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Massage Therapy Foundation
News:
Foundation volunteers Clint Chandler and Albert Moraska,
PhD, published in the Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine:
Comparison of a Targeted and General Massage Protocol on
Strength, Function, and Symptoms Associated with Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Pilot Study.
Patricia Sharpe, Foundation Grant Recipient, publishes
article on the effects of massage therapy compared to
guided relaxation in older adults - click for .pdf
of article
2007 Student Case Report Honorable Mention, Eric Mathis,
published in Massage Therapy Practice Magazine at
www.massagetherapypractice.com
2006 Student Case Report Contest Honorable Mention,
Peggi Honig, published in Massage Today.
Foundation funded Pilot Study, Massage Therapy for
Tension Headaches Concludes - View Press
Release
Other Important CAM Research
News:
Conferences of
Interest - Click to View
Available Grants - Click
to View
IN-CAM Outcomes Database Now Available
The IN-CAM Outcomes Database was recently launched at
the 3rd International Congress on Complementary Medicine
Research in Sydney, Australia. The database can be found
at:
www.outcomesdatabase.org. It is a collection of
outcome measures of particular relevance to
Complementary and Alternative Medicine research. The
goals of the database are to: make practical information
available on a wide range of outcome measures relevant
to CAM research and to organize and categorize outcome
measures within a unique Framework of Outcome Domains
that integrates measurable domains of health into a
unified scheme.
Research continues to support the
effectiveness of massage therapy in
the treatment of pain
The Massage Therapists' Association of British
Columbia (MTABC) has announced the public release of
commissioned literature reviews on neck pain, low back
pain and osteoarthritis.These reviews are the
profession's
latest clinician research information resource from
their Research
Department.
"Accessing the evidence-based practice data will benefit
massage therapy
patients, practitioners of massage therapy and manual
therapy, colleges
and faculty, associations, agencies, regulatory bodies
and others in the
profession," said Bodhi Haraldsson, RMT and MTABC
Research Department
Chair.
"Patients come into our practices every day suffering
from neck pain,
low back pain and osteoarthritis" said Damon Marchand,
RMT, MTABC
President. "BC Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs) are
one of the best
trained in North America and pride themselves in
delivering effective,
evidenced-based therapy to relieve pain and suffering
for patients for
these and other muscular-skeletal conditions."
MTABC contracted Canadian Institute of Pain and
Disability to create
these literature reviews to assist the RMT community in
its endeavor to
close the gap between what is known in high quality
research and what is
taught and practiced.
These literature reviews represent the latest activity
that MTABC
undertakes to assist registered massage therapists in
incorporating high
quality research evidence in their practices.The reviews can be found at:
http://massagetherapy.bc.ca/general/join_the_mtabc/publications
FACT Journal
Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies Journal
(FACT) is one of the very first journals to focus on
issues related to CAM research. Based in Great Britain,
FACT is now looking to expand their visibility in North
America. FACT aims to impartially present
evidence-based CAM information and promote discussions
on methodological issues.
To view past volumes of FACT, please visit:
http://www.medicinescomplete.com/journals/fact/current/volumes.htm
CAM Practitioners Needed -
CAM Use in Pediatric Oncology Study
Researchers with the Complementary and Alternative
Research and Education Program (CARE) would like to
partner with CAM providers across Canada and the US to
complete Phase 2 of their study to identify best cases
in pediatric oncology.
Detailed instructions and materials, including a study
overview, the patient information letter/consent form,
the data collections form, and the waiting room poster,
are available here
www.incamresearch.ca/picture/upload/File/BestCaseSeries25Feb2008.pdf
Call for Papers - JAMS
The newly launched Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian
Studies is now accepting articles. The Journal of
Acupuncture and Meridian Studies is a peer-reviewed,
quarterly journal featuring high-quality studies related
to basic and clinical acupuncture and meridian research.
For further details about the journal and how to make a
submission, please
www.journalams.com
or contact:
editorial@journalams.com
CAM
Practitioners Wanted for Cancer Study
Researchers
with the Complementary and Alternative Research and
Education Program (CARE) would like to partner with CAM
providers across Canada and the US to complete Phase 2
of their study to identify best cases in pediatric
oncology.
