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In this issue of To Your Health:

• Massage in the Mainstream
• Affordable Health Care for All?
• Answers to Your Massage Questions: Highlights From This Month's "Ask a Massage Therapist" Online Forum

Not that long ago, massage was considered a luxury for the rich and famous enjoying expensive vacations at far-away resorts. We might read about these sometimes exotic treatments in magazines and vacation brochures, but getting a massage ourselves wouldn't necessarily be considered a realistic option. What a difference a few years can make. Take a look around and you might notice that massage has, without a doubt, entered the mainstream. Massage therapists have set up thriving businesses in malls, airports, day spas, hotels, salons, athletic clubs, as well as private practices. And national media outlets like NBC's Today Show are picking up the trend and spreading the word about the benefits of massage.

The number of massage therapists currently practicing in the U.S. has grown to more than 160,000, according to a study done by the American Massage Therapy Association. Professional sports teams and weekend warriors alike are also coming to appreciate the benefits that massage therapy can provide, such as quicker recovery time from injury. Even if those referred to massage therapists due to an injury are discounted, there is still a noticeable increase in public awareness.

In addition to health insurance, stock options and paid vacation, companies are looking for new and more relaxing ways to stay competitive in the cut-throat world of big business and have found that offering massage treatments to employees is a great perk. As featured on the Today Show June 8, many organizations, including one West Coast marketing agency in particular, now encourage their employees to break from the daily grind for regular massages.

Once seen as merely an upper-class extravagance, massage therapy continues to move into the mainstream; and more businesses are offering massage to help retain employees in a market where they might easily leave their job to work for a competitor. According to the AMTA survey, between 1997 and 2000, the percentage of adults visiting a massage therapist doubled to 16 percent.

We are indeed a nation on the go! And it seems more Americans headed to the mall, airport or athletic club are looking to stay healthy, relieve stress and relax by making an appointment for a massage.

The Citizens' Health Care Working Group, a nonpartisan government organization established through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has published a set of interim recommendations designed to address problems in the U.S. health care system from a variety of perspectives, with a goal of having a set of "appropriate and affordable health care services" in place by 2012. While the recommendations do not pertain to any specific health care profession or class of providers, all members of the massage profession are encouraged to review and comment on the recommendations, which can be accessed for free on the working group's Web site, www.CitizensHealthCare.gov.

The Citizens' Health Care Working Group was created through a provision included in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, as a means of giving Americans the opportunity to engage in a national debate about the types of health care services they want covered, what level of health care coverage they want, how coverage should be financed, and what types of concessions they would be willing to make to ensure access to high-quality care. The group's main purposes, according to the act, are to "provide for a nationwide public debate about improving the health care system to provide every American with the ability to obtain quality, affordable health care coverage," and to "provide for a vote by Congress on the recommendations that result from the debate."

Published on the working group's Web site on June 1, 2006, the interim recommendations, which reflect the opinions of more than 20,000 people who have participated online and in community meetings since the group's formation, outline a plan for helping to achieve broad-based change in the American health care system. At present, the working group has established six recommendations, with the goal of providing all Americans access to "a set of affordable and appropriate core health care services" by 2012.

All interested parties are encouraged to read the working group's interim recommendations online at the www.CitizensHealthCare.gov. Additional information about the recommendations, the process used to seek public input, and findings from the group's previous meetings and online polls also can be found at the above-noted Web site.

Question: I was just wondering if there is any connection between massage therapy and weight loss. I know that massage is said to be good for stress, but other than that, is it any help?

Answer: Massage has been shown to help clients develop a positive attitude and develop awareness about their bodies. This can lead to weight loss and/or healthy eating and exercise habits.

Note: Information provided in this Q&A section is drawn from the "Ask a Massage Therapist" online forum, in which massage therapists field questions relative to the massage profession. Readers are encouraged to post their questions at www.massagetoday.com/ask/. Answers should not be misconstrued as a diagnosis, prognosis or treatment recommendation and do not in any way constitute the practice of massage therapy or any other health care profession. Readers should consult their own health care providers for medical advice.

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