Do you have a referral network with other natural medicine practitioners / other health practitioners ? Absolutely . It is essential to have a referral network of other natural medicine practitioners for my clients . There are times when a different modality will serve a client better or can be used to enhance the efficacy of my treatments . There have also been many times when I recognised the need to send a client back to their own GP for investigations or referrals that , as a massage practitioner , I am unable to help with . Knowing when to refer on is an important part of doing what is best for my clients .
What is your opinion about the integration of natural medicine with mainstream medicine ? It could potentially help a great deal . Chronic illnesses are on the rise . People are so much more than a group of symptoms , blood tests or scans . Natural medicine practitioners , as a rule , have more time to spend with clients / patients than allopathic medicine practitioners . This gives them time to investigate lifestyle causes or uncover habits or lack of healthy habits that may lead to future illnesses . Integration of natural medicine into mainstream medicine may be a means of preventing a number of lifestyle illnesses or slowing and / or managing the effects of chronic disease for many people .
Would you like to see natural medicine practitioners / massage therapists working more closely with mainstream medical or other health practitioners ? If so , why / if not , why not ? Yes , but to truly benefit the patient / client it would need to be done mindfully , and only if the natural therapists / massage therapists are given the time and scope to look at the whole person and their lifestyle , not reducing them to a set of symptoms .
What are your thoughts about evidencebased medicine ? Would you like to see more research in remedial massage ? The ideology behind evidence-based medicine is great . I can appreciate the idea of having quality , unbiased evidence in the form of randomised controlled trials or observational studies that we can utilise , together with the individual needs and wishes of the client at the centre of treatments .
It would be wonderful to have more research conducted for remedial massage and other natural therapies regarding the efficacy of individual techniques and therapies for a variety of clients ’ conditions . Unfortunately , the cost of gathering the evidence can be prohibitive .
Also , I wouldn ’ t like to see empirical evidence discarded . We need to remember that a lack of “ evidence ” from a randomised controlled trial or observational study doesn ’ t mean something doesn ’ t work . It may simply mean that the study hasn ’ t been done yet .
In addition to your clinical practice , you have also been teaching massage therapy . What are your observations about the quality of education of massage therapists today ? Has it changed over the course of your career ? Are there changes you ’ d like to see to the education of remedial massage therapists ? Massage education has certainly changed since I did my original training . When I started Training Packages didn ’ t exist . We did our therapeutic massage certificate , then our remedial massage , then went on and did our specialty areas such as myofascial release , sports therapies , lymphatic massage etc , with much more time spent on the area of specialisation . The colleges had more flexibility in the way they delivered their training . Today things are a bit more standardised and all Registered Training Organisations have to cover a set curriculum plus electives . As a result , I see that practitioners qualifying now perhaps have a better overview of more massage modalities but not necessarily as much depth into any one modality .
Another difference is the demographic of people doing massage . Years ago , the demographic seemed to be a bit older ( maybe that is my perception because now I am much older ) and more people studied massage for personal interest and already had other careers . Now people are studying massage solely for career purposes .
Probably the two biggest changes in training that I have seen over the years have been the demise of small colleges and the digital age . Not so long ago there were multiple small massage colleges dotted throughout the state and probably the whole country . Attending one of these colleges was like joining a community and finding your tribe and all training was face-to-face .
The digital age has certainly changed things . It has made information so much more accessible with students no longer having to attend libraries , buy text books or to do assignments or further study to find further information . It has also changed the way classes can be delivered . It has many wonderful advantages but also has the potential to become isolating .
What is your view of the current state of natural medicine / massage therapy in Australia today ? Where do you think natural medicine / massage therapy is heading ? As mentioned previously chronic diseases and chronic stress is on the rise . Natural medicine is more relevant than ever . I see natural medicine as a “ wellness ” industry that has great potential to ease these burdens . I feel more people are becoming aware of the advantages of utilising natural therapies and that is great .
Remedial Massage has become more “ mainstream ” over the years . In general people seem far more accepting and aware of it as a means of treatment for managing pain and stress . It is my hope that awareness of natural medicine therapies and their benefits continues to increase and the public utilise it as a means to stay well , as well as for management of what already ails them .
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