'Tis the Season for Giving

Hey guys :-)

Although I'm a firm believer in being open and giving throughout the year, I understand that this time of year instills within us an even greater urge to give back.

Although this isn't exactly massage-related, I wanted to give you a few ideas for ways that you can give back.

One thing I think is especially nice that you can do for your loved ones when they have a hard time is send them this link:

http://thenicestplaceontheinter.net/

I don't know why, but I adore this and turn to it whenever I need a hug the most.
You can even make your own video and send it to them, so someone else will get your hug!

http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1416

This site gives you questions to answer. The default is the English language, but there's an anatomy section if you want a little extra help studying. Every question you answer correctly sends 10 grains of rice to hungry countries. You can read more about how it works on the site.

The Veterans Site

Feed Shelter Animals

You can click on the button on the two above web sites every day and sponsors will pay to feed either veterans or shelter animals (depending on which one you click on). They pay because, when you click, the sponsors get to display ads. If you can click every day to feed the hungry, why wouldn't you? I do!

http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas

Here are some ideas for Random Acts of Kindness!

There are local charities you can donate to, such as Mercy Meals in downtown NB, run by Reverend Russ. He has everything from a breakfast/soup kitchen to helping the homeless shelter, providing warm clothes for the homeless, providing free medical care... the list goes on!

Send me more ideas if you have them. Remember: every time of year is the right time to give!

~Jess

IMPORTANT: Last Lab, Important Dates Final Practicum Tips

Today was the final open lab in the clinic.

I expected a few more students, only two showed up, but I am thankful to those two students and I hope I helped.

At any rate, to prepare for the rest of your finals, I have some other times available to help if you need it.

Next week on Tuesday, December 17th I will be in the Academic Support System from 2-5pm. Just drop in and I'll give you whatever help you need.

On Wednesday, December 18th I'll be here for the same hours as open lab, but I'll be in the Academic Support Center. So any online work or studying you need to do, you still have a quiet place to go.

And that's all the tutoring I'll be doing for the rest of the semester.

I'll be in your lab on Thursday, December 19th for your final practicum (cheering all of you on).

I also want to give you some tips for your final practicum.

~Get some rest the night before so your mind stays sharp!
~Eat breakfast (any food, really) before you come in. I don't want anyone passing out from stress and starvation.
~Your appointments are at 10:00am. You should try to arrive around 9/9:30 (especially since Berly is probably doing some yoga beforehand). You don't want to walk in at 10am with your jacket on and arms full of pot luck food with a client sitting in the waiting room.
~Make sure your station is set up! Table heat on, table height set, sheets, face cradle and blanket on properly, and that your station has a rolling stool at the right height and a chair for your client!
~You're going to be working on some type of athlete. Athletes normally can take pretty deep pressure. Obviously it won't be deep tissue deep, but keep checking in on your pressure.
~Watch your body mechanics!
~Part of this final will be based on touch assessment. These athletes have well-defined (and tight) muscles, and it's up to you to use your sense of touch to figure out which areas are tight and need more pressure. You did blindfolded massage for a reason!
~Again, keep checking in with your client.
~If you use PROM in your massages at all, I'd highly suggest using it on them. They're athletes, they could use a stretch!
~Remember to RELAX and FLOW!

Also, just for reference:

Grouding

Draping

Petrissage

ROM

It's getting towards the end! I'm really going to miss you til next semester!

~Jess

Scholarships

To any and all students who want to become AMTA members:

http://www.amtamassage.org/forms/scholarshipformintro.aspx?utm_source=%2fstudentscholarship&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=redirect

That's a $5,000.00 scholarship for massage students. I would love it more than anything if one of you guys won it :-)

See you all tomorrow morning!

~Jess

Lab Tomorrow

Hi guys!

Open lab resumes tomorrow on the usual schedule. I really hope to see you there! I know you learned some extra, more detailed massage strokes in class today, and in the lab I can not only help you commit them to memory but I can teach you some of my own as well.

Have a lovely night :-)

~Jess

Turkey Day and Other Things

Hey guys!

