertising Guidelines” on line at www.amtamassage.org/media/adpolicy.htm. Opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the newsletter staff, the Georgia Chapter, or the AMTA.1. Articles, classified ads, and calendar

listings must be received in legible form by the publication deadlines to be included.

2. Display ads may be submitted electronically- preferably in gif or jpeg format.

3. Payment must accompany a printed copy of articles and ads. Along with your Ad copy, please enclose a check in the correct amount payable to: AMTA-Georgia Chapter and mail to: Newsletter Chair c/o Jessica Meikrantz 4673 BoxAnkle Rd. Barnesville, Georgia 30204.

4. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Meikrantz at 770-255-7544 or [email protected].

Newsletter DeadlinesApril 1st for May 1st mailing August 1st for September 1st mailing November 15th for January 1st mailing

Newsletter Advertising RatesAd Size Width x Height Fee2 Pg 7.5” x 10” x2 $525Full Pg 7.5” x 10” $2752/3 Pg 4.85” x 10” $2001/2 Pg 7.5” x 4.75” $1501/3 Pg-V 2.5” x 10” $1101/3 Pg-H 4.85” x 4.85” $1101/4 Pg 3.35” x 4.85” $851/8 Pg 3.5” x 2.25” $55ClassifiedFirst 25 words $ 20Each addl. Word $0.20Annual Subscription (3 issues) $10Copies printed this issue 2000Total members as of March 31, 2008 1211

December 2007 - March 2008PROFESSIONALDecember 2007Alejandro Colin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AtlantaIndira Evelyn-Sherman . . . . . . . . DuluthHoa Thi Ha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MariettaJoelle M. Smart . . . . . . . . . . . HiawasseeEmily Strickland . . . . . . . . . . . BrunswickJanuary 2008Michele Bentfeld . . . . . . . . . . ColumbusStephanie Marie Bentley . . . . .CummingFrancine L. Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . TuckerJanet M. Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . AugustaBetty Gay . . . . . . . . . . . . .Peachtree CitySarah Ghann . . . . . . . . . . . .MilledgevilleTasha Elizabeth Graham . . . . . . MariettaLaura Klassen . . . . . . . . . . . . . GainsvilleMichal Shaashova . . . . . . . . . . NorcrossLauren B. Simpson . . . . . . . . . . .ValdostaAlex Tsitsilianos . . . . . . . . . McDonoughFebruary 2008Alicia Louise Blackwell . . . . . ColumbusAlicia Louise Blackwell . . . . . ColumbusKrystal Lynn Gainous . . . . .ThomasvilleBennie E. Glosson Jr. . . . . . . . . . MariettaEdna Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TuckerRebecca Martin. . . . . . . . . . . . . LeesburgMary Myers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SmyrnaCynthia L. Overly . . . . . . . . . . HephzibahBrook Marie Phipps . . . . . St. Simons IslandMarch 2008Fatima Alalof . . . . . . . . . . . .KennesawLisa Browning . . . . . . . . . . . . AcworthMindy Brownlee . . . . . . . . . . SavannahDawn J. Butler . . . . . . . . . . . . . MaconMichelle Campbell . . . . . . . . GrantvilleHeather Marie Campbell . . . .SuwaneeAmanda Ford . . . . . . . . . MilledgevilleNathan Hamann . . . . . . . . . . . . AtlantaSammy Lee King . . . . . . . . . . . DuluthNancy Robinson . . . . . . . . . . . MariettaDon B. Simpson . . . . . . . . . . . MariettaAdream Thomas . . . . . . McDonoughKaren Toombs . . . . . . . . . . . .AtlantaJoanne Williams . . . . . . . . . HamptonStacey M. Woodworth . . . . . . . . . Athens

