Management: spas, clinic rooms, massage schools.

The Manager’s Cheat Sheet: 101 Common-Sense Rules for Leaders

By Inside CRM Editors

Management is all about connecting with the people on your team. So how do you effectively manage a team? With common knowledge, of course. These are a few back-to-basics rules that will help you develop management skills that really matter.

Body Language

Like it or not, your body speaks volumes, even when you are silent. Here’s how to express an attitude that’s appropriate for a leader.

1. Stand tall. Keeping your shoulders back and holding yourself up to your full height will give you an air of confidence.

2. Take your hands out of your pockets. Putting your hands in your pockets is often seen as a sign that you have something to hide.

3. Stand with your arms crossed behind your back. This will help you adjust your posture, and it leaves your hands in a position that is open and not intimidating.

4. Make eye contact. Always look directly into the eyes of the people you are speaking with. This shows you’re interested and also gives you a sense of confidence.

5. Sit up straight. Even if you’re at an 8 a.m. meeting and feeling tired, it’s important to sit up straight in your chair. Slouching makes you look disinterested and can give off an unwanted air of laziness.

6. Face the person you’re talking to. This shows you are interested and engaged in the conversation.

7. Shake hands firmly. For many, a handshake is a reflection of the person you’re shaking hands with. You don’t want to come across as unsure or overbearing, so make sure yours is professional and confident.

8. Always smile. Smiles are contagious and will make others feel positive when you’re around.

9. Look your best. You don’t have to be model perfect every day, but you should dress appropriately and neatly. Clothes can have a big impact on the way you’re perceived.

10. Walk confidently. Keep your head up and take even strides.

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Isn’t everything we know and teach and learn in Massage Therapy just a synthesis of information?

Henry Ford:

I invented nothing new. I simply assembled the discoveries of other men behind whom were centuries of work. Had I worked fifty or ten or even five years before, I would have failed.

So it is with every new thing. Progress happens when all the factors that make for it are ready and then it is inevitable.

To teach that a comparatively few men are responsible for the greatest forward steps of mankind is the worst sort of nonsense.

When was the last time there was truly a new concept brought forth in massage therapy modalities?

Aren’t most modalities just a branch, or a blend of an already existing concept or idea?

Attached is a great video playing on this concept! What is creativity? What is original?

Creativity:

COPY – TRANSFORM – COMBINE

This is all pretty interesting, especially when we think of all the propriety information out there.

For a list of “pretty original” workshops and Massage CEU’s visit ASIS Massage Education

Target Heart rates in adults

In a healthy adult, a heart rate should range between 60 and 100 beats/minutes.

Tachycardia is a condition when the resting heart rate is faster than what is considered healthy. When a heart rate is over 100 beats/minute, it is considered tachycardia.

Bradycardia is a condition when the resting heart rate is slower than what is considered healthy. When a heart rate is under 60 beats/minute, it is considered bradycardia.

During exercise, we may look at increasing our heart rate to help strengthen the heart, and increase over all health. The appropriate elevated heart rate we are desiring is called our Target Heart Rate.

When figuring out oue desired target heart rate we use the following:

220 minus our age, minus our resting heart rate x 60%, plus resting heart rate… (during exercise, our heart rate should be above this number).

and/or

220 minus our age, minus our resting heart rate x 85%, plus resting heart rate… (during exercise, our heart rate should be below this number).

Study Alternative Health, Massage Education, and Human Anatomy at Northern Arizona’s oldest and most comprehensive Massage Therapy School.

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Chambers of a human heart

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MOXI-BUSTION & Massage Therapy

Moxibustion (Chinese: 灸; pinyin: jiǔ) is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy using moxa, or mugwort herb. It plays an important role in the traditional medical systems of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, and Mongolia. Suppliers usually age the mugwort and grind it up to a fluff; practitioners burn the fluff or process it further into a stick that resembles a (non-smokable) cigar. They can use it indirectly, with acupuncture needles, or sometimes burn it on a patient’s skin.

Practitioners use moxa to warm regions and acupuncture points with the intention of stimulating circulation through the points and inducing a smoother flow of blood and qi. Research, for example at Mugwort (Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Clare Hanrahan) has shown that mugwort acts as an emmenagogue, meaning that it stimulates blood-flow in the pelvic area and uterus.

Medical historians believe that moxibustion pre-dated acupuncture, and needling came to supplement moxa after the 2nd century BC.

Moxibustion is considered to be especially effective in the treatment of chronic problems, “deficient conditions” (weakness), and gerontology.

There are two main types of moxibustion: one of which are direct and one which is indirect. There is a third newer method which does not involve any heat source, which we will discuss later. Let’s first present the two methods which involve using a heat source. The first is direct moxibustion. This is where a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned. The moxa is placed on the point and lit, but it is extinguished or removed before it burns the skin. The patient will experience a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deep into the skin, but should not experience any pain.

The second method is indirect moxibustion which is the most popular form of moxibustion since nothing actually touches the skin. In indirect moxibustion, a practitioner lights one end of a moxa stick, roughly the shape and size of a cigar, and holds it close to the area being treated for several minutes until the area turns red. Another form of indirect moxibustion uses both acupuncture needles and moxa. A needle is inserted into an acupoint and the tip of the needle is then wrapped in moxa and ignited, generating heat to the point and the surrounding area. After the desired effect is achieved, the moxa is extinguished and the needle(s) are removed.

Patient receiving direct moxibustion The third newer method uses moxa spray oil. This product is an ultra pure product of highly refined moxa oil, which is sprayed onto the point. This is extra concentrated product which is made from the highest grade pure moxa. In our experience it is a very effective form of moxa application without any risk of burns and eliminates the burning of traditional Moxa in treatment rooms.

