imstandinghere

Name:
Location: Berkeley, CA, United States

Friday, March 03, 2006

An open letter

Dear Appropriations Committee Members:

Please let SB412 die and continue to oppose any bill governing massage or touch, for practitioners, at the state level. Govern "Massage Therapy," maybe. Taken directly from materials from an AMTA membership packet is this:

Massage Therapy is a "profession" in which the practitioner applies manual techniques and may apply adjunctive therapies, with the intention of positively affecting the health and well-being of the client.

"Massage Therapy is a "profession" created by the AMTA. Massage Therapist is a title yet to be completely defined as an occupation created by the AMTA. I believe it is a disservice to the people you serve to allow one part of an industry to have so much control. Imposing so restrictive a title for such a vast and diverse industry of touch/massage is wrong in my opinion.

In the realm of government our country has three distinct branches - the Legislative, Judicial and Executive. In the realm of massage and touch, there are at least three branches. There could be a "profession" which regulation could be placed in the hands of a group such as AMTA, their AMTA Council of Schools or COMTA the AMTA spawned Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation, accredited by the Federal Department of Education for accrediting schools desiring to teach 'Massage Therapy'. Completing high numbered hours of training at one fell swoop at one of their schools would entitle those desiring to be referred to as a Massage Therapist the right to do so.

Beyond a "profession", there is the 2nd and 3rd branches of trade and service involving people who desire to do massage or touch or integrating a short massage training into other body oriented practices they may already be involved in. The three branches of massage/touch are understood to be "professional" as all are worthy of payment for services rendered. A title act written without interchanging the words massage or touch with Massage Therapy to satisfy those feeling the need for state recognition could be an option.

Words implying a Massage Therapist is anything more than a title in a realm with many optional titles not needing standards set for the title Massage Therapist or Massage Therapy is more damaging than good for the vast majority of givers and those receiving the work.

Licensing CPA's did not kill accountants and bookkeepers, freelance or employees. Skilled touch and massage should remain unscathed. Rubbing is also a profession. Massage Therapists would be allowed to rub.

By visitinghttp://hometown.aol.com/therubber01/myhomepage/index.html you will be lead to definitions of masseur, masseuse and rubber, long established and connected to massage. These definitions are being drawn from and placed into a "new" occupation of "Massage Therapist."

The major difference between masseur/masseuse and rubber trainings and "massage therapy" trainings is all the responsibilities of the masseur, masseuse and rubber titles are lumped into one very expensive training more beneficial to the schools and industry rather than taught in increments.Thank you for listening.

Robert Flammia
Holistic Bodywork Therapist and Health Educator and expired NCTMB
Berkeley CA

Thursday, March 02, 2006

(1) Super Bowl XL triggers massage fun and games (2) Go CRASH!!! Picking another winner? (3) Taking sides and taking a stand...

(1) Sport like politics is, sometimes, not a pretty picture. I picked Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL and did not brag about winning because if not for the poor calls of the refs, the Seattle Seahawks may have been the winners.

I picked Pittsburgh for two reasons:

(1) I am an AFC, formerly the AFL, devotee. I was brought up on the Boston(not New England) Patriots. When my home team is out, I root for the home league. That is kinda hard in baseball when I sometimes find myself rooting for the Yankees.

(2) I like the underdog. I don't understand why Seattle was the underdog. After all, they had the better record and, to boot, had the higher payroll. If I was a betting man, I would have bet Seattle would have gone off the favorite. I had visions of Paul Allen buying his Super Bowl ring.

Seattle owes a lot to Allen...Maybe Seattle will get their Super Bowl championship next year. They should have been favored this year and they should have won. Shoulda. Coulda. Woulda.

I really did not have much of an interest in the game but did enjoy the sports fan camarederie of a house party made up mostly of Oakland Raiders fans. That was no easy chore. Raiders fans are long of memory and do remember the "snowjob" of a Raiders vs New England game when the Patriots eliminated the Raiders from the playoffs because of a VERY questionable call a few years ago. Raiders fans lose their home league allegiance when the Patriots are factored in. I was not as welcome at last years Philadelphia vs New England Super Bowl party.

My favorite Super Bowl XL event was the Aleve commercial with Leonard Nimoy. For me. doing the "live long and prosper" sign was a little bit of an effort the first time around but like riding a bicyle, it came back quickly for both hands.

Sometimes I just can't help myself. I polled my clients to see how many could do it. Some remembered and could do it quickly but there were a few that really had to work on it to reestablish the neuro pathways. One could not bring it back because of joint pain. Luckily, a little manipulation of the flexors and extensors corrected it. What was amazing was how many could not do it and never could.

Try it with your clients. It's a fun exercise in muscle control.

(2) How many folk really liked Brokeback Mountain, the odds on favorite to win the Oscar for best picture on Sunday? Actually, how many have seen it?? For sure it was different and good but is it really the best amongst the five picks? I don't think so and hope the Academy sees the light and gives it to Crash! I saw four out of five of the nominees, missing only 'Capote'. The last time that happened the one movie I did not see won. 'Shakespeare in Love' defeated the favored 'Saving Private Ryan'. I thought Ryan was a shoo-in.

According to this the nominees are some of the weakest in years. Two of my favorites, 'Match Point' and 'Transamerica', did not make the cut. According to the piece at the link in this paragraph, this years nominees are very political. Perhaps they were just not political enough.

(3) Over the years, a long standing position I have held has been touch or massage is the umbrella term defining what we do with massage therapy being one of a myriad of paths one can take to be able to do the work. The position of many of the folk at the AMTA is massage therapy is the umbrella and Massage Today Editor Cliff Korn agrees.

In response to the letter written by Cliff, I reworked a letter and mailed it to the California Appropriations Committtee with the hope of helping to defeat CA-SB412.

As is the case with this point/counter point, it is very clear there are two points of view. What side are you on? Under normal circumstances it would not be important to make a choice but because one of the two sides has taken their agenda to legislators to get their foot in the door to impose even more onerous hoops than those they are saying they want to replace, it is important you do so. A no response or no action at all increases the chances of the success of those lobbying for power.

My mind is (at long last) satisfied with all I have done in opposition to licensing in California. With that satisfaction comes the withdrawal from the debate. My position is as firm in opposition to licensing as the Amta position is for licensing. I need only write legislators and let folk know I am doing so. What you do is your thing.

(This is a work in progress...)