While drifting through twitter feeds in search of inspiration for our social media content, I came across some profound wisdom from astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, presenter of the recent Cosmos series.
The tweet, "Cosmos was conceived not to tell the you what is true, but to share how we have come to learn what is true" immediately brought to mind the many "truths" we carry about massage and how they have changed and evolved over the years as the "how we have learned" has changed through science and research.
Twenty years ago it was TRUTH that LMTs should avoid any and all massage for cancer patients because our touch could spread the cancer. I'm not sure how that came to be. It does seem logical to some degree, and so I accepted this TRUTH without delving into why. Today scientists understand the process of cancer much better and have debunked cancer as being as global contraindication for our touch.
Massage schools at the time taught (any sadly many still do) that we should encourage our clients to drink lots of water after massage because we "released lactic acid toxins from muscles" that would make a client sore afterwards if they did not drink enough to "flush them out." We accepted this as TRUTH, and perpetuated the idea to the masses.
When I first heard the drinking water after massage TRUTH was a Massage Myth, I balked. It made sense to me. My trusted teachers had preached it. Then I delved into the "how we have come to learn" it was a myth. The tipping point in accepting a new TRUTH came to me in the form of an article from Eric Keith Grant, PhD
Lactating Mythers - Massage and the Lactic Acid Myth. Understanding how the truth changed helped me to assimilate this new information into my practice. Don't get me wrong, I still advocate for proper hydration for overall health - I just don't advocate doing it for scientifically busted reasons.
There are many more massage myths out there than the two I have mentioned in this article. The take-away I want to impart to you is this: Question everything. Develop a sense of curiousity as to HOW we have learned what is truth rather than simply accepting what is spoon-fed to us.
If you are interested in watching Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, consider a purchasing a copy through the link below. A portion of your sale will support AMTA-Wisconsin.
Twenty years ago it was TRUTH that LMTs should avoid any and all massage for cancer patients because our touch could spread the cancer. I'm not sure how that came to be. It does seem logical to some degree, and so I accepted this TRUTH without delving into why. Today scientists understand the process of cancer much better and have debunked cancer as being as global contraindication for our touch.
Massage schools at the time taught (any sadly many still do) that we should encourage our clients to drink lots of water after massage because we "released lactic acid toxins from muscles" that would make a client sore afterwards if they did not drink enough to "flush them out." We accepted this as TRUTH, and perpetuated the idea to the masses.
When I first heard the drinking water after massage TRUTH was a Massage Myth, I balked. It made sense to me. My trusted teachers had preached it. Then I delved into the "how we have come to learn" it was a myth. The tipping point in accepting a new TRUTH came to me in the form of an article from Eric Keith Grant, PhD
Lactating Mythers - Massage and the Lactic Acid Myth. Understanding how the truth changed helped me to assimilate this new information into my practice. Don't get me wrong, I still advocate for proper hydration for overall health - I just don't advocate doing it for scientifically busted reasons.
There are many more massage myths out there than the two I have mentioned in this article. The take-away I want to impart to you is this: Question everything. Develop a sense of curiousity as to HOW we have learned what is truth rather than simply accepting what is spoon-fed to us.
If you are interested in watching Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, consider a purchasing a copy through the link below. A portion of your sale will support AMTA-Wisconsin.
Submitted by Lynn Marie Kutz, LMT