I've been supervising the clinic today and I just wanted to point out that you're all doing a fantastic job! I think this is the toughest part of the semester; all of the semester's learning has to be remembered and put together so you can give the best massage that is unique to you. You're finding your own little niche while remembering body mechanics, the five different strokes, muscle fiber directions, the flow of the treatment, and time management.

And, like I said, you're doing a fantastic job :-)

If I came around at some point to correct you, please don't feel bad. Some of it is that I've been meaning to work with you for weeks now but I haven't gotten the chance. I also want you to get the feedback you need now so you're better prepared when you leave here. None of you are "bad" therapists, whatever that means. You've all come such a long way and any tips and tricks I'm giving you are really just to help you.

The learning process never ends, even when you graduate!

I won't see you until next week, so I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~Jess

What Massage Means to Us

Hi guys :-)

I'm here in lab with one other student, waiting on other students so we can practice!

Where are ya'll?

Anyway, of all the students/friends I have that have taken or are taking up massage therapy, only 3 people answered the question I posted. I'm very grateful to those three who answered (I loved all of your unique explanations).

All three said things about helping clients both emotionally and physically. Stress will be reduced, pain will be reduced, injuries will heal faster, etc. But here are some of the more individualized responses I received:

"[Massaging is] a way to start a new life with my boys with a career that I am proud of and they can be proud of me too. Just last night, my son Sam said, 'When I am grown up and my kids ask me what my mom was when she was younger, I am going to say, she was a superhero who healed people with massage!' (I cried a little) and (Lucky me!)... The other reason massage therapy is so important to me, is because it is a way to honor the memories I have of my daughter Emily, who encouraged me to pursue this career because I was able to help ease her own discomfort when she most needed it, through the simple act of touch. Those moments were some of the most amazing , yet bittersweet, times in my life, that I will never forget." -N.B.

"I want to be like King Midas; call me selfish if you will, but I want to touch everyone in a way leaving them better then before they met me. Having these emotions about helping people can also often be my down fall, I want to be able to help everyone." -M.S.

" At first it started out with feeling this whole course was just a joke to laugh at, but with the help of my professors and class mates I realized how effective massage is in helping both the therapist and their clients deal with mental and physical illness. It has taught me how to overcome many experiences I would have like to forgot. It was, well… an irreplaceable experience I will never forget and thank the massage community for a long time. I can honestly say massaging people may not be my passion but it means a lot to me because it’s helped me deal with a lot of problems both mentally and physically." -N.C.

There you have it; three very different answers pertaining to the same career. The moral of this story is that there is no right answer, and massage is different for everyone! Now I'd like to write my answer and see if any of you feel the same.

What is massage therapy to me and what is it to my clients?

When I first came across massage therapy as a career option, I took it because it was a holistic healing therapy and because the campus was close enough for me to walk to from my house. I can't remember exactly what was going through my head at the time (I was a shy high school grad that still refused to talk on the phone), but I went for it anyway.

I fell in love with massage when I realized all the wonderful benefits it had for both the client and the therapist. We live in a touch-deprived society, and giving and receiving that healing touch of massage not only separates the fascia and increases circulation to the muscle, it also calms the parasympathetic nervous system, reduces levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and increases levels of dopamine (the feel-good chemical).

That would be enough for me to stick with this as a career, but there's one lesson I learned that they don't teach you in school that makes me love my job more than anything. All of the healing modalities here taught that everything in the human body is connected. Using this modality will affect this part of the body just like using this one will affect the same part. If you touch something in the foot, you can ease pain in the neck. It introduced me to the concepts of connection and balance.

A few months and a couple life lessons later, I came to the conclusion that all things are connected, both within and without the body. We're all made of matter, which is solid energy, and that energy affects everything around it in ways we don't yet understand.

Along those same lines, we're also all equal. All beautiful. All unique. We're all exactly the way we're supposed to be, which is something many people have difficulty accepting.

So we massage therapists have these clients come in, they're touch-deprived, their self-esteem is probably low, they have knots from stress and aches from overworking. Not only are you physically helping them heal, but you're providing them with a safe place where they can be exactly what they are without being judged. Your touch is giving them that connection they've been missing, which doesn't just increase dopamine levels but it makes them feel like part of the whole again, whether they realize it or not (it's like giving them an hour-long hug). Now you've given them about an hour of safety, acceptance, healing, and reconnection.

