Massage therapy leaps in popularity as a treatment and a career

http://www.nwitimes.com/niche/get-healthy/mental-health/article_624ce060-3e89-5511-8fb8-1e2318747e14.html[11/26/2011 10:23:10 PM]

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Massage therapy leaps in popularity as a
treatment and a career
By Angel a Shaw n -Chi Lu, Medi l l New s Ser vi c e | Post ed: Monday, Febr uar y 28, 2011 12:00 am | No
Comment s Post ed
Sitting in a hallway of the Cortiva Massage Therapy
Center in downtown Chicago, J ennifer Kaminski
appeared ebullient-ready to take on anything in
fact.
Few would guess she had just spent an hour in a
dimly lit room, relaxing on her back, in almost
complete silence, while a therapist stroked her
muscles. Massages, however, have become a
routine part of her life for stress reduction and
relaxation.
"I'd rather do this than take a pill," said Kaminski,
associate dean of the business school at Robert
Morris University in Chicago. "It's not just some
fluff, downtown spa. They're actually doing
something for your muscles. I always see this as a
doctor's visit."
Clients such as Kaminski, massage therapists,
statistics and studies are all now attesting to the
benefits and growth of the massage therapy
industry.
Recent research has suggested that massage
therapy can effectively alleviate cancer-related pain,
boost the immune system, lower blood pressure
and stress levels, reduce headache frequency and
ease alcohol withdrawal symptoms, among many
other things.
J ust one massage session of massage can
decrease levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, and
increase the number of white blood cells, according
to a study released in fall by researchers at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in The
J ournal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
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Even one session of massage can decrease levels of
the stress hormone cortisol and boost the immune
system, according to a study in The J ournal of
Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
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Massage therapy leaps in popularity as a treatment and a career
http://www.nwitimes.com/niche/get-healthy/mental-health/article_624ce060-3e89-5511-8fb8-1e2318747e14.html[11/26/2011 10:23:10 PM]
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It's also a lucrative profession. Last month, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked massage therapy one of its
top 10 careers for 2011. U.S. News and World Report named massage therapy one of the 50 best
careers.
In fact, more growth is expected in massage therapy than most other industries over the next decade.
The U.S. Labor Department estimates an expansion of almost 20 percent, with the addition of 23,200
jobs by 2018.
The American Massage Therapy Association reported that, in 2009, the industry was worth between $16
and $20 billion, up from $6 to $11 billion in 2005. From J uly 2008 through J uly 2009, an estimated 48
million American adults received at least one massage.
"Massage has become a lot more mainstream," said Peter Rubnitz, owner of the Urban Oasis Spas in
Chicago. "I would guess that there are two or three times more people now receiving massage than there
were back in 1992."
The greater demand for massage therapy services, industry insiders agree, results from the growing
needs of aging baby boomers and the continuing emergence of medical studies that reveal the health
benefits of massage therapy.
"It's becoming more recognized in the medical community for its powerful influence on the human body,"
said Debbie Huckeba, a massage therapist at Wrigleyville-based Southport Wellness Center. "Normal
aches and pains can become chronic problems if they are not treated by massage, chiropractic or
acupuncture. You don't necessarily need to take a pill or have surgery."
According to the American Massage Therapy Association's 2009 Consumer Survey Fact Sheet, 52
percent of people who discussed massage therapy with their doctors said their physicians strongly
encouraged them to get a massage.
The public's increased awareness of massage therapy's health benefits comes partially from the Western
world's recent fascination with wellness, or the holistic approach to physical, mental and social well-being
that today involves alternative medicines such as massage therapy and acupuncture.
"I would say within the last decade, we've seen a trend more toward alternative medicine, which is
preventative health care rather than the traditional model of sick care where you go to the doctor only
when sick," said Christopher Wolcott, a chiropractor and instructor of research literacy at the National
University of Health Sciences.
Wolcott and Rubnitz believe that health insurance companies will eventually cover massage therapy as a
form of stress reduction and preventive care. Although, currently, insurance often doesn't cover
treatments, which can cost $100 per session.
The appeal of complementary medicines such as massage therapy, other than relaxation, for many
individuals, is that they allow patients to regain some control of their own bodies, and also lower their
health care costs, said Ellen Letten, a program director at the Soma Institute National School of Clinical
Massage Therapy in Chicago.
"One of the reasons why complementary modalities are becoming so popular is people are just tired of
being sent home with a pill," she said. "Whereas when you work with complementary therapists, it's more
about engaging in the treatment yourself. People also cannot afford $1,000 a month for some drugs that
are being prescribed with surgery."
Others may turn to massage therapy to avoid the side effects of conventional medication, said Mike Hovi,
Illinois chapter president for the American Massage Therapy Association.
"Look at all the commercials on TV for drugs," he said. "You hear what the drug can do and then listen
to all the side effects, everything from a heart attack to strokes, to death to suicidal tendencies. Well,
there are no real side effects to doing massage."
Copyright 2011 nwitimes.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Posted in Mental-health on Monday, February 28, 2011 12:00 am | Tags: Food, Treatment
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Massage therapy leaps in popularity as a treatment and a career
http://www.nwitimes.com/niche/get-healthy/mental-health/article_624ce060-3e89-5511-8fb8-1e2318747e14.html[11/26/2011 10:23:10 PM]
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