Posts from — January 2009

NHI President Tim Veitzer with NCBTMB Chair and NHI Graduate Neal Delaporta

Massage and Texas!  Two of my most favorite things together!  It truly was a delight to join NHIPresident Tim Veitzer in representing National Holistic Institute at this year’s American Massage Therapy Association’s Council of Schools (AMTA-COS) Conference in San Antonio.

For three days, we discussed, debated, and dreamed about massage education.  We even ran into some old friends like Neal Delaporta (above with Tim), the new Chair of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) and an NHI graduate.

Ruth Werner, pathology author extraordinaire, dropped by to say hello (below).

Joe Bob Smith, Ruth Werner & Tim Veitzer

And we were privileged to meet AMTA President-Elect Judy Stahl (below).

NHI President Tim Veitzer & AMTA President-Elect Judy Stahl

Of course, what would a trip to San Antonio be without yours truly in front of the Alamo!

Remember the Alamo!

Jeremiah Zins & Daniel Carniglia

NHI’s massage curriculum remains at the top of it’s field.  As a result, our graduates have greatly exceeded the average pass rates for the national certification exam according to the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB).  Nationally, 69.01% of massage therapists who attempt the exam actually pass.  In California, it’s slightly higher at 69.57%.  But National Holistic Institute alumni pass the exam at an astounding rate of 85.19%!  Way to go, grads!

But I should be clear, it’s not just graduates who pass the exam.  Even our students have an opportunity to pass it while still in school.  Jeremiah Zins from Group 21 (above) in San Francisco is the latest.  Congratulations, Jeremiah! 

iStockphoto.com

NHI President Tim Veitzer and I just returned from the American Massage Therapy Association Council of Schools (AMTA-COS) in San Antonio.  Here it was announced that roughly 44 million Americans (20% of the adult population) had a total of around 209 million massages in 2008.  The most common factor for getting a massage was stress-relief at 36% followed by medical reasons at 31%.

On the heels of these outstanding numbers, National Public Radio (NPR) reported this morning that massage is faring well in a flagging economy.  It’s part of the ”comfort consumption” that experts say always spikes during stressful times like a recession.  People are cutting out their big expenses like vacation and travel — and spending more on smaller indulgences.  Click here to read the entire NPR article.

Our first continuing education class of the year, Gayle MacDonald’s Massage for People Living with Cancer, comes to the Encino campus Feb 6, 7 & 8.  This class is a must for massage therapists specializing in the medical community.  When we last hosted Gayle back in 2007, participants raved at the chance to learn from this oncology massage expert and renowned author.

Comfort-oriented massage or touch can be administered to people with cancer regardless of the severity of their condition.  The purpose of this class is to train touch therapists in the basics of oncology massage.  The experience derived from this training creates new-found confidence in bodyworkers about working with clients, particularly private practice clients, who have cancer or are recovering from it.  Therapists who focus on hospice and hospital work also find this course to be valuable for their special needs patients.

Participants must be a professional massage therapist or other touch practitioner, a student who has completed the basic Swedish massage course, or be licensed in another health care field, such as nursing or chiropractic, that involves touch therapy, or by permission of the instructor.

This course will take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – February 6, 7 & 8, 2009 – from 9am-6pm.  Students will receive 24 NCBTMB approved CE hours.  The cost is $495.  Enrollees who sign up before January 16 will save $25.  Call Denise at 818-788-0824 x 354 to register.

Gayle MacDonald, MS, LMT, is the author of Medicine Hands: Massage Therapy for People with Cancer, 2nd Ed. (Findhorn Press) and Massage for the Hospital Patient and Medically Frail Client (Lippincott Williams and Wilkin).  Her expertise comes from more than 13 years of work with oncology patients at Oregon Health and Science University.  She has also supervised massage students and therapists in the oncology unit, in chemo infusion, radiation oncology, and the bone marrow transplant unit. Find out more at http://www.medicinehands.com/.

Allyn Hall & Laura Repetto

At NHI, our reputation as a massage school is only as good as the quality of our teachers.  Thus, as qualified as our teaching staff is, we never rest on our laurels.  Our teachers constantly learn new material as in the recent Ayurvedic massage training led by fellow teacher Allyn Hall.

Since Ayurveda is a hot spa trend, San Francisco campus manager Tiahna Skye scheduled this training to help our teachers stay current in the field.  The treatment is similar in theory to shiatsu – it balances energy lines known as Nadis and helps to balance one’s dosha which can be thought of as one’s current constitution.  The hot oils are a blend of olive oil and sesame with fresh herbs and essential oils added to them. They are applied in strokes that trace the energy lines with a pressure and pace adapted to the individuals “dosha needs.”

Allyn Hall teaches, “Ayurveda can be translated as the ’study of long life.’  Everyone is made up of 3 different doshas and the level of each dosha can change depending on the weather, food eaten, stress in life, etc.  An abhyanga, or application of warm oil massage, can be used as one of many ways to balance a person’s dosha combination.  The abhyanga that our teachers played with at the training is a lush combination of physical and energetic massage that leaves the client both relaxed and uplifted.”

Some trainings are so delightful, it’s hard to call it work!  That’s one of the many perks of being a massage profession.

Our placement manager Allison McLeod Budlong had an extra special gift under the tree this year!

Logan McLeod Budlong was born at 11:59 am on Monday, December 22, 2008.  He weighed 8.6 lbs and was 20.5″ tall.

Allison says, “Labor was 13 hours long and thanks to my incredible husband Ryan, my mom, mother-in-law and the truly supportive Kaiser Santa Rosa staff, I was able to make it through medication free!  Thank heaven for acupressure points!”

“Logan is happy and healthy!,” our new mom reports, “He’s very alert and only cries when there’s something to cry about (which is pretty much hunger and a soiled diapers at this point).  He’s already showing a fascination with music and dance…we have several “music video” sessions a day.  Guess all the dance lessons he helped me teach in vitro are paying off.”

What joyous news to greet us all as we return to work and begin this new year!  We wish Allison and her new family well and look forward to seeing her soon.