STUDENTSDecember 2007Chris Bedell . . . . . . . . . . . . . KennesawLona R. Flood . . . . . . . . . . . . KennesawYoko Chibana Little . . . . . . . . . BufordaMary Montgomery . . . . . . . . KennesawHeather Pippin . . . . . . . . . . . CovingtonAnita Stokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CantonAngela Y. Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . HiramJeremy Paul Wasdin . . . Jacksonville, FlTimothy Wohl . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MariettaShondell Woseley . . . . . . . . . . . .AustellJanuary 2008Amy Hollis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RossvileTracy Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AtlantaDecarlous Lucas . . . . . . . . . . . . . MariettaColleen McCarthy . . . . . . . . . . . .AtlantaBrenda Peeler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LithoniaMelanie Zinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AtlantaFebruary 2008Jeremy W. Angstenberger . . . . . . DuluthTracy Colin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BethlehemWendy R. Herbert . . . . . . . . . . . . LithoniaChasidy K. Johnson . . . . . . . . . . MariettaKelly McGowan . . . . . . . . . . . KennesawBetty Robinson . . . . . . . .Stone MountainJanelle Weaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AtlantaTRANSFERSDecember 2008Alicia Ryan Pierce Winder from S.CMichelle McClendon Shoup Buford from S.CJanuary 2008Elizabeth Braidwood Moultrie from OregonJames Dyson Athens from VirginiaMary Hodges Smyrna from WisconsinFebruary 2008 Jacqueline D. Hugee Acworth from MDMarch 2008Stuart Satterfield Duluth from CA

continue on page 4

May 2008 Hands On Georgia 3

Dear Georgia AMTA Members,

I would first like to start out with a heartfelt thank you to all those who support me and believe in me as a Chapter leader, for the opportunity to serve for a second term as your

President. The elections were held at the annual membership meeting in February and the members re-elected me for a second term that goes until 2010. I feel that I have been able to make great strides with our Chapter in the areas of member services and member information availability. I truly now have the ability to continue the goals our volunteers have decided upon and hope to see continued success with our board members and all other volunteers. I feel it is a privilege to serve the Massage Therapists of AMTA and Georgia through our professional association.

Each year soon after the annual elections, the Chapter volunteers meet for our annual orientation and planning session to bring the leaders together to get acquainted, to learn their roles and responsibilities, and to establish the coming year’s goals for the Chapter. This year’s weekend meeting was held on March 29th & 30th and was attended by all board members, committee chairs, and Unit Presidents. We also appointed some new chairs and reappointed some current chairs. These planning meetings have become very valuable to our Chapter’s cohesiveness as volunteer leaders. We all have a chance to openly input ideas to make our Chapter better. We also establish a priority list of goals and responsibilities for us to use throughout the next year. This enables all our volunteers to discuss, adjust and agree upon what we want to accomplish for our membership. This gives us a focused plan to go by. We want to make our time invested in our Chapter worthwhile to us and you.

The results of our planning meeting yielded the following goals for this coming year.

1. We are going to revive our Membership program for students with more comprehensive involvement by our Chapter members. Our primary focus for this year will be to reach out to those massage students in school who will be entering our profession soon and provide them with all the necessary information to make an educated decision about not only liability insurance but truly belonging to the only professional association for Massage Therapists. Therapists who belong to AMTA make the best ambassadors of our association. We hope to establish AMTA representatives throughout the state where massage schools are located and have a real presence and availability to students. We’re finding that most graduating students are minimally informed about the benefits of AMTA and are making decisions solely based on a yearly fee and not the full range of services that come with AMTA membership.

2. We want to improve our membership contact efforts with new AMTA members in Georgia, both those just joining AMTA and those relocating to our state. The information networking and the education offerings we try and provide are still being missed by many Massage Therapist’s throughout the state. We feel that making contact with new members will demonstrate our enthusiasm for the massage profession in Georgia and hopefully encourage them to become involved in our professional occupation at more than a personal level.

Letter from the PresidentAMTA Georgia Chapter

Post Office Box 133012 Atlanta, Georgia 30333

BoARD of DiRectoRs

President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joan Nichols [email protected] . . . . .706-399-6885

First Vice President . . . . . . . Vivian Davis [email protected] . . . . . . . . 229.869.9008

second Vice President . . . . Linda Christie [email protected] . . . . . . .404-790-5030

third Vice President . . . . . Carl Hansford [email protected] . . . . . . . .706-676-0234

secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . Ronald Rezendes [email protected] . . . . .678-799-6767

treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lee Holtman [email protected] . . . . .706-868-8360

MeMbershiP secretary . . Shanell Mitchell [email protected] . .404-790-5027

committee chAiRs

awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loyce Kemp [email protected] . . . . . . 478-397-1839

education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Christie [email protected] . . . 404-790-5030