And since we're all connected, if I improve the mood of that one person, and I feel good about it, too, that positive energy will spread to other people (again, whether they realize it or not).

We're benefiting humanity, guys!

So for me, massage therapy is a way to help other people, to give them a safe place to be themselves and heal themselves. For clients, it's a way for them to remember themselves and remember their connection to other people, as well as focus on healing themselves.

If all goes well, we'll both take that positive energy home with us and multiply it. That's the best part of feeling good; making others feel good.

Because we're all CONNECTED!

That's what massage is to me! Thanks again to the students who participated. If you still want to send me an answer, it's not to late! I can do plenty more of these (I can post as many blog posts as I want)!

Peace, love, and light!

~Jess

PROM

No, not prom!

Passive range of motion!

Here is a video made from the previous class (Bobby, Roger, and Paula). It goes through PROM of the whole body!

Thanks guys :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hlbPoxObCE

Also, Nicky asked about an IT Band stretch! So here's a video for that (which we can practice in class).

You're all doing great!

~Jessica

Booking Clients

To the MAT111 students,

Today I booked a client for one of you guys because I saw that there were 5 or 6 students with no clients booked! Well, it turns out that every single one of you had a client, you just didn't put them in SOAP vault. As you can imagine, this created a minor problem.

I want to remind you guys that you need to have your Thursday clients booked in SOAP vault by Tuesday. Otherwise, problems like this occur.

Now I have to deal with the consequences and I feel a bit disrespected.

If you have any questions, about SOAP Vault or anything, you know you can contact me!? I don't want this to be an issue because you don't know how to book clients. I can totally help if that's the case, but you need to speak up.

Other than that, you need to remember to do this. If something like this happens again, I will have the SMT deal with the situation rather than myself.

I'm just trying to watch out for you guys, give you clients to practice on if I see you have none. But you have to keep up with your responsibilities as well!

On a more positive note, thanks to the students that came to the open lab today! :-)

~Jess

An Important Question for Everyone

Hello, everybody!

I have a question I'm directing to ALL of my students. Now, this isn't a requirement, but I'd really appreciate if every one of my students takes the time to answer this for me. Leave it in a Facebook comment when I link this on the school's page, or send me an e-mail, write something out in class, or even make a video.

My question is: what is massage therapy to you and what do you think massage therapy is for your clients?

Like I said, this isn't a mandatory "assignment," it's just a favor I'm asking from you guys. School is about learning, and there's one lesson I really want you all to take away from here and it has to do with you answering this question.

Even if you aren't a student, leave a comment (on here or FB), and tell me: what does massage therapy mean to you?

I might use your answers in a future post. Please specify if you want it to be anonymous when you answer. Thank you!

~Jess

Thumb Pressure

Special request by Nathan!

"Any good videos you'd recommend for circular finger combing, alternating thumbs, correct application of thumb lines/fascia lines?
Or should I... I don't know... open my Salvo book and do my own research..."

I tried my best to find some school videos that showed proper fascia lines/thumb pressure. I can't really find anything! I found one video on friction, it shows a little bit of thumb circular friction at the very end, but otherwise nothing. Maybe tomorrow (or sometime soon) I can demo this on a student and we can video it and post it?

Until then, open up Salvo and get researching! I like that idea. If you find something out on your own, you're a lot less likely to forget it!

If anyone else has any videos or tips, let me know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYDiSm_kY0A

This one is on the back but it's pretty good, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayFUrRHPIiQ

~Jess

Glutes and Abs

Hi all!

I heard you learned glutes and abdominals yesterday! Yes, for the first day, I'm sure there was discomfort. But you need to remember this is strictly professional. Gluteals and abdominals may be sensitive areas but many clients need work in those areas!

The more you practice, the more comfortable and easier it gets.

Here are two other videos that might be helpful for you.

