Those with fibromyalgia syndrome defy the logic of conventional medicine because the syndrome's main symptom - pain - is pervasive yet has no known cause. A multidisciplinary approach to pain management, of which massage is a component can help those with fibromyalgia get back to the business of living. Here, learn from therapists and fibromyalgia patients how best to address this common condition.

Athens 2004 My Olympic Diary
by Tamar Kummel

Have you wondered what it's really like to work at the Olympics? At times inspiring, at times humorous, Tamar Kummel's story of working as a massage therapist on the Olympic medical team is anything but ordinary. Joine her on her journey as a member of the 2004 Summer Olympics Massage Team, and learn about the athletes, working conditions, weather, and even the food at the most recent Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Practice Building
Ahmos Netanel: An American Success Story
by Robert Noah Calvert

Pages From History
Roman Medical Practice & Massage, Part Two
by Robert Noah Calvert

In ancient Greece, the pain of sciatica and gout was eased with flute palying; in Biblical times David treated King Saul's depression by playing the harp. Today, growing recognition that certain sounds influrence health, character, mood and consciousness has given rise to the new field of Acutonics, an energy-based therapy. It is part of the larger field of harmonic medicine, which effects healing through vibration and sound.

SpaMassage News

Spa Star: Barbara Findler's Many Hats
ISPA Presents Award

The letter O was originially pronounced ayin (eye-een). The meaining of ayin was to look, to see. If we turn our attention to what O, ayin, has to say about our hands-on work, certainly we can see that when someone consults us, it is our job to bring the hidden tension to the surface, to make it apparent to the client. Thus the letter O reminds us of our duty with clients to help them find themselves - all of their somatic selves.

Overuse injuries of the Achilles tendon are a common lower-extremity pathology, especially among active people. The term tendinitis has traditionally been used to describe these overuse tendon disorders, but that trend is changing due to recent physiological discoveries about tendon pathologies.

Approximately 35 milliion people in the United States suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a depressive state caused by lack of sunlight, typically between September and April. The farther you live from the equator, the more common it is.

Pain: Why and How We Hurt Part Three: Chronic Pain
by Gary Bruce

Pain is as an excellent warning system that motivates us to move quickly out of harm's way. Pain teaches us to avoid future painful experiences and thereby minimize damage to our body. Pain also forces us to rest and recuperate from our injuries. Yet in many cases, pain continues beyond the injury phase and beyond the healing phase. Pain that served us so well as a warning can become a problem that damages our lives. This is the phenomenon of chronic pain.

Charlotte Michael Versagi will answer your questions on education-related topics. From choosing a massage school, successful study habits, client communications, and developing a successful practice after graduation, the topics that students and new graduates need to know about will be covered here.