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East West College of the Healing Arts

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So far East West College of the Healing Arts has created 181 blog entries.

How to Become a Professional Massage Therapist: A Look at the Journey

2015-09-30T10:00:32-04:00September 30th, 2015|

If you’re looking for a new career, you may want to consider massage therapy. A few years ago, the U.S. News and World Report included massage therapy in its features on the best jobs in the health care industry. Among other reasons, the feature cited the fast growth of spas and massage centers all over the country, which has resulted in the increasing demand for massage therapists.

That said, not too many interested individuals know how to become a massage therapist. If you’re one of these people, here are some information you need to know.

[…]

The Different Skills That a Full-Fledged Massage Therapist Must Have

2015-09-23T10:00:38-04:00September 23rd, 2015|

The nature of the work of a typical massage therapist requires one to possess a slew of essential skills. Therapists manipulate a client’s musculature to help induce relaxation or improve mobility, and they do this by using a wide variety of techniques. Such techniques also aren’t a one-size-fits-all—each method should depend on the client’s reason for the visit, as well as the latter’s physical condition, age, and such.

That said, what skills does a full-fledged masseuse/masseur need to perform his/her job well? Here’s a quick rundown of the specific competencies.

[…]

Massage Therapy for Attention Deficit Disorder: Research Review

2015-07-30T20:41:55-04:00July 30th, 2015|

A literature review of complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments for children found that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is one of the most commonly studied conditions, and that massage is one of the most commonly used CAM modalities (Snyder & Brown, 2012). According to the Mayo Clinic, ADHD “includes a combination of problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.” The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that there are 4.9 million children with ADHD in American schools. According to Dr. V.A. Harpin’s review of ADHD impacts over the […]

Tips for Creating an Elevator Pitch for your Massage Therapy Work

2015-07-23T20:41:16-04:00July 23rd, 2015|

Having basic marketing skills is essential to expanding any massage therapy practice. Succinctly delivering an “elevator pitch” is a key practice for gaining new clients. An elevator pitch is a compelling introduction that is short enough to deliver while ascending or descending floors in an elevator. The idea here is to create a polished, interesting statement that draws in listeners. Then, you can hand each listener a card and mention your new client special before the elevator doors open to the destination floor. Of course, there are many occasions outside of elevators where this pitch will come in handy—networking events, dinner […]

Oregon Legislative Update: Senate Bill 298 Signed into Law, Increasing Instruction Hours for Oregon LMT Licensure

2015-07-16T20:40:43-04:00July 16th, 2015|

In June 2015, the Oregon legislature passed Senate Bill 298, a new law related to massage therapy. The primary purpose of the bill was to increase the number of certified class hours required for Oregon licensure from 500 to 625.

The legislature passed this requirement to increase “portability and reciprocity” of Oregon massage therapy licenses. Prior to bill 298, Oregon required relatively few educational hours for massage licensing. Some states required the same number of hours. For example, every massage school in Michigan must deliver 500 hours of instruction, as the state license requires this minimum. Likewise with many other states’ massage […]

Massage in Grade Schools: Could it Help Fight Bullying?

2015-07-09T20:40:04-04:00July 9th, 2015|

In our massage training school, we teach adults how to treat and heal patients of all ages. Like students in all west coast massage schools, East West College students typically begin their massage training after high school. However, the success of in-school programs across the globe suggests that primary students can enjoy many benefits from learning about and practicing massage. Schools around the world are using student-to-student massage programs to reduce bullying, improve peer relationships, and increase focus. Read on to learn how international organizations are bringing massage to schools.

Primary Massage Training: School Programs from Around the World

Massage in Schools

The Massage […]

Cupping Therapy 101: How it Works, What Benefits it Brings

2015-06-25T20:29:57-04:00June 25th, 2015|

Quick: Picture students partaking in a class at a massage training school. You likely envision people using their thumbs, fingers, and elbows to press into muscles. Or perhaps, if you’ve ever experienced Thai Massage, you might see the therapists-in-training using their full bodies on clients, pulling and pressing while in yoga-like postures. For most massage modalities, this understanding of pressing into tissue to relieve pain and tension is correct. Cupping is an exception.

While most manual therapies use downward pressure to alleviate muscle adhesions, cupping uses suction to pull tissues up. As an analogy, think of a dirty rug. […]

Massage Therapy: Flexible work in High Demand

2015-06-18T19:48:32-04:00June 18th, 2015|

Wondering if you should become a massage therapist? If the answer is yes, now is a great time to make your move. The industry is growing quickly, proving careers in massage therapy to be quite valuable. Beyond the strong work outlook, therapists enjoy flexible work hours in a variety of settings—all while doing a job that really makes a difference by helping people feel good.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, massage therapy work is projected to grow 23% 2012-2015, a rate that is light years ahead of the average occupation. East West College of the […]

Massage Therapy Modalities: Structural Bodywork

2015-06-11T20:27:07-04:00June 11th, 2015|

In our series on massage modalities, we’ve covered Thai massage, trigger point therapy, and Tui Na. Today we’re looking at a different form of massage: Structural Bodywork. At its crux, structural bodywork explores and offsets imbalances within the body.

The mother of structural bodywork is Ida Rolf. Ida Rolf was a biochemist, yoga teacher, manual therapist, and sensorimotor educator who had a holistic vision of health. Her focus as a healer was to improve overall biochemical functioning, rather than treating certain systems. Rolf’s creation, Structural Integration, improves health by improving the human body’s structure in relation to gravity.
Within this […]

The Benefits of Volunteering Your Massage Therapy Services

2015-06-04T20:25:37-04:00June 4th, 2015|

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” LMTs have many opportunities to volunteer, from providing hospice massage to providing massage therapy for homeless youths. But why would you want to practice your craft for free, when you can get paid for it? Well, that’s a totally legitimate question. Read on to discover some of the many benefits massage therapists can enjoy from volunteer work.

Portland Massage Therapy School’s Top Benefits of Volunteering:

Volunteering Zaps Stagnation.

Every profession includes boredom from […]

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