GoVernMent relations . . . . Vivian Davis [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .229.869.9008

MeetinG PlanninG . . . . . . . . Joan Nichols [email protected] . . . . 706-399-6885

newsletter . . . . . . . . . . Jessica Meikrantz [email protected] . . . 404-255-7544

Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . Caroline (CJ) Lowe [email protected] . . . . . . 404-847-0301

sPorts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Open [email protected]

units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lee Holtman [email protected] . . . . . . . 706-868-8360

website . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ronald Rezendes [email protected] 678-799-6767

Chapter Calendar 2008

may 18th: BOD Teleconference MeetingJune 20th: BOD Meeting / *DuluthJune 21st: Membership Meeting / *DuluthJune 20th-21st: Education Classes /

Laurel Freeman *DuluthJuly 20th: BOD Teleconference Meetingseptember 17th-23rd: AMTA National

Convention / Phoenix, AZoctober 17th: BOD Meeting / *TBAoctober 18th: Membership Meeting / *TBAoctober 18th-19th: Education Classes / *TBAoctober 19th-25th: National Massage Therapy

Awarness Weekoctober 31st: State License Renewal DeadlineNovember 16th: BOD Teleconference Meeting

Chapter Calendar 2009

Jan 11th: BOD Teleconferencefeb 20th: BOD Meeting/TBAfeb 21th: Annual Meeting/TBAfeb 21th: Education Class/ TBAmarch 21st - 22nd: BOD Retreat/PlanningApril 19th: BOD Teleconferencemay 17th: BOD TeleconferenceJune 12th: BOD Meeting/TBAJune 13th: Membership Meeting/TBAJune 13th - 14th: Education Class/ TBAJuly 19th: BOD TeleconferenceAugust 16th: BOD Teleconferencesept. 23rd - 26th: AMTA National Convention/

Orlando FLoct. 16th: BOD Meeting/TBAoct. 17th: Membership Meeting/TBAoct. 17th -18th: Education Class/TBANov. 15th: BOD Teleconference

You can also check out the chapter calendar at: http://www.amtaga.org/ga_chapter_calendar

*Duluth- Hyatt Place at Gwinnett Mall *TBA- To be announced


3. Another goal for this coming year is to establish a mentoring network among Massage Therapist’s for the purpose of helping fellow therapist whether it be for new Massage Therapist’s, new to an area and needing help getting established, or just being a generous and experienced therapist who is willing to help another Massage Therapist. We feel there is a need out there to help those in our profession.

4. We have also set a goal to enhance our Chapter involvement of our Delegates and alternates. This member representative position has a very important role in the “voice” of AMTA membership as it is outlined by AMTA, but is also has a role within each Chapter. We want to see new faces from our state membership step up and have the curiosity to learn how this volunteer association works from the Chapter level to the National level. Our Chapter puts a value on our Delegates participation at the AMTA House of Delegates as well as their involvement with members they represent.

In closing I would like to invite any of our members that have been interested or thinking that there must be more to this profession to take the next step and contact us at the Chapter. We constantly strive to make or profession better by volunteering some to it and we definitely get something back for our efforts.

Yours in Service,Joan Nichols

Letter from the President continues

Loyce and CJ share a laugh over dinner after the Board Retreat in March.

February’s Membership meeting was a great

success thanks to all the members who came out

to participate.

SPECIAL PRICING... The Complete Dalton CollectionSave over $217 off the price of purchasing each package individually.Complete set includes basic and advanced certification and 48 CE hours.

All for only... $495 / without CEs... $434.95

August 1 - 3, 2008 Panama City FloridaErik Dalton is being inducted into theMassage Therapy Hall of Fame


Delegates & Units

Augusta Unit: Unit President: Laurie PrattWant to get involved in Augusta? Contact Laurie at:[email protected]

Columbus West Central Unit: Unit President: Jesse WalkerWant to get involved in Columbus? Contact Jesse at:[email protected]

New Unit

Don’t see A Unit in yoUr AreA?

Contact Lee Holtman for details on how to get a unit started in your area today!