I hope this helps! There are the videos made in my class back when I learned. I hope to see you today in lab, and I'll definitely see you tomorrow!

~Jess

Because Illness is Everywhere!

Hello, everyone!

I know I usually post massage-related things on the blog (of course, that's why I made it) but today I want to post about illness!

Being SMTs, you are especially susceptible to any illness floating around the classroom. Much of the time, a person is contagious before they even show symptoms, and you guys have full skin-on-skin contact with that contagious person without even realizing it. Of course washing your hands thoroughly is the best protection, and not massaging anyone showing symptoms, but sometimes you get sick despite all the precautions you've taken.

I'm not the biggest fan of conventional medicine. It certainly has its place, but I avoid taking medication whenever possible, even when I'm sick. I find natural remedies work better most of the time, anyway, so I'd like to share some with you that I've tried.

Upset stomach:

Drink peppermint tea. It's the only kind of tea I like! I think it works better if you add raw, local honey to it for sweetener (avoid processed sugar, it makes things worse).

Munch on candied ginger. I personally don't like candied ginger all that much, and it's quite spicy, but it works. Not only has it worked for me and other, previous students, but it's been scientifically proven to calm upset stomachs.

If those fail, just follow the RACE diet, which my dr's office taught me. Foods that are easy on the stomach: Rice, Applesauce, Crackers, and Elephants... I mean Electrolytes (think Gatorade).

Sore throat:

Take 8oz of hot water, mix with 1/8tsp of cayenne pepper and gargle with it! Drink it if you can, but it is super spicy! Sometimes this worked instantly and wonderfully, sometimes not at all, so results may vary but it's worth a shot.

Drink a straight tsp/tbsp of apple cider vinegar if you can.

OR

Mix regular white vinegar with honey and drink that. I haven't actually used this one, and I'm sure it tastes gross, but vinegar is supposed to fight whatever is causing the sore throat, and honey improves overall immune function.

Headache:

There's a tsubo point (Shiatsu) called your BL1 point that always helps me with headaches. Push gently and slightly in and up. I know it's a funny picture, but look at the black dots. That's where the nose meets the eyes. I'll show you where it is!

Lavender is great for headaches. Buy a small lavender pillow to put over your eyes to relieve headaches. Or drink it in a tea.

If it's a tension headache, rub your temples with your palms to release headaches, and give yourself a scalp massage.

Head Congestion:

Boil equal parts of water and apple cider vinegar (make sure the pot is covered). Before you uncover it, put a towel over your head and lean over the pot. Take off the cover and use the towel to catch the steam and inhale through your nose as best you can. Even if you can't at first, you should be able to eventually. It might hurt a tad bit (vinegar is sharp) but it will help clear congestion.

The other option I haven't had as much luck with, but do the same as above, but replace the vinegar with a few tbsps of dried rosemary. It doesn't work as well in my experience but it's gentler.

Throat congestion:

Sip cool water with lemon juice to cut through congestion in your throat.

In general:

Drink tons of water, eat soup (especially spicy soup), and rest. Drink green tea if you like it, too. It's been shown to help reduce the length of illnesses. 

I hope everyone who is sick feels better, and everyone who isn't sick doesn't have to use these remedies. If you do, I hope the remedies work for you!

~Jess

Lab is OPEN

Hey guys!

Sorry about that, but we figured things out and lab is OPEN today. I hope I see a few of you there!!

~Jess

Lab Tomorrow (10/30)

Hey guys!

Lab is cancelled for tomorrow (10/30) because Berly is sick!

I'm wishing her well!

~Jess

Midterm Practicum Advice

Hey guys!

Tomorrow is the big day: midterm practicums! I'm willing to bet most, if not all, of you are nervous. Take a deep breath and try to relax. The practicum isn't nearly as intimidating as you think it is, and it's over before you know it!

*Besides, you're all awesome SMT's so I know you'll rock*

Anyway, I thought you may like some helpful advice, some that Sharon and Kim wanted me to tell you, and some that I know from experience.

~Review the rubric tonight, so you know exactly what they'll be looking for and there'll be no surprises.

