'Tis the season to be merry and bright! But you may be feeling less than joyful during the "most wonderful time of the year." Do you experience stress, anxiety or even depression from November to January? If so, you're not alone.

In the wake of cannabis legalization, a team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University have delivered encouraging news for chronic pain sufferers by pinpointing the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) for safe pain relief without the typical "high" or euphoria produced by the THC. The findings of their study have been published in the journal PAIN (The Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain).

Assessment, often only practised on initial treatments, is a powerful tool to have, as RMTs answer not only our own questions, but the client’s as well. Assessment and orthopedic testing reinforce that we are professionals and informs the public and other health-care professions that we have knowledge and understanding of human anatomy and are able to differentiate conditions from serious pathologies.1

If you have ever broken an arm and had to wear a cast or splint for a few weeks, you will be familiar with the alarming loss of muscle and uneasy feeling of weakness experienced after removing your cast.

The language we use every day holds a lot of power. Language has the power to make us look like we know what we are talking about or...make us look the fool. Our words have the power to uplift our patients on their health journey, or to defeat them.

The overexertion of muscles through rigorous physical training and exercise can affect athletes’ performance and increase their risk for injury. In between those strenuous workouts, the body could use some pampering.

Lower back pain is the greatest source of global disability, ahead of nearly 300 other conditions, leading to huge levels of healthcare costs and suffering. And the effects go far beyond pain, weakness and stiffness – they also have a huge impact the social and family lives of sufferers.

All too often joint mobilizations are dismissed as a modality worthy of being merely a footnote. During RMT schooling they are covered in techniques class. However, they are often relegated to the proverbial back pocket – to the therapist’s and patient’s detriment.

It’s easy to forget that something as simple and restorative as a massage can be an intimidating experience. For clients new to massage therapy as a modality, the unknowns can be walked through and discussed during informed consent.

A new study comparing the health outcomes of more than 300,000 Medicare patients who completed rehabilitation therapy after hospitalization for hip fractures found that more care may not translate to better long-term health.

I’ve been working in healthcare for a long while now and over the decades, I’ve come to the realization that the one good habit that keeps me focused on the bigger picture, the simple thing that facilitates good case management and increases the chances of success is the written report of findings.

More companies report cancelling plans for office parties this holiday season. It's not surprising, given news reports that one in three office workers has done something they regret at a holiday party.

Your personal identity may fall at the mercy of sophisticated hackers on many websites, but when it comes to health data breaches, hospitals, doctors offices and even insurance companies are oftentimes the culprits.

We often hear about clients receiving threatening correspondence from legal entities about misusing copyrighted material on their website or social media platforms. These letters typically demand that they immediately stop using the copyrighted material and pay the owner a hefty fine amounting to hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Practitioners have even received letters for using copyrighted material in their printed intake forms.

It’s no small feat to build a stable practice over time. A successful practitioner eventually develops enough professional relationships to serve a small practice population. But sole practice has its drawbacks – isolation can contribute to limited engagement, learning from others and professional self-reflection, suppressing a practitioner’s growth.

Massage therapists strive to help their clients live healthy lives. So it’s only natural that this concern extends to creating a healthy environment, too.

MCLEAN, VA—Binary Fountain has released the findings of its second annual "Healthcare Consumer Insight & Digital Engagement" survey.

The location of the therapeutic massage practice office within the walls of your residence and its layout could be problematic.

More and more we are hearing practitioners say that they want to have their patient appointments imported or synced with their personal calendar (such as Google calendar, iCal or Microsoft Outlook) so that they can better manage their time.

How difficult could it be? Becoming the sole owner of a massage therapy clinic certainly makes monetary sense, but it’s easy to be overconfident about the responsibilities involved in pursuing such ‘independence.’

Recording patient information is an essential part of every good health-care practitioner’s clinical obligations.

In our previous article we discussed offering third party insurance billing and how that benefits your patients and your business. Now, let’s describe and “rate” (good, better, best) the technologies that are available for the electronic claims submission process for your clinic.

Massagetablesnow.com has surveyed nearly 1,200 licensed massage therapists to learn about their career satisfaction. Numerous research studies have examined massage from a clinical perspective; however, few have analyzed the viewpoint of massage therapists.

College education continues to provide a clear gateway to employment as about 86 per cent of Ontario's most recently surveyed college graduates found employment within six months of graduation, new statistics show.

The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CTMO) has released practice guidelines for Registered Massage Therapists in Ontario. 