To view project materials, including the patient
information letter/consent form, the data collection
form, and the waiting room poster, click here:
<http://www.incamresearch.ca/picture/upload/File/BestCaseSeriesdocs.pdf>
.
NCCAM Grantsmanship Workshop
NCCAM will
conduct a 3-day grantsmanship workshop June 3-5, 2008 in
Bethesda, Maryland. This workshop will provide
researchers, fellows, and graduate students with an
in-depth understanding of the NIH grants and review
processes, clarify Federal regulations and policies, and
highlight areas of special interest and concern.
For more information go to:
http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2007/110707.htm.
View NCCAM
Stakeholder Dialogue - June 20, 2007
NCRR Strategic Planning - The National Center
for Research Resources is seeking input for a new
strategic plan covering the five-year period from
2009-2013.
URL:
http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/Strategic_Pla
Announcement- New Website Launched – Canadian Massage
Therapy Research Network (CMTRN)
The Canadian Massage Therapy Research Network (CMTRN)
is pleased to announce the launch of its website. This
website serves the CMTRN’s mission to promote public
health and wellness through the establishment of a
national network to communicate research outcomes and
encourage research initiatives regarding the efficacy,
safety and cost effectiveness of massage therapy within
the Canadian health care system.
The website contains information and resources to help
educate massage therapists, other health care
practitioners, and the public about research activities
in Canada related to Massage Therapy. Massage Therapists
interested in getting involved in research will find
assistance in learning more about research and
evidence-based practice. In addition, announcements of
upcoming conferences and resources are updated monthly.
Please use the suggestion box or contribution form to
provide feedback and submit documents for consideration
for the website.
The CMTRN invites you to visit the website at
www.cmtrn.ca.
View Research
News Archive
Massage Therapy for Tension Headaches Pilot Study
Concludes
Massage Therapy for Tension Headaches Pilot Study
Concludes. Northwestern's Wolfe-Harris Center for
Clinical Studies to Submit Grant Proposals for
Full-Scale Study
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - A full-scale study of massage
therapy for tension headaches may be on the horizon for
the Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies (WHCCS) at
Northwestern Health Sciences University.
The WHCCS recently completed a pilot study of massage
therapy versus self-care education for tension-type
headaches. The study was funded by a $19,935 grant from
the Massage Therapy Foundation and an in-kind
contribution from Northwestern. The trial had three
aims: to determine the feasibility of a full-scale
randomized clinical trial to assess the relative
effectiveness of massage therapy and self-care education
for tension-type headaches; to assess if individuals
with tension-type headaches would experience clinically
important changes after a 10-week therapeutic massage
regimen; and to describe the participants' and massage
therapists' experiences with massage as a treatment.
"We did determine that a full-scale trial is
feasible," said Michele Maiers, DC, MPH, an associate
professor and the principal investigator of the study.
"Although we did determine that self-care education was
not a good comparison."
Although the sample size was small for the pilot
study - only 25 people received massage therapy for
their headaches - the clinical changes observed were
very promising.
"We saw very positive changes in the duration,
intensity, and disability associated with tension-type
headaches, although we cannot draw conclusions because
the sample size is too small," says Dr. Maiers.
"Patients were overwhelmingly satisfied and the vast
majority felt they had improved."
The WHCCS will begin seeking grants for a full-scale
study of massage therapy for tension-type headaches
later this year. Additionally, the results of the pilot
study will be put into manuscript form and submitted for
publication. Dr. Maiers also presented the results at an
American Massage Therapy Association meeting in October.
"It was received very favorably," says Dr. Maiers.
"There is a need for an increase in the number of
high-quality research in massage therapy."
"I am thrilled to see this type of study taking place
at Northwestern," says Dale Healey, DC, dean of the
School of Massage Therapy. "To have our team of
researchers in the WHCCS working in concert with School
of Massage Therapy faculty on this project has been very
exciting. The expansion of the body of knowledge related
to the effects of massage therapy by our experienced
team of researchers and faculty is something in which
the entire institution can take pride."
Northwestern Health Sciences University offers a wide
array of choices in natural health care education
including chiropractic, Oriental medicine, acupuncture,
massage therapy, human biology, and integrative health
and wellness. The University has 900 students on a
25-acre campus in Bloomington, Minn.
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