~Arrive at least 20 minutes before your appointment time! That way you can make sure your station is all set up and have a few minutes to spare to get other things done you may have forgotten... like cutting your nails.

~CUT YOUR NAILS BEFOREHAND. Cut and file them tonight! And tomorrow, make sure you arrive with your hair tied/pinned back if needed, your uniform on, smooth nails with no polish, and your ID.

~Put on the table warmer (both Sha and Kim love that).

~Make sure your table is the right height. If Krystle tried working on a table that's Nathan's height, or vice versa, it'll make your midterm a whole lot more difficult!

~Don't forget body mechanics!

~SIGN YOUR SOAP NOTE WITH "SMT" AT THE END OF YOUR NAME!

Follow that advice and you'll be off to a great start (the rest is up to you)! You're all good enough to pass with flying colors. So get out there and give 'em the best massage you've ever given! Good luck to all of you :-)

~Jess

Today's Lab

Today we had a total of four students show up to the lab!

In the lab we went over:

~Grades and online homework assignments
~Different back and leg techniques
~Study tips
~Forearm and hand massage

We covered a bunch of material today. I'd like to see more students show (although I understand commute is a problem).

Here are a couple videos that should help out based on questions I've been getting from students.

Back effleurage (to show you how it should flow):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ImCI9c-fxQ

Petrissage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc2EGoEB26M

Yes, that's me.

Don't forget to be at the clinic tomorrow at 8:00 to get ready for the Wellness Fair!

Also, don't forget that I have hours in the Tutoring Center downstairs from the clinic from 2-5pm on Thursdays. If you need help with writing SOAP notes, discussion questions, or anatomy review I can help you downstairs. You can drop in and hope I don't have an appointment, or you can call the main number and reach the tutoring center at ext. 4013 and ask to make an appointment with me.

Thanks and have a lovely night! See you bright and early tomorrow morning :-)

~Jess

Lab Tomorrow

Hey guys!

Tomorrow is Wednesday, and you know what that means? Another MAT open lab! Last week I had only one student show up, and that was right before one of your midterms! Don't make the same mistake twice; you have a midterm practicum coming up next week. Show up now to study before it's too late and you're cramming!

Here's some of what you can do in this (FREE) open lab:

~Study anatomy

~Use the laptops for your online homework assignments (with me there to assist you)

~Review any part of massage that you feel you need work on

~Learn some new techniques

~Swap with a student to get homework done

~Talk to me about any problems you're having in any of your classes!

Most of those are obvious, but really, if you're having trouble in one of your classes and you just want someone to talk to, I'm all ears! That's part of what I'm hear for. I took these classes before, and I really want to offer you my experience and support to help YOU through it. So show up! Listen to some nice music (I take requests), talk to your classmates and work with them, and work with me! I'll try to ease some of your midterm stress and any other worries you may have.

It's not like class, it's a bit more relaxed (more relaxed than a massage class? Woah)!

See you tomorrow! :-)

~Jess

PS. Don't forget your uniform, sheets, and questions!

Way to Go!

Just wanted to congratulate the MAT111 class. You guys are doing awesome in the mock practicum! Time management rocks, the clinic is totally clean, draping is awesome! I've been walking around and your massage strokes look great! I have no complaints; so proud of you all! You're going to do excellent on your MAT111 practicums!

If anyone wants to practice before the midterm practicum, I'll be here on Wednesday per usual, from 11-3 to help you all review for the clinic. The more, the merrier! Not only will I have the rubric, but I'll give you some helpful hints from the mouths of Sha and Berly themselves. If nothing else, it'll give you some practice (even a homework) and it'll ease some of your worries about the practicum.

More on that later! And once again, awesome job!

~Jess

MAT112 Midterm Practicums (Helpful Link Below)

Hey guys!

I hope you all had a fantastic Columbus Day weekend :-) I know your midterm practicum for MAT112 is tomorrow (Thursday, October 16th). I want to put your mind at ease a little bit because I know you're probably super stressed out!

