Category — NHI in the News

The Daily Breeze, a Los Angeles South Bay news source, interviewed National Holistic Institute teacher Nancy Gouge for an article published this week about the health benefits of massage therapy.

Researchers think massage may stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which triggers the body to release stress, said Nancy Gouge, an instructor at the National Holistic Institute massage therapy school in Encino. Once relieved of stress, the heart rate slows, blood vessels dilate and normal activity resumes throughout the body.

To read the article in its entirety, Click Here.

Click on the video link above to see Craig Newmark, the founder of Craig’s List, getting a massage from a National Holistic Institute student.

NHI provided 7 massage therapy students for the annual Craigslist Foundation’s Boot Camp at the UC Berkeley campus.  Lots of event attendees were able to enjoy free massage while taking a little break from learning all about the world of non-profit organizations!

Welcome to NHI’s YouTube Channel!

In the video above, longtime NHI teacher Melissa Wheeler gives some chair massage pointers to a group of NHI students.  We encourage you to try these techniques on friends, family, and co-workers.

Click below to visit our YouTube Channel.  Let us know if you’d like to see other “how-to” videos.

Neal Delaporta, NCTMB Chair (left) and Paul Lindamood, NCTMB CEO after the CAMTC meeting on April 27, 2009

Neal Delaporta, the Chair of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, graduated from National Holistic Institute Group 3 in 2001.  He moved from Connecticut to California to attend NHI.  “I didn’t undertake that move lightly because there were good massage schools nearby in Connecticut,” said Delaporta.  “I pretty much knew when I walked through the door that NHI was the place for me.  I saw the way the program was set-up – it was perfectly balanced – and it was a great decision for me.”

Neal was in California on Monday, April 27, 2009, to attend a meeting of the newly formed California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) implementing California statewide certification.  The CAMTC is considering the NCTMB’s national certification exam as one of the methods by which a massage therapist could receive a certification in California.

The NCTMB provides a national certification that is held by 91,000 therapists across the U.S., including 5,000 in California.  Overall, the national and California exam passing rates are in the high 60 percent range, but over 80% of NHI graduates pass the national exam on the first attempt.  Excellent work NHI graduates!

The National Holistic Institute (NHI) in Encino is launching the Pink Slip Massage Therapy Relief Act (PSMTRA) which will provide one free 50-minute massage to any unemployed person who has a pink slip or other verification of unemployment issued within the last 90 days. Eligible individuals must book online at Encino Clinic. Appointments will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis the following dates only: April 17 & 24 and May 8 & 15.

The PSMRTA continues NHI‘s long-standing tradition of offering free massage therapy to people in need. In response to the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, NHI began the Massage Emergency Response Team (MERT) that is now used nationally to organize volunteer massage therapy on rescue and recovery workers at disaster sites. 

The latest California unemployment rate (2/09) was 10.5%, tying Rhode Island for the fifth highest rate in the country. Rising unemployment has dramatically increased stress levels for the jobless and their families. Massage therapy has been proven to relieve stress, relax muscles, increase joint mobility, lower blood pressure and boost productivity. In fact, according to the American Massage Therapy Association, 36 percent of Americans got a massage to relieve stress in 2008.

Massage Magazine online recognized the PSMTRA as their top news story today!

Click Here for the Full Article on MassageMag.com

In response to the recent Oakland police tragedy, National Holistic Institute’s Emeryville campus will be offering free student massages to East Bay officers.

Read the complete story at InsideBayArea.com.

Has the economy got you down?  According to Yahoo! Hot Jobs, “A certificate program from a community college or vocational school is the swiftest way to pump up your earning potential.”

“Many people refer to community college as the new master’s degree,” says Laurence Shatkin, author of “150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs,” among other books for job hunters. “It’s a way to repurpose yourself.”

Find out where massage therapy makes the list at Yahoo! Hot Jobs and then visit www.nhi.edu to see how you can become a massage therapist in as little as 10 months.

Or perhaps you just want to supplement your current income to better meet your financial goals.  Massage therapy is ranked #1 on MSN/CareerBuilder.com’s Best Part-Time Job for 2009 list.

So, whether you’re looking for a new full or part-time career, see what National Holistic Institute can do for you!

NHI Owners Mason Myers & Tim Veitzer

Mason Myers, co-owner of the National Holistic Institute, hopes his new role on the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) will help cut through the governmental red tape that has plagued professional massage therapists in California.

Appointed by the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) to voice massage education issues, Mr. Myers was elected treasurer during the Council’s inaugural meeting on February 19, 2009.  He will work alongside appointees from the California chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association, (AMTA-CA); Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP); California counties, cities, colleges, and Department of Consumer Affairs; as well as other affiliated parties.

“State certification will provide California massage therapists a more practical and affordable solution than the current patchwork of local licensing.  Ensuring the same standards for all therapists across the state will further elevate the reputation of the massage profession and improve consumer confidence,” declares Mr. Myers.

The California Massage Therapy Council is a non-profit organization ordained by the State of California to oversee the issuance of state-wide massage therapist certifications.  State certifications will begin being issued sometime after September 1, 2009.  Stay tuned to this blog for more information as that time approaches.

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.

Over 100 big name spas on the West Coast will be opening their doors this week, September 15-21, for – get this – $50 spa treatments!

Many of our graduates massage at these spas, especially in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, and we’d like to support them by encouraging you to try them out.

Check out www.spaweek.org for details and make sure to request a National Holistic Institute-trained massage therapist when you book your appointment.

Of course you can get a great deal every week at the NHI student clinic where a relaxing Swedish or shiatsu massage is always just $35!

As promised yesterday, here is KNBC’s news story about the California State Massage Certification bill featuring NHI.

On Monday, it seemed like NHI popped up wherever you looked.  For the early risers in Los Angeles, we appeared on KNBC’s Today in L.A. discussing the California state massage certification bill that currently awaits the Governor’s signature.  It was a very nice segment that we hope to have up on the website soon.  (You’ll be the first to know, of course!)

Later in the day, we made our way onto YouTube courtesy of Mahalo Daily.  Leah D’Emilio visited us in Encino to learn some tips on how to give a 15 minute relaxation massage.  Over 25,000 people have viewed it so far!  You can add to those numbers by clicking below.

Who knows where we’ll pop up next!

Happy 1st week!  By coincidence, this blog began one week ago on the same lucky day as the Olympics in Beijing – 08/08/08.  But then, many would say there are no coincidences.  Massage and sports have a long, beneficial history together.  In fact, some of our graduates have massaged at Olympics past, but I haven’t heard if any are in China currently.  Still, if you’d like to hear about what it’s like to be at the Olympics from a massage therapist’s point-of-view, Massage Magazine has a blog on that subject going now.  Click here to read all about it.

AS SEEN ON TV!  Often NHI makes it into the media as an authority on massage.  Not too long ago, if you didn’t see it live or record it, you missed it.  But now with the internet, our appearances can live on…

Here’s Melissa Wheeler yesterday on The View from the Bay, seen mornings in San Francisco on ABC-7:

Click Here for Massage Tips for Everyone

Check back Monday for Melissa’s first entry as a guest blogger.