MASSAGE THERAPY IS NOT A SEXUAL WORKER

A few days ago, my group received a post of an interview from Inside Edition stating a Massuer had his license revoked. I have a few words to say about this report, I am furious on a multitude of levels but calling a therapist a masseuse or masseur is now considered a dirty word and calls this profession sex trafficking and prostitution or some nefarious goings-on behind closed doors. I call a big-fat, and ladies and gents, forgive my boldness here, call it fat bullshit. For one, they must not know enough about this profession to make that judgment. Massage has been around for over 5000 years. It has always been a noble profession. Those of us that have gone to school and learned the craft and finished with our certifications and then went on to become licensed Therapists, are medical professionals and are staunch defenders of this sister/brotherhood. We are not and it bears repeating NOT SEX WORKERS. PERIOD!!!! Get it - got it- Good. These reporters and the general public have no idea the work we put into and have to learn about the body. Well, let me enlighten you. 650 hours from a school. At least 100 hours of Anatomy and Physiology with a breakdown of hours in : Myology: 35 hours Osteology: 15 hours Circulatory system: 10 hours Nervous system: 10 hours Pathology at least 40 hours. The massage therapy study is to comprise 250 hours. Included in this content area is a minimum of 50 hours of supervised practice. Contradistinctions, contraindications, and related touch modalities are to receive coverage. An additional 50 hours should cover miscellaneous Board requirements. Among them are a business, professional ethics, CPR, first aid, and hydrotherapy. Electives can account for 210 of the required hours. And after passing, you take about a 3-hour Board test. Note: Some states require more than 650 hours of schooling. Listen up- there is a reason you do an intake form before you get a massage. All those questions about your health and the medicines you take. It's my/our job to know as some medications are contra-indicated and with a massage. If you have taken pain meds, and heart meds, have you had recent surgeries, or any rashes/skin irritations, are you being treated now or in the recent past for cancer. All of these are not sexual questions, these are needs to know for your health. Relaxing massage such as the Swedish technique can lower your blood pressure. All the techniques we learn and perform on the body have a purpose, depending on the person's needs. If there is a lot of build-up of lactic acid in the muscles, deep tissue is usually needed. (For those of you that do not know- that is called a knot). We work hard and it breaks us (physically) down more than you know. Our profession is about 10 to 15 years, if we are lucky. So, to suggest that anyone you see wants to lock you behind a door and grope you and try you on for sex, it is ridiculous for one and for another those that do - either do not have a license from that state to be a real therapist or they come in with a license under a name that should be looked into. it is the public's responsibility to know who you are going to. If the therapist does not ask and tell you what is going to happen if this is your first visit. then you need to start questioning. However, if you feel comfortable, I will step out of the room for a moment, you undress and underNEATH the covers, please. You can leave undies on or off, again however you feel comfortable. Tell them how you start a massage and this is how you do it and if there is anything you need to ask or have me stop as in -We stop and ask the pressure level- if it is too hard or we need to go deeper. We ask certain questions of working on legs, stip buttocks if we feel it can help ease lower back pain(this is another subject to tackle) We always ask the clients/ patient for their comfort level and keep them draped within the boundaries of the rules and regulations or our state. This is not any level of sexual impropriety folks. And for those in the peanut gallery that wants to make a big deal and report a therapist, for a specific touch or your feelings, take notice. There is also a taboo subject called arousal during a session. YEP, I said it, so sit down and learn something. IT IS HUMAN NATURE for some to experience arousal., men and women. We are trained to ignore it. It happens. Again, it's nothing sexual. This profession has been attacked, demeaned, and put under scrutiny for far too long. It is time it ended. There is a need for a Massage Therapist, as we are medical professionals whether it's just relaxation from a stressful day/week or to move out the lactic acid causing our muscles to tighten and causing more issues. I am tired of hearing WE are the cause of this and that and the public needs protection against us- BULLPUCKEY. Where is our protection? We are subject to the whims of anyone behind those closed doors.