[email protected]

northwest Ga Unit: Unit President: Penny SandersWant to get involved in Northwest Ga? Contact Penny at: [email protected] 706-625-9583

DelegatesSteve Earles . . . . . . . . . . . .706-302-7319 [email protected] Johnson . . . . . . . . . . .404-906-5146 [email protected] Salerno . . . . . . . . .770-736-8436 [email protected]

Units

auGusta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laurie Pratt Unit President . . . . . . . . 706-755-4978 [email protected] Ga . . . . . . . Penny Sanders Unit President . . . . . . . . 706-625-9583 [email protected] west central Jesse Walker Unit Contact . . . . . . . . . . 706-761-7268 [email protected]

Want to start a unit in your area? Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lee Holtman 706-868-8360 . . . . [email protected]

your new Unit Here!

High-Tech Institute is looking for you!!

Formed in 1982, High-Tech Institute and its family of schools follow a distinct mission by providing quality post-secondary education focused on career development in the fields of health care, technology, business, and criminal justice.

High-Tech Institute provides this while creating a real world learning environment that inspires our students to realize their full potential. In order to fulfill this commitment to our students, we feel that our employees are our greatest asset and are paramount to our student’s success.

We are continuously seeking quality talent for our 22 growing campuses across the country.

Currently seeking Professionals for our campus in Atlanta for the Massage Therapy program!

Massage Therapy InstructorMassage Therapy Clinic Supervisor

Requirements: 4 years of experience and an Associate’s degree in Massage Therapy or any other closely related field.

Competitive pay, great benefits and excellent advancement opportunities!!

If you are interested in learning more or would like to apply, please email Jena Johnson at [email protected] and include your resume and salary requirements.

High-Tech Institute Atlanta 2450 Piedmont Rd NE

Atlanta, GA 30324

Corporate Office 2250 W Peoria Ave Phoenix, AZ 85029

Jena Johnson

Corporate Recruiter

High-Tech Institute - Phoenix

[email protected]

We are dedicated to the ongoing development of our campus staff. As such our employees enjoy an excellent compensation package including a very competitive salary structure, advancement opportuni-ties, healthcare insurance, paid vacations, tuition reimbursement, and 401K plan.

If you have the enthusiasm and dedication to help others in achiev-ing their career dreams and are interested in joining High-Tech Institute, we want you to be part of our family.

Don’s assistant Pat demonstrates new techniques on a student while the class looks on.


57 attendees came out for “Relief from Head, Neck and Shoulder Pain” with Don McCann. Don taught techniques to recognize and treat headaches, whiplash, torticollis, stiff neck, shoulder spasms, thoracic outlet syndrome and more. Students listened intently as Don talked about the anatomy of the head, neck and shoulder area and common structural pain patterns. The first day of class ended with a few demostrations by

Don and assistant Pat. By the second day, students were ready to put what they had learned to the test. Students partnered up to practice hands on techniques and get valuable feedback from their “clients.”

Dr. Stan Dawson of ASHA (Academy of Somatic Healing Arts) was among those attending Don’s class. When asked about the quality of the education, Dr. Dawson felt that overall the class was a good value for the money and something he would incorporate into his personal practice. Many in the class shared Dr. Dawson’s feeling and were very pleased with how the workshop unfolded.

One of the most important details about February’s continuing education is that it was selected by the membership through a survey sent out by our Education Chair. Please take a moment to fill out the education survey found on page 17 and return it to Linda Christie at 5806 Webb Bridge Ct .Alpharetta, GA 30004 so we can continue to bring education selected by the membership.

For your convenience, future education surveys will be available on the chapter website at: http://www.amtaga.org/home.

Don McCann Continuing Education Review

AMTA Continuing Education Requirements“Beginning with the first full year of Professional Active membership, a member is required to complete 48 clock hours of continuing education every 4 years or provide NCBTMB or NCCAOM-ABT certification and expiration date for renewal as a Professional Active member of AMTA.”Educational programs used to fulfill this requirement must meet the following general description: “an organized education experience directly related to massage therapy, which is offered under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction.” These may be experiential learning, theoretical or research in nature.It is your responsibility as a member to find an appropriate continuing education course. This offers you the greatest flexibility in choosing a course or courses that meet your needs.