If your book gives you 3 origins and 5 insertions and 4 actions for a muscle, I don't want you to panic. A perfect example is the hamstrings muscle group. The semitendinosus and semimembranosus have 5 actions each. IT'S A GOOD THING TO KNOW THEM ALL. But if you're so completely overwhelmed and you don't think you can't memorize all of them, try to grasp the big picture. What do the hamstrings do? They flex the knee and extend the hip. If you can also remember the the semitendinosus medially rotates the flexed knee, assists hip medial rotation and posteriorly tilts the pelvis, then you're grades will be that much better.

Also, dry memorization of names is not going to help you in the long run. Get up and do the actions, palpate the origins and insertions. It's helpful if you really understand the muscle instead of mindlessly learning the words and phrases.

I know I'm a little late in the game to be posting this, but you can definitely take these tips and use them for the finals, and all of your upcoming quizzes. I'm in the open MAT lab right now; there's only one student with me but we took some time to explore some really good study tools. I'm going to link some below.

Core and Back Muscles
http://quizlet.com/_gxvdh

Leg Muscles
http://quizlet.com/_gxvug

She and I took the time to make these cards on Quizlet for you. I highly recommend you make an account and tell me your username as soon as possible so I can include in our class. The two sets above are different sets of cards made specifically for your midterm with information taken right out of the textbook. Not only can you use these as virtual flashcards, but play the games and take tests. For the tests, there are options on the upper right corner so you can tailor the test to suit your needs. Just click "regenerate" to start a new test.

I'll be here every Wednesday for anyone who wants me to take them through Quizlet for future exams. I also have hours from 2-5 in the Academic Support Center every Thursday if you want to go downstairs and review it there.

You need to come if you want help! Just remember that when you come to the open MAT lab, bring your own sheets if you need them and come dressed in full uniform.

I'll see you all tomorrow!

~Jess

Important Upcoming Events for MAT111

October 15th, 2013

112 Written Practicum Opens

(closes on October 17th)

October 24th, 2013

Wellness Fair

BCC Fall River Campus

October 26th, 2013

Connecting for Change

BCC Massage Clinic

October 29th, 2013

111 Midterm Practicums

BCC Massage Clinic

111 Written Practicum Opens

(closes on October 31st)

Helpful Videos



I've noticed many of the students are having the same issues when they're massaging. Don't get me wrong, you guys are doing fantastic! But I notice I get asked the same questions over and over again, so I wanted to post a couple of videos to help you out. That way, you have access to the help you need at home, not just in class.

The top video is a draping demonstration for the leg while the client is in prone position. Even I have difficulty with this sometimes. I don't know if it's posted in eLearning, but it's a GREAT video. Watch it as many times as you need to and practice, practice, practice!

Supine Leg Petrissage

I couldn't post the second video on here for some reason, so click the link above. This video demonstrates how to properly petrissage the leg. I have a lot of students ask me for feedback on petrissage and this video shows proper hand placement and body mechanics. Notice how she moves from her lower body? I hope this helps!

This last video is kind of lengthy but very worth it! A former instructor (Rachel) demonstrates some strokes for a supine leg. She is an excellent massage therapist and this video should satisfy some of the questions I've been getting for more specific strokes. The beginning of the video is mostly the foot; if you want to skip straight to leg, skip to about 4:30. She also demos how to petrissage.

I hope this helps! Enjoy your day :-)

~Jess

Open MAT Lab

This semester, the Therapeutic Massage program is running its first ever open MAT lab. Any Therapeutic Massage students can come in on Wednesday, between 11am and 3pm for extra help, practice, or just a quiet space to do homework.

It's free for any Therapeutic Massage students!

To give the best help possible, please bring specific questions/areas to work on. Also, if you want hands-on practice, BRING YOUR OWN SHEETS. I have access to the laptops, so your own isn't required. The clinic supervisor Kimberly Griffith will also be there with me in case we absolutely need her.

I am there for ANY MASSAGE-RELATED classes, whether it be an online course or one of the labs, I'm here to help! You can drop in for ten minutes or stay the full four hours. It doesn't matter, this is for you need! I just ask that you be respectful to students who've shown up earlier or called ahead. If I'm already helping them, please wait until I can get to you.

Thank you all and have a great day!

~Jess