At Home In Your Body, Part One: How Somatics Creates More Grounded Therapists
by Johanna Putnoi

Touch therapy, for both client and therapist, has an unavoidable way of unearthing unresolved issues, about ourselves and the others in our lives. Somatics helps therapists learn to understand, and then disengage from, unconscious habits of body, heart and mind. There are also exercises to try on your own.

Practice Building
Small Business Loan Programs: Capture Money to Create Your Dreams
by J. Tol Broome, Jr.

A Changing Landscape: The Impact of State Regulation, Part Two
by Kelle Walsh, Managing Editor

State Regulation - including licensure, registration and certification - of massage therapy has proven to be the most controversial and, at times, divisive issue the profession has ever faced. In this two-part series, we examine the issues surrounding regulation, and examine how state oversight affects massage therapists.

Massage Benefits Women with Breast Cancer

Therapeutic Touch Eases Agitation in People with Alzheimer's

Trager for Parkinson's Disease and Rigidity

Pages From History
Why Study the History of Massage?
by Robert Noah Calvert

For many years it has been standard practice to tip service workers for a job well done, including massage therapists. But as spas have come into favor, tipping has come into question. In some spas, whether massage therapists are employees or independent contractors may determine how they receive tips.

SpaMassage News
7 Trends of the Spa Industry
ISPA Presents Awards
Help Stop Skin Cancer

Body & Spa:
Massage Therapy and Pilates: A Healthy Partnership
by Ken Endelman

Many spas offer classes in Pilates - and since massage therapy is the number-one service provided at spas, it's only natural that these two practices are crossing paths. Today, many clients are experiencing the benefits that come from combining massage with Pilates training. A number of massage therapists are training in Pilates and some have even become certified Pilates instructors, allowing them to integrate the two techniques for their clients.

Body Language:
L: L for Peter Levine
By Thomas Myers

Body Language is a column where we explore the alphabet in terms of the body and bodywork. In this issue, we are exploring the letter L, Peter Levine's pioneer bodywork, Somatic Experiencing®.  

Assess & Address:
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
by Whitney Lowe

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequently studied upper-extremity nerve-entrapment condition. Massage performed by a knowledgeable and skilled massage therapist may be an affordable and effective alternative to traditional approaches that have proven unsuccessful.

With an emphasis on prevention and whole systems, Asian bodywork is growing in popularity among both consumers and medical professionals. But how does a profession born in the East conform to Western research protocols, government regulations and model of medicine, without losing integrity?