The brain was once thought to be the source of intelligence and communication in the body. Science has now discovered that every cell is like a mini brain capable of receiving and transmitting a complex integration of thought, emotion and sensation that forms human experience. When you perceive an experience as stressful or overwhelming, the intelligence of every cell participates in storing the stressful thoughts, emotions and sensations till a later date when you are able to fully experience it. Stored experience in the body is currently referred to as body memory.

The treatment of body memory dates back to the early 1900’s. Pioneers such as Ida Rolf, Joseph Heller, Wilhelm Reich and Moshe Feldenkrais made groundbreaking discoveries of how the body suppresses stressful experiences not only in the mind but in the body and that the body is innately designed to release stored experiences as a means to achieve increasing states of balance, function and vitality. Mind-body therapy developed from these early discoveries and has recently become mainstreamed, primarily by massage therapists. In the massage world, mind-body modalities such as Myofascial Release and Cranial Sacral Therapy have become increasingly popular in the past thirty years. In 1997 a new approach for the treatment of Body Memory emerged called Body Memory Recall or BMR for short. It was developed by Jonathan Tripodi— a pioneer in the field of mind-body therapy. Body Memory Recall integrates over a hundred years of pioneering techniques in the field of therapeutic bodywork, psychology

and science and evolves them into one refined approach that directly supports the transformation of body memory and the patterning of past experiences.

Body Memory Recall (BMR) incorporates therapeutic bodywork, dialogue, movement, breathwork, essential oils and exercise. BMR bodywork is a unique integration of Myofascial Release, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Visceral Myofascial Release, Unwinding, Energy Work and Massage.

BMR provides a full spectrum of touch from off body to light touch to deep tissue that directly supports the release of body memory from all systems of the body. The release of body memory improves flexibility, eliminates pain, improves nerve function and circulation, restores alignment, improves posture and decreases stress and anxiety. It also significantly increases energy and vitality.

Body memory is often the underlying source of tension in the body. Because massage therapists provide hands on treatment for long durations, the treatment of body memory will fall primarily into their hands.

Presently, BMR is on the cutting edge of mind body therapy with only a hundred or more massage therapists trained so far. It’s an exciting evolution that promises to be the foundation of advances yet to come. Learn more at www.bodymemory.com

Global Healing Therapies and Seminars

2245 W.Great Neck Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23451

(757) 491-2598

Body Memory Recall & A New Paradigm Evolving in Massage TherapyBy Janine Lex, DC“More and more

healthcare providers are promoting massage therapy” Statistics show that:

•�Almost�one�in�five�adult�Americans�(19�percent)�report�discussing�massage�therapy with their doctors�or�healthcare�providers.

•��Of�those�19%,�more�than�half�(58%)�said�their�doctor�strongly�recommended�or�encouraged�it.

•��More�than�half�of�massage�therapists�(63%)�receive�referrals�from�healthcare�professionals.

Reconnecting Neuromuscular ResponsesTM

or RNRTM

(Full Prone Position 12-Hour Course)

AM

TA

–G

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Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22, 2008 Cost: $120 AMTA members; $170 non-AMTA members

Early Registration discount of $20 if received by May 21, 2008

Hotel reservations: Hyatt Place Gwinnett Mall, 3530 Venture Parkway, NW, Duluth, GA 30096, (770) 623-9699(mention AMTA education participation when making reservation)

Schedule Saturday

Registration – 8:00 Class Begins – 8:30 to 12:00 Lunch and Membership Meeting – 12:00 to 2:00 Class Resumes – 2:00 to 6:30 (dinner on your own) Dessert Social – 8:00 to 10:00

SundayRegistration – 8:00 Class Concludes – 8:30 to 1:30

(Snacks will be provided for the last session; bring energizing foods if you desire.)

About the Instructor

Laurel J. Freeman, B.A., LMT, NCTMB & Sports Massage Therapist, has been practicing massage since 1987 and is active with the AMTA, the FSMTA and her community. In 1991 she began creating RNRTM in a quest to find the “perfect massage” and began teaching it in 1994.

Married to Howard since 1967, they have two daughters, Carolyne, who works in real estate, and their younger daughter, Bonnie, died of leukemia in 1983 at the age of 12.

Laurel is the National Past President for AMTA and has lectured, written and published many articles on massage and other topics. In 1999, she published, Pathways on a Journey, a book which shares thoughts about life. She believes people have the choice to live pain free and have fun.

