which developed the Massage and Bodywork

The organization that created a massage licensing exam recently endorsed by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) publicly acknowledged the AMTA in a press release issued Feb. 3.
Kevin Snedden, L.M.T., president of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), which developed the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx), was quoted in the statement as saying, "We appreciate the thoughtful deliberations and ultimate support of the AMTA resulting in endorsement of the MBLEx as the only exam for entry level licensing in the massage therapy profession. This is a monumental step towards portability of licensure in our field and for the evolution of our profession.”
On Jan. 26 MASSAGE Magazine reported on the AMTA's statement of support for the MBLEx, which marks a turn away from the association's support of the National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork as a state licensing exam. On Jan. 27 Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, the other professional, national massage association, commended AMTA for its support of the MBLEx.
The FSMTB's statement added: "The Federation continues to hope that the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) will recognize that the profession has evolved and that NCBTMB’s true purpose in the industry is with certification. We encourage NCBTMB to fully support the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, the regulatory process, and the benefits of a single licensing exam owned, operated and designed specifically to meet the needs of the regulatory community in their role of public protection."
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2009.
NCCAM is a center of the National Institutes of Health and the nation's lead agency for scientific research into complementary medicine.
The public is invited to attend an open session on Feb. 6, during which David M. Eisenberg, M.D., director of the Osher Institute Integrative Care Center and Program in Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School, will reflect on NCCAM's past 10 years. NCCAM Director Josephine Briggs will also speak.
Among the current research projects funded by NCCAM are: "Effect of Massage on Chronic Low Back Pain" and "Therapeutic Massage for Generalized Anxiety Disorder," both due to be completed in August; "Neuroendocrine Mechanisms of Developmental Massage Therapy in Preterm Infants," due to be completed in April 2010; "Massage Therapy Effects on Cerebrospinal Fluid Neurochemistry," due to be completed in June 2010; and "Multi-System Evaluation of Massage Therapy on HIV+ Adolescents," due to be completed in July 2012
In new research,ghuiytrop massage therapy was shown to reduce anxiety in both children with cancer and their parents.
Outcome measures among the children included changes in relaxation, as measured by heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and salivary cortisol level. Changes in symptoms, including pain, nausea, anxiety and fatigue, also served as outcome measures. Among parents, anxiety and fatigue were evaluated. These measures were assessed just before and 15 to 20 minutes after each session of massage or quiet time.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota, Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota, and was originally published in Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing (2008) 26: 16-28.
Previously MASSAGE Magazine reported that massage therapy reduced adult cancer patients' pain and anxiety, and that massage lessened female breast-cancer patients' depression, anxiety and anger, among other cancer-related research.