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| Whole Body Healing |
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| Millions of people are turning to a form of healing that is safe, effective and rapidly gaining in popularity. Its emphasis is on health maintenance and the total body or "holistic" approach. What is it? Massage therapy. Massage therapy is a branch of the healing arts concerned with human health and the wellness process. Massage therapists see the human body as an integrated being. Their unique science works to relieve all kinds of conditions and ailments without drugs or surgery. With more Canadians determined to take responsibility for their health, it's understandable that massage therapy is growing so quickly. What many people don't realize, however, is just how long massage therapy has been one of the healing arts, and the intense education required to become a massage therapist. While massage therapy has been around as a separate and distinct profession for a little more than 50 years, the concepts behind massage therapy have been employed for centuries. Historians believe it was first practiced as far back as the time of the cave dwellers and most cultures since then have all practiced some form of massage therapy practiced. Some of the more known cultures have been the Chinese, as well as the Egyptians, Hindus and Tibetans. Even ancient American Indians depicted 'back walking" in their hieroglyphics. The great Greek physician Hippocrates, who recognized the importance of massage therapy, wrote of "rubbing" as an essential component in treatment. Early in the 19th century, Per Heinrik Ling defined certain massage strokes, and designated this new system as the Swedish method of massage. This system remains the foundation of massage therapy today. Massage therapists now combine many different methods and techniques, with assessment skills and modern knowledge to provide expert treatment. Massage therapy today is defined as hands-on manipulation of the soft tissue of the body including muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and joints |
| How are massage therapist trained? |
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| Massage therapists complete a minimum of 2200 hours of training in areas of anatomy, physiology, pathology, kinesiology, remedial exercises and treatment of medically related conditions, including clinical experience. All massage therapists in Ontario are registered with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) under the Ministry of Health's Regulated Health Professions Act. The license of registration is acquired upon successful completion of both written and clinical examinations set by the College of Massage Therapist of Ontario (CMTO). Only a massage therapist may be designated as: Registered Massage Therapist, Massage Therapist, RMT, MT. To further upgrade the competency, knowledge and the skill levels of massage therapists, the CMTO requires each therapist to take ongoing post-graduate education in order to maintain their professional license and to be evaluated by peers on an ongoing bases. |
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