Massage Therapy is Healthcare.
But most of the world does not know that.
This website is my personal adventure in bringing massage therapy as healthcare to the forefront of the medical community and the public.
Massage Therapy is the answer to many of the worlds health problems: Pain. Stress. Depression/Anxiety.
My personal opinion is that ALL massage therapy – no matter what type or what setting massage is given- ALL Massage Therapy is Healthcare.
Healthcare is defined as:
health care also health·care (hĕlth′kâr′) n.
The prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical and allied health professions. (Free Dictionary)
Massage Therapy is on its way to transforming Healthcare.
It can be used for many health conditions, injuries and prevention. Headaches, back and neck pain and any pain could be helped with massage therapy saving billions of dollars in drugs and help reduce the overuse of Opioids. Carpal tunnel and herniated discs which usually are referred to surgery first can be significantly resolved with the right massage therapy. Massage therapy is also a big part of wellness.
Getting massage therapy regularly can help with so many diseases and conditions but the health insurance companies of the US still neglect to pay for massage therapy services except for WA State where massage therapy has been a covered benefit since 1993 when the Every Category Law was created by Deborah Senn, the insurance commissioner at the time. (See the timeline of events From the Report of the Clinician Workgroup on the Integration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine January 2000. Washington State)
Why are all the other states so far behind WA State?
Because no one has stood up for the other states to make this happen. The Massage Professional Associations have dropped the ball and the American Massage Therapy Association has even gone as far as saying the do not support the Affordable Care Act which has the potential to require that massage therapy be covered by health insurance. (See is AMTA supporting the ACA by Laura Allen
My Mission.
It is my personal mission to advocate for massage therapy as a recognized and respected part of healthcare which includes getting massage therapy covered by health insurance and getting fair reimbursement rates.
There is Power in Numbers! There are over 360,000 massage therapists in the US all who have thousands of clients.