About the Class

RNRTM is a neuromuscular massage technique that supports the relationship between the nerves and the muscles through the Golgi tendon organs. Golgi tendon organs are nerve endings located in soft tissue fibers throughout the body.

When a person experiences pain, the pain signal may cause splinting, which is contraction of one group of muscles around another to immobilize them. Splinting is a wonderful mechanism; however, when this signal does not “turn off,” the healing process may be hindered.

RNRTM helps the body remember to “turn off” this signal so healing may be facilitated at a faster rate.

Detach and send with full payment to (sorry, no credit cards accepted): Linda Christie, Education Chair, 5806 Webb Bridge Court, Alpharetta, GA 30004

You may contact her regarding the class at (404) 790-5030

** Make checks payable to: AMTA-GA Chapter **

Name: __________________________________________________ GA License #: __________________

Address: _______________________________ City: _________________ State: ______ Zip: _________

Phone: (______) __________________ AMTA #: ___________________ Professional or Associate

E-mail Address: __________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to help with registration? (please circle one) Yes No

I attended the AMTA 2007 convention in Cincinnati this year and had decided to take some of the lecture sessions put on by the AMTA Massage Therapy Foundation. My interests this year were more towards the future of our profession and what is being done to advance our acceptance in the medical world. Two of the sessions I attended really hit home with me as to what “we” as Massage Therapists need to be doing to enable our profession to move forward and to be more formally accepted as health care practitioners. The first session was titled “Best Practices for the Massage & Bodywork Profession”. A lot of us may not know but many other wellness professions have established Best Practices for their specific occupations that reflect current practice standards. These Best Practices are founded on evidence based experiences and judgment that are documented by the actual practitioners to establish credibility of the profession. I would like to give you a few of the main points to try and convey to the readers the importance of our responsibility to learn about this subject and to become proactive in it if we want our profession to advance in the health care provider world. My points are taken from the presentation given at the convention by Ravensara S. Travillian, PhD, LMP.

Best Practices in Massage Therapy are to be the collection, representation, and communication of currently utilized therapy practices that can be shown to be effective and have definable results. They need to be determined by our profession, by properly educated and experienced Massage Therapists who perform these techniques. The practices need to be educational and informative narratives that reflect actual current

practices. They are not to be constructed to be regulatory or restrictive, not to be subject to legal review or require authorization or approval. Done properly these practices can become the foundation for “Evidence based medicine” which is supported by available research, practitioner experience and client preference. Developing some evidence based practices empowers the profession in the eyes of the scientific, medical, and regulatory communities. The expected outcome for our profession establishing Best Practices can have several major impacts on our credibility standings in the health care world: 1). Increased understanding of

massage therapy.

2). Greater confidence, respect, and pride in our education, ethical practice and quality of care.

3). Greater awareness of the capacity of massage therapy for health care and wellness.

4). Continued awareness by Massage Therapists for providing safe and responsible care to clients.

Who are the stakeholders to be affected by developing Best Practices for the Massage & Bodywork profession? First and foremost it is Massage Therapists and it is to provide clarity, confidence, and proper communications among the profession. Secondly is for client assurance, it is to receive safe and ethical health care by using accepted industry practices. Lastly it is to support acceptance by regulatory bodies, Third-party reimbursers, and Health care providers. What is the motivation to become a contributor in the process to establish Best Practices? The primary reason we as practitioners need to do this is to consciously create guidelines for a

Critical Milestones in the Future Development of Our Massage Profession as Health Care ProvidersBy Lee Holtman. LMT, NCTMB, CMT


MASSAGE THERAPy FOR PAIN RElIEF

Almost one-third of adult Americans say they’ve used massage therapy at least one

time for pain relief—just behind those who have

turned to chiropractic (38 percent) and physical therapy

(44 percent) .

Of people who had at least one massage in the last five years, 30 percent report that they did so for health conditions such as pain management, injury rehabilitation, migraine

control, or overall wellness .

continue on page 14

very diverse group of stakeholders so that guidelines are NOT imposed from the outside. They need to be articulated by the primary stakeholders – Massage Therapist.

