When students start a massage therapy and bodywork program they may or may not come with an understanding of the meaning of holistic health, complementary medicine, and how massage therapy fits in the overall puzzle of healthcare. Usually there is a fair amount of misconception and lack of knowledge of the depth of the therapeutic value of massage therapy, never mind how it fits into the healthcare picture. As students open doors in their educational journey, they find a labyrinth of rooms, all connected in a referral pattern, but still a maize of choices. Although massage school dispels myths and lays a firm foundation for a career in massage, it can not possibly teach all there is to know on how to refer to other modalities and to specific healthcare professionals.

Continuing education can provide a ton of information, but which road or path you take out of massage school is as diverse as the education itself. Massage therapists tend to rely therefore on the professionals in their surrounding areas referring clients who may be best served by combining modalities and healthcare services. This is not necessarily a bad choice but what if you had other avenues to pursue? What if we approached the subject of referral from a more educated standpoint to unravel the mysteries and complexities of complementary medicine? What if we really could find a method to learn about the many options we really have out there and build a firm network of referral? WouldnÕt that be a more holistic approach?

The purpose of The Referral Guide for Complementary Care is to provide enough information to allow the practitioner to become informed about other practices and their viability. Selina is offering this book to help guide the consumer to be more knowledgeable in making choices in personal healthcare. We need books that will help clarify information and provide paths for us to follow. We need to know how to find the science and research to support the validity of avenues we suggest. The author has captured the essence of the problem, ways to explore the research, and provided information on specific categorized modalities.

In a perfect world all healthcare professionals would refer to each other knowledgably for the absolute benefit of the client. Of course that is not yet the case. Much of complimentary medicine has been shrouded in mystery, little understood or explored by science. It has been the consumer visiting complementary health professionals that has made physicians take notice and start to examine why people sought "alternative medicine" without informing them about it. The emphasis on research has become a foundation to build relationships with all healthcare. The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami has supplied more information on the benefits of massage and touch in the last ten years than we have had in the last fifty.

The massage therapist is in a unique position as a healthcare professional. We do not diagnose but we have direct access to the client. Individuals may or may not visit a physician before making that appointment with a massage therapist. In our investigatory process of medical history, SOAP noting, palpation and therapeutic treatment we may find that the client may benefit by seeing other healthcare practitioners. In this way the practitioners are the real advocates for the client and this holistic process has a ripple affect on all of healthcare. It is our professional responsibility to do this well, to build our relationships with other healthcare professionals based on our knowledge of science, how well it will blend with massage therapy and for the benefit of the client.

As a consumer, I want to have healthcare options. I want to be knowledgeable about what these modalities mean and what education practitioners might need to practice their art. Over a year ago, I badly sprained my left ankle and foot. I dutifully went to the hospital and had the customary x-rays. Because I did not fracture any bones I was dismissed from the hospital and was immediately reminded that "they do not really do soft-tissue injuries". As it turned out I had a 3rd degree sprain with some severe ligament damage. Fortunately for me, I knew enough to visit a graduate of mine who practiced lymphatic massage. Because of her work the edema in my foot was reduced and I was up and walking without crutches sooner than if I had "waited" for the chronic swelling to just disappear on its own. Why didnÕt the orthopedic surgeon suggest such a practitioner when it was just the type of modality necessary for the expediency of recovery? If I had gone to physical therapy would they have given me the referral? Probably not, but I do see many changes and in roads toward mutual referral. First and most important, as the consumer becomes more knowledgeable he or she will expect more. Services will expand to include more options.

If you are a consumer, keep on reading The Referral Guide for Complementary Care and provide yourself with the knowledge to meet the expectations of your future. Knowledge is power. When we are sick we can be so vulnerable and powerless. Arm yourself with information and investigate the world of preventative and holistic health. If you are a massage therapist or bodyworker absorb the information in this book and make science and education the foundation of your art. What you do in your practice has a ripple affect on all of healthcare. Be well!

In Health,

Nancy W. Dail, BA, LMT, NCTMB
Director and Owner
Downeast School of Massage
Waldoboro, ME

http://www.downeastschoolofmassage.net