You can be a new graduate of a massage therapy program, or a seasoned veteran in the industry – but unfortunately, inappropriate behaviour from clients can be an inevitable reality for massage therapists. Crude remarks, inappropriate touching, or sexually explicit jokes are only a few examples of what can happen in a treatment room between a therapist and their patient.

CALGARY—A University of Calgary researcher says new concussion guidelines in the United States could change care for all children with mild traumatic brain injuries.

Cupping therapy has been used in massage for decades. It is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that was used for many diseases or skin conditions, and is now known for its use in western massage therapy or physiotherapy.

The media is steadily drawing increased attention to the misconduct of health professionals. In a March 25th article in the Toronto Star, journalist Theresa Boyle reflects on a complaint against a particular physician, saying: “It’s cases like this that have placed Ontario’s oversight system for health professionals under the microscope.

Have you ever had a conversation with your staff about why they turn up to work? If so, you’ve probably noticed that employees bring different motivations to work each day. Some are just going through the motions and are completely indifferent about their work.

Despite decades of calls for provincial regulation from within the industry, massage therapy in Quebec remains largely a patchwork of minimum requirements and codes of conduct and the profession is entirely self-regulating.

The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) is redesigning the Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

The portrayal of massage therapists in Hollywood has often been a thorn in the industry’s side. Stereotypes and misconceptions abound. An online search for “movies about massage therapy” pulls up all sorts of fantasy and porn that continue to taint our reputation. Memorable, loveable (but not exactly accurate) characters, who double as masseuses on TV (like Phoebe from Friends) easily become synonymous with the profession as a whole.

AMES, Iowa – Lifting weights for less than an hour a week may reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 per cent, according to a new Iowa State University study. Spending more than an hour in the weight room did not yield any additional benefit, the researchers found.

A widely held and controversial myth that high-protein diets may cause kidney damage in healthy adults has been debunked by scientists at McMaster University, who examined more than two dozen studies involving hundreds of participants.

Regular runners should change shoes every six months

Men who eat plenty of fermented dairy products have a smaller risk of incident coronary heart disease than men who eat less of these products, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.

U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for high-intensity drug traffickers to face the death penalty in the United States as part of a new plan to tackle the opioid epidemic.

Lyme Disease was first discovered in 1970 when a number of men at a submarine base in Grotton, Connecticut presented with bull’s-eye rashes. In 1975, when several families in Old Lyme, CT, experienced similar symptoms, it was diagnosed as a condition and “Lyme” disease was coined due to geography.

Years of research evidence support the efficacy of massage therapy for many important health treatments, especially for pain relief and pain management, according to recently published findings of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).

Online spa directory SpaHub has taken an international focus by searching countries for the strangest spa treatments offered around the world and released the top 10 list of the weirdest spa treatments.

The heart is the most vital organ in the human body. Our heart supplies the body with blood, which carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removes carbon dioxide and metabolic waste. 

Recommendations for a high quality diet to avoid cardiovascular disease were developed in high-income countries two to three decades ago. They don't consider other parts of the world or how diets have changed.

Cameras watch us almost everywhere we go. We know the internet tracks our searches and purchases, and our smartphones can be used to monitor our activities too. As sociologist David Lyon points out, “this is a culture of surveillance."

Losing just a couple hours of sleep at night makes you angrier, especially in frustrating situations, according to new Iowa State University research. While the results may seem intuitive, the study is one of the first to provide evidence that sleep loss causes anger.

For hockey great Bobby Orr, a torn knee ligament ended his career at age 30. Orr had more than 17 knee operations, at one point having his meniscus removed — the cartilaginous tissue that helps stabilize and lubricate the knee joint. Now scientists can see in real time just how important the meniscus is.

An intervention combining passive joint mobilization to realign the patellar (kneecap) position, along with exercise to maintain it, can reduce pain and improve function and quality in life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. 

All vertebrates need muscles to function; they are the most abundant tissue in the human body and are integral to movement.

No, sitting is not the new smoking, despite what countless newspaper articles have peddled in recent years.

Newswise — BOSTON—The painful condition known as "tennis elbow" results from overuse of the tendons in the forearm, typically in a patient's dominant arm.

Vitamin D levels in the blood are linked to cardiorespiratory fitness, according to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a publication of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Too much of a good thing can definitely be bad for us. But a new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that exercise is a clear exception. 

Use of massage therapy instead of opioid medication for conditions where massage is proven effective can reduce costs to the American economy by up to $25.99 billion annually. These are the results of an economic modeling analysis commissioned by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).1

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center examines what may cause chronic back pain in runners and the exercises to help prevent it.