The AMTA Massage Therapy Foundation is our source for help on the What, How, and Where to address this subject within our profession. They are working to give us the proper paths and the steps our profession needs to take to continue to grow in the right direction. It’s like that old saying about “horse to water”; they can show us the path but they can’t walk down it for us.

A second piece of the puzzle in the building blocks of our profession lies within the world of establishing valid documentation of effective therapy treatments. There is a structured way to do this and get valuable massage treatment information to the wider communities of researchers and health care professionals. This vehicle is known as Case Reports or Case Studies. The critical question to ask yourself is if you feel like the rest of the world lacks a good understanding of what you do for your clients? Do you feel you are an insightful and thorough clinician when applying treatments to your clients? Do you realize that many variations of therapies are being discovered in new ways to help clients? Do you wish we all had access to this information?

If you’re answering yes to these questions then you have the mind set needed to enter the more scientific world of massage by writing case reports. Many Massage Therapists believe they lack the expertise to participate in scientific inquiry. The obstacles we perceive that would prevent us from writing case reports normally turns out to be cultural rather than technical.

We think we can’t do it before even trying. The truth is that the actual practitioners play a very important role in all health care research. As for massage, we can no longer afford to leave science just to scientists. Right now most of massage research published is done by people with no actual training in massage or bodywork!

Our presenter used excerpts from Leon Chaitow ND, DO, to define the place and importance of case reports. He stated “Research can be seen to have a pyramid-like structure, with Meta-analysis at the top, supported by Random Controlled Trials, Cohort Studies, Pilot Studies, and Case Series, with a foundation of case studies. Case studies provide the foundation for this structure and the evidence they bring forward has shown to be important in alerting the community of researchers and health cars professionals. Every single case report could be the first evidence that may alert a researcher”. This is why we need more case reports in the massage field; to educate researchers! In short, if we as Massage Practitioners don’t do it or are not willing to do it, then we have no one to blame for the lack of professional acceptance and growth of our profession. We must then accept other health care practitioners seeing us largely as an unproven field.

The AMTA Massage Therapy Foundation also has guidance and help for us to begin learning what we must do as practitioners to learn the skills necessary to develop quality case reports that are acceptable to the scientific community. To see what the Massage Therapy Foundation has to offer, take a few minutes and explore for yourself. www.MassageTherapyFoundation.org.

Critical Milestones in the Future Development of Our Massage Profession as Health Care Providers continues

By Lee Holtman. LMT, NCTMB, CMT


AMTA & AFFIlIATESAMTA(847) 864-0123www.amtamassage.org

Massage Therapy Foundation(847) 869-5019www.massagetherapyfoundation.org

National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCTMB)1-800-296-0664www.ncbtmb.com

Commission on Massage Training and Accreditation (COMTA)(847) 869-5039www.comta.org

The Federation of Massage, Bodywork,and Somatic Practice Organizationswww.federationmbs.org


Hightlight a Member!

Massage Therapy has to be one of the most unique careers out there. Though details of the profession have changed over the years, the “bones” of healing one another through intentional touch have been around for ages. I have found, personally, that massage attracts some of the most amazing people and I am constantly inspired by this.

We want to hear about people that inspire you too! So we’re dedicating a section of the newsletter just so we can “Highlight a Member” (or two or three). We can’t possibly know all the wonderful things our members are doing out there so we’re counting on you to send in stories of AMTA members that inspire you through their good works. Please include a picture of the member and your contact information so we can notify you if your story is chosen.

Please send all submissions in print to Newsletter Chair Jessica Meikrantz at 4673 BoxAnkle Rd Barnesville, GA 30204 or electronically to [email protected]. Be sure to check out our submission guidelines on page 2 for more information.We look forward to hearing from you!

For their outstanding service to the membership, the following people received awards in 2008:

Joan Nichols Oustanding�Committee�Award

Jane Johnson Distinguished�Service�Award

Kathy Holtman President’s Award�

We would like to recognize our retiring officers. Our warmest thanks go out to them for their commitment to service and excellence.

Thank You!Kathy Holtman 2nd VP and Education Chair

Tiffany Taft3rd VP and Website Chair

This could be your photo!

