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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.

Reflexology: Intro to this Massage Modality

2015-05-28T20:24:07-04:00May 28th, 2015|

Reflexology is an ancient manual healing method in which acupressure points on the feet, hands, and/or ears are compressed to alleviate pain and treat medical problems. Although there is little academic evidence that reflexology treats specific medical conditions beyond a placebo response, this ancient practice has been relieving pain and other stress-related conditions for thousands of years. Remember, a placebo brings healing about half of the time; 1 out of every 2 patients on a placebo see positive health results. As in many CAM therapies, many accredited massage schools offer reflexology courses because this healing modality […]

Why and How to Create a Massage Client Referral Program

2015-05-21T20:22:04-04:00May 21st, 2015|

Do you feel like your massage therapy career has plateaued? Are you looking for new clients to bring fresh life to your practice? Consider establishing a client referral program. Referral programs allow benefits for both the client and the massage therapist. For the therapist, it is an opportunity to enhance one’s income while growing a client base. Referral programs can bring the massage therapist thousands of dollars in new business. For the client, it is an opportunity to receive discounted or free massages through referrals, and to accumulate more massages at a discounted rate.

Client […]

Client Populations: Working with Elderly Patients


2015-05-14T20:20:57-04:00May 14th, 2015|

Massage careers can take practitioners all over the world, to all manner of settings. However, when envisioning a post-massage certification career path, the common image is that of a healthy middle-aged person receiving a basic Swedish massage. Reality is much larger in scope. In this series we will be discussing how to work with different client populations- in all ages and stages of life. We kick things off with a discussion of geriatric massage, including its challenges, effective techniques, and benefits.

Challenges Massaging Elderly Clients

Elderly clients can often be intimidating to massage, due to their unique health conditions and physical needs. Older […]

How to Center Yourself Before Giving a Massage

2015-05-07T20:18:51-04:00May 7th, 2015|

Think back to when you were first dreaming of a career in massage. Perhaps you were contemplating getting a massage certificate, or eagerly flipping through pamphlets from massage schools in NYC or Oregon, dreaming of your future. One question that you may have asked yourself during this process—and a question massage therapists may ask throughout their career—is what constitutes the ideal massage?  Is it the perfect shiatsu technique, or being up-to-date on the latest trends? The ideal massage is not merely about a certain technique; it is rather grounded in how you show up in the space when giving a massage.

The […]

Tui Na: Introduction to this Modality

2015-04-24T22:49:06-04:00April 24th, 2015|

West coast massage schools including East West College offer instruction in a variety of massage modalities. To give our readers insight into different types of massage, we have written on trigger point therapy, cranio-sacral therapy, and Thai massage. Today we’re looking into Tui Na, a Chinese form of manipulative therapy.

Introducing Tui Na: Ancient Chinese Massage Therapy

Tui Na features some manual methods found Western massage styles, but adds acupressure to remove blockages in muscles and energy pathways (called Meridians in Chinese medicine). This massage approach dates back thousands of years to ancient China. It may be used in tandem with acupuncture and […]

Fun Facts About the Human Hand

2015-04-17T22:46:38-04:00April 17th, 2015|

Anyone who has ever given or received a massage can appreciate the importance of hands in massage therapy. Those attending massage schools, in Portland or elsewhere, can easily recognize that hands are the massage therapist’s most useful tool to convey healing and connection to the client. Our hands can transmit a variety of emotions. They can be used to love and nurture, to heal, and much more.

Indeed, University of California Berkeley research conducted under Dr. Dacher Keltner has found that humans can convey emotions through touch alone more than half the time. Kelter’s experiment separated participants by […]

Spring Cleaning: Tips for Keeping a Sparkling Clean Massage Space

2015-04-10T22:45:21-04:00April 10th, 2015|

Creating a clean and clear massage space might not be the first thing you learned in massage therapy training, but it is a vital aspect of your practice. Clients are subconsciously affected by your massage space. While they may not realize it, a clean, organized, peaceful room free of distractions goes a long way toward putting your clients in a relaxed state. Having a spotless treatment room should rank high on your list of priorities.
Feeling stuck on where to start? Add regular tidying to your appointment book, begin a quarterly deep cleaning practice, and follow these spring-cleaning tips!

De-clutter.

• Start in the […]

Why Breathing is so Important During Massage

2015-04-03T22:44:20-04:00April 3rd, 2015|

Deep breathing supports and enhances the goals of massage therapy as taught in massage training school. Often called abdominal breathing or belly breathing, deep breathing promotes blood flow, increases the effectiveness of the lymphatic system, and supports organ detoxification. Moreover, abdominal breathing lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and can be used at any time to decrease stress and tension. Deep breathing promotes physical relaxation, the goal of every massage client.

Implementing Deep Breathing into Massage Therapy

Teaching and modeling deep breathing for massage clients can benefit them on and off the table, potentially leading to a life of less pain and […]

Massage Therapy Modalities: Trigger Point Therapy

2015-03-27T21:45:14-04:00March 27th, 2015|

Muscle pain is one of the most common medical complaints, whether it’s chronic low back pain, or sore muscles from working in the garden. In fact, according to a recent AMTA survey, 30% of respondents have used massage therapy for pain relief. When working with clients who experience pain, it’s helpful to have many different strategies for helping them recover. Trigger point work is often an effective way of decreasing or eliminating pain. Our massage school in Portland, Oregon offers trigger point therapy as an elective course in our 800-hour massage therapy program. In this blog, we’re introducing […]

East West College Hosts the AMTA-OR Conference

2015-03-17T21:44:06-04:00March 17th, 2015|

Our northwest massage school is proud to have hosted this year’s American Massage Therapy Association of Oregon conference! On April 24th and 25th, licensed massage therapists from across the state attended the AMTA-OR conference to earn message therapy continuing education credits, and to polish their skills. An East West College instructor contributed to the conference by facilitating a session on spa modalities.

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is the nation’s largest non-profit organization serving massage schools, massage therapists, and massage students. Among the many roles that the AMTA serves, the organization promotes massage to the general public; lobbies for just massage […]

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