A new study in the journal Rheumatology indicates that being exposed to secondhand smoke in childhood could increase the risk of someone developing arthritis as an adult.

How fitting that dictionary.com’s “Word of the Year” is “misinformation.”

A decade ago, in preparation for dramatic changes in submitting auto insurance claims, I reviewed the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and recall thinking how limited the list of conditions is in relation to soft-tissue dysfunction.

Technology has revolutionized how we live, play and work. We don't think twice about using an app to make a restaurant reservation, tracking a parcel's expected delivery date on-line or chatting with an on-line agent to answer questions about a product we want to purchase.

Toronto (Troy Media) – Canadians suffer when important mental health services are unavailable or wait times are too long.

Over the past few months, patients and healthcare providers alike have been encouraged to make pledges to improve compassionate quality care in Ontario as part of an inaugural movement called, Change Day Ontario.

We recently held our first annual conference call with members of our editorial advisory board and it was a very productive discussion of issues and trends affecting health care and the massage therapy profession.

Many Canadians can hardly wait for the day that the recreational use of marijuana becomes legal. As a medical doctor, I'm far less enthusiastic. I worry about two things: the experimental nature of marijuana in medical practice and the public health consequences of legalized marijuana.

It's no secret: Ontario is getting older. The number of seniors in our province has been steadily increasing and over the next twenty years, will double. Including factors like increased use of health services and evolving technology, this will result in a substantial increase in demand across the health system. Those services will cost money.

The Trudeau government is set on legalizing marijuana by the summer of next year. While they will enjoy the political payoff of appearing progressive on this matter, all of the associated problems and the logistics of legalizing pot will fall on the shoulders of the provincial governments.

The impending legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Canada – which is expected to take effect by next summer – is causing anxiety among many in the health-care profession, and for good reason.

As a massage therapist, I appreciate and benefit from the relationship between our professional association and our regulatory body.

Mental illness is not always an easy conversation topic. The fact that one in five Canadians will personally experience a mental health issue in their lifetime does not make it any less uncomfortable or less stigmatizing. It does make it all the more real, however.

Hand & Stone Massage Spa Canada Corporation continues its growth with the opening of it's 27th location in Halton Region in Milton.

Can acupressure achieve a sustained reduction in menstrual pain? Is an app-based self-care program particularly attractive to young women? These questions addressed in a new study by researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the results of which have been published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology*.

EmoBridge has introduced what it claims is the world's first smart wristband for accurately tracking and analyzing daily stress levels and sleep patterns to help people live a more well-balanced, peaceful life.

iMag contains a 100 per cent naturally occurring form of magnesium chloride. Its zero stability constant makes it the most bioavailable form of the magnesium ion for humans.

Vitality Depot has launched Pain Gone, a clinically tested pen-like device that patients can use for pain management.

Length Tension Testing provides clear and comprehensive descriptions and photos for assessing flexibility and length tension in the muscles of the lower quadrant.

Brain Stars: Glia Illuminating CranioSacral Therapy by Tad Wanveer, LMBT, CST-D, has simplified the complexity of the function of glial cells within the craniosacral system. Upledger Institute International is excited to announce the release of this highly informative book.

LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services has launched JOINTstat, a diagnostic blood test for rheumatoid arthritis. The JOINTstat blood test is the first test of its kind available in Canada that aids in the early detection and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. When caught and treated early, rheumatoid arthritis outcomes can be greatly improved.

Massage therapists have a new convenient option for processing client payments. Amazon is taking direct aim at mobile payment systems such as Square by introducing the Amazon Local Register, a credit-card processing device and mobile app designed to help small business owners accept payments through their smartphones and tablets. The move places the largest U.S. e-commerce retailer in competition with Square and other established mobile payment processing systems such as PayPal Here and Intuit's GoPayment.

Massage Warehouse, providers of high quality, cost-effective massage products, announces the release of its paraben-free line of Massage FX lotions and creams. Parabens, preservatives that are quickly absorbed through the skin, have been shown to mimic the activity of estrogen in the body’s cells. Some researchers suggest that methylparaben, which is widely used in cosmetics and skin creams, may increase risk of breast cancer, or accelerate the growth of these tumors.

Dr. Chris Oswald had been practicing chiropractic in the Toronto area for 16 years when he reached a point of frustration and decided to change the game.

While people usually think of sports when talking about athletic activity, most Canadians engage in some form of physical activity every day. Whether it’s lifting an infant into a highchair, running for the bus or bending to reach a fallen sock behind the dryer, people move and exert their bodies constantly – sometimes feeling the pain from those movements.