Rita SteinMembership Secretary

Lee Holtman First Unit

President in Georgia�Award

EDUCATION�SURVEY

Please help your Education Chair choose your educational offerings

Please number your top 5 or more preferences in order. You can add any that are not on this list.

q Aromatherapy q Myofascial Release

q Business/Ethics q Neuromuscular Therapy

q Cranio-Sacral q Ortho-Bionomy

q Kinesiology q Orthopedic

q Lymphatic q Polarity

q Marketing q Positional Release

q Medical Massage q Reflexology

q Muscle Energy Technique q Reiki

q SportsThai

q Others ________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

When taking classes do you prefer 3 6 9 or 12 hour classes? (Circle one.)

In order to continue to bring education selected by the membership, please take a moment to fill this out and return it to:

Linda Christie 5806 Webb Bridge Ct. Alpharetta, GA 30004

For your convenience, future education surveys will be available on the chapter website at: http://www.amtaga.org/home.

LAUreL J. FreeMAn B.A., LMT, NCTMB & Sports Massage Therapist

LAUREL J. FREEMAN, B.A., LMT, NCTMB & Sports Massage Therapist lives in Gainesville, FL and since 1987 practices massage. In 1991 she began creating RNR™ in a quest to find the “perfect massage” and began teaching it in 1994.

Laurel is an active member in AMTA and FSMTA. She is presently serving on the AMTA National Board as well as volunteering and serving her community.

Married to Howard Freeman since 1967, they are proud parents of 2 daughters. Since 1994, Carolyne has been working in real estate with her Dad and their younger daughter, Bonnie, died of leukemia in 1983 at the age of 12.

Laurel has presented these lectures to many different groups throughout the country on RNR™, stress management, death and living, exercise and stretching, juggling and fun. In 1999, she published, Pathways on a Journey, a book sharing thoughts about life. Laurel believes people have the choice to live pain free. Her work in massage therapy helps many people reclaim their life. Laurel’s philosophy toward life is “I believe in having fun.”


Classifieds

Equipment for Sale:Oakworks Alliance Portable Metal Treatment Table with bag and travel cart for sale. Brand new ($825) - make offer. Augusta area. Call: 706-755-4978. Space for Rent:Treatment room for rent in Augusta area for experienced LMT. Possible Saturday commission work available. Call: 706-755-4978 for details.

Post a classified today! For more Information Contact

Jessica Meikrantz

[email protected]� 404-255-7544�

BECOME�AN�

ACTIVE�MEMBER,

GET�INVOLVE,

�OR�JOIN�A�

COMMITTEE

Contact any of your

Board of Directors or

Committee Chairs,

contact information

on Page 3 or visit our

website at:

http://www.amtaga.org/

Hyatt Place Gwinnett Mall3530 Venture Parkway, NWDuluth, GA 30096 770 623 9699 Fax: 770 623 4643

Chapter Membership MeetingJune 21, 2008

*Complimentary�Lunch12:00PM – 1:00PM

Membership�Meeting1:00PM – 1:30PM

World�Café�Discussion�on�Body�of�Knowledge� and�Model�Practice�ActWith Stan Dawson, Executive DirectorAcademy of Somatic Healing Arts1:30PM – 2:00PMCome for the Fun, Food, Prizes, Raffles and Network with other Massage Therapists

*�Dessert�Social�Saturday�Night 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Come enjoy some delicious desserts and relax.

* Lunch and Dessert Social are complimentary but we do ask you to sign up so we can assure that there plenty for everyone.

RSVP by email at president@amtaga .org or call 706-399-6885 .

Directions from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Go North on I-85,take Exit 104 (Pleasant Hill Road). Turn LEFT onto Pleasant Hill Road. Turn RIGHT onto Venture Parkway. Hotel is on right.

Directions from downtown Atlanta: Traveling north on I-75/85, exit left at Exit 251 (I-85 North). Travel 20 miles to Exit 104 (Pleasant Hill Road). Turn left onto Pleasant Hill Road and then right onto Venture Parkway. Hotel is on the right.

Hands On GeorgiaAMTA - Georgia Chapter P.O. Box 133012 Atlanta, Georgia 30333

Spring is here!

Documents

The Newsletter of the American Massage Therapy …k.b5z.net/i/u/6080438/i/AMTA_May8_web.pdf · professional practice of massage therapy. See you there! In This Issue Meet the New