It is believed that moxa could add new energy to the body and could treat both excess and deficient conditions.

A huge classical work, Gao Huang Shu (膏肓俞), specialises solely in treatment indications for moxa on a single point (穴).

Various modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine are incorporated within the scope of Massage Therapy.

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Integrative Hospital Associates

Welcome: Students in our new program over in Prescott!

Asian Modalities for the Massage Therapist

Gua Sha

Gua Sha is a healing technique used in Asia by practitioners of traditional medicine.

Depiction of Gua Sha treatment Gua means to rub or friction. Sha is the term used to describe congestion of blood at the surface of the body. When friction is applied in repeated even strokes, the sha surfaces as small red petechiae. In minutes the petechiae fade into echymotic patches. The sha disappears totally in two to four days. The color and rate of fading are both diagnostic and prognostic indicators. It involves palpation and cutaneous stimulation where the skin is pressured, in a stroking manner using round-edged instruments. The purpose of raising sha is to remove stagnation and promoting circulation.

The benefits of Gua Sha are numerous. It moves “stagnation”, promoting normal circulation to the muscles, tissues, and organs directly beneath the surface treated. The patient experiences immediate changes in stiffness, pain and mobility. Normal metabolic processes are restored by the movement of fluids as nutrients are carried to the tissues and metabolic wastes are carried away. Because Gua Sha mimics sweating, it resolves fever.

Gua Sha cools the patient who is overheated, warms the patient who is chilled, nourishes the patient who is deficient, and clears the patient who is excess. Gua Sha is therefore considered an adaptogenic technique.

We consider applying Gua Sha in any case of pain or discomfort, stiffness, for upper respiratory or digestive problems, and for any condition where palpation indicates there is sha.

After Gua Sha, the patient is instructed to cover the area, avoiding wind and exposure to the sun or sudden change in temperature. Stretching is recommended but not a heavy workout on the day of treatment.

Contraindications to Gua Sha includes inflammation of the skin, bleeding disorders, open wounds, phlebitis or unexplained lesions.

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Benefits of Massage Therapy and massage clients with Autism

Pediatric Massage: A Nurturing Intervention for Autism

By Tina Allen, LMT, CPMMT, CPMT, CIMT

from Massage Today:

Autism Defined

The incidence of autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is on the rise. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control believe there are as many as 1 in 80 children affected by this group of disorders, and boys are affected 4 to 5 times as often as girls.

autism boy Autism is a complex developmental condition. Most children with autism are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors which are markedly different from those of children who are developing on a typical spectrum. Autism, as we now know it, is incurable and the behaviors associated with the disorder persist throughout the child’s lifetime. Less severe cases may be diagnosed as pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) or Asperger’s syndrome (these children typically have normal speech, but they have many “autistic” social and behavioral problems).

One important note of clarity is that the diagnosis of Autism is one diagnosis under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). It can be confusing to understand that there is a spectrum of diagnoses based on symptoms rather than all children being affected by the diagnosis of autism.

Click on the link above for the entire story, and benefits of Massage Therapy with Autism.

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Community Acupuncture, a great complement to massage therapy!

Alpine Community Acupuncture and Chiropractic

Serving Flagstaff and surrounding areas!

320 N. Leroux Street, Suite D, Flagstaff, AZ
928.863.8300 • alpinecommunityacu@gmail.com

Alpine offers acupuncture on a sliding scale from $15 – $35 per treatment, with a $10 additional fee for the first visit. We are pleased to be a part of a growing network of community acupuncture clinics dedicated to serving our communities by providing high quality acupuncture at affordable rates.

Appointments are available:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

What does Acupuncture treat?

Here are a few examples:
• Infertility; both male and female factor
• PMS, painful periods, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts
• Menopausal Symptoms
• Discomfort related to Pregnancy including morning sickness
• Headaches
• Asthma, allergies
• Digestive disorders, acid reflux
• Insomnia, night sweats
• Depression and anxiety
• Back pain, joint pain
• Hypertension
• Stroke sequelae
• Side effects from medications
• Weight management, smoking cessation
• Cold and flu
• Fatigue
• Arthritis

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Once Again, the Medical World takes a step towards what we do in Massage Therapy

Narrative Medicine: or as we call in Massage School, deep listening!

At ASIS Massage, our goal is to stand with integrity with what we think a Massage Therapy School is. In some way, we find ourselves bucking the trends towards main stream education!

WHAT IS NARRATIVE MEDICINE?

Narrative Medicine is about incorporating patient’s life stories, including their unique underlying value system, into medical treatment options that fit each individual.

Narrative Ethics refers to how a doctor listens for, and HEARS, more than a report of disease symptoms. This encourages shared ethical decision-making regarding the patient’s care, particularly at the end of life, or very sick patients. It balances treatment options between the belief systems and life of the patient, and the technological possibilities the doctor advocates. Ideally, end of life treatment goals should be in harmony with the way the patient has lived their life through the beginning and middle.

Essentially, this is client centered, culturally sensitive medicine.

Narrative medicine students, like the ones in Columbia University’s new Program in Narrative Medicine, read and discuss literature as a way of understanding the role and perspectives of doctors and patients. The program, named the “New Master’s of the Universe” by The New York Times, teaches physicians to be more comfortable asking such questions as: How do you feel about your illness? What are your religious beliefs? How has the pain changed your life?

Doctors with the skill to listen to the answers, theoretically, will provide a higher quality of care, and that alone will go a long way in healing our ailing health care system.

For more, visit Rita Charon, MD, Ph.D <http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=12481> , considered the godmother of the narrative medicine practice. In her book, Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness (Oxford University Press, 2006), she notes that: “Practictioners, be they health care professionals to begin with or not, must be prepared to offer the self as a therapeutic instrument.”