The AMTA provides liability coverage and credentials, business building tips, and networking opportunities. In my membership kit yesterday I received a welcome letter, membership card, a certificate which says I’m a member in good standing, and a copy of the Code of Ethics for the American Massage Therapy Association.

I look forward to exploring the benefits of the membership in coming weeks and will post any interesting happenings as they occur.

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It’s been big news in Massachusetts that State Licensing has gone through.  Before this new system, which has been in place just a few months, a massage therapist would have to get a license for each town or city they wanted to work in.  Say, if you wanted to work in Arlington there are certain rules and if you want to work in Provincetown there are other rules.  Some of the rules were really funny and ridiculous.  One of the towns required a STD test, another required a window in the treatment room, while another required  clients to wear underwear.

Interestingly, breast massage is completely illegal in Massachusetts.  Breasts must be covered at all times.  I think legislators may be afraid of breasts.  That’s a post for another time though.  We’ve all got them, in one way or another…

What struck me, going through all of the requirements of getting the massage therapy license, was the phrase: “must not be guilty of Moral Turpitude,” because it sounded so serious.  Moral turpitude, it sounds like a fungal infection and I had no idea what it meant so I looked it up in Wikipedia and found out the scoop.  Moral turpitude is a way to sort out the baddies from the goodies, and only good citizens need apply to be massage therapists! Wow! It was fascinating to read the list and see where the State draws it’s lines of morality, there were listings  of the different possible violations of good conduct and if they are “crimes involving moral turpitude,” or “crimes not involving moral turpitude.”  Wikipedia explains, “moral turpitude is a legal concept in the US that refers to conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty, or good morals.”

The categories overall are as follows:

Crimes Against Property

Crimes Committed Against Governmental Authority

Crimes Committed Against, Person, Family, Relationship, and Sexual Morality
Attempts, Aiding and Abetting, Accessories and Conspiracy

I think particularly of interest to MTs and future MTs are the “crimes committed against governmental authority,” especially if you are planning on hanging up your own shingle.  Willful proven tax evasion can keep you from being licensed, but if you were just spacy and did your taxes wrong (not on purpose) you are ok to be licensed.  Likewise, if you’ve been convicted of bribery, counterfeiting, fraud, mail fraud, perjury or harboring a fugitive from justice (with guilty knowlege).  A big part of this is having a guilty conscience:  do you know you are doing the wrong thing and are doing it anyway??? Well, my friend, it’s moral turpitude and 2 years of massage school are down the drain!  Crimes not involving moral turpitude which seem crazily reckless to me are drunk or reckless driving, drunkenness, black market violations, desertion from the Armed Forces–they really dug deep when they made this list.

Also, Crimes Commited Against Other People…Sexual Morality  are very important, since LMTs are dealing with people who are totally vulnerable and unclothed.  The violations which constitute moral turpitude in this category include: abandoning a minor child, adultery bigamy, various assault  charges, incest, kidnapping, gross indecency, lewdenss, manslaughter/murder (murderers need not apply), mayhem, prostitution or rape.  A lovely little laundry list of who you wouldn’t want your massage therapist to be!  Although, if you ‘ve been involved with Assault, Bastardy (I find it hard to believe this word is still on the books), creating a nuisance, fornication (!), involuntary manslaughter, rioting (so Red Sox fans are safe) or even mailing an obscene letter you are still ok to get your Massachusetts State MT license.

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In order to qualify for these clinics, each client must meet the following criteria:

• Must have a clinical (doctor’s) diagnosis of fibromyalgia
• Be at least 18 years old
• Not pregnant or currently undergoing cancer treatments
• Do not have any pending litigation or insurance claims
• Be able to dress/undress themselves
• Can get on and off the table without assistance

The fibromyalgia sessions will take place September 8th and 15th. To make an appointment, please contact the Welcome Center at 617-668-1000.

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Do we really need the sun? Or, is it better to be sun screened up all of the time?

Yes. Of course we need the sun! Vitamin D is produced in skin exposed to sunlight, from ultraviolet B radiation. If we use sunscreen all of the time, the benefit of Vitamin D does not get produced by the body. Vitamin D is more bioavailable when it is produced by the body that is going to use it, it is fat-soluble and stays in the body for up to 40 days after it’s produced.

A way to make sure you get some sun and still protect your skin is to make sure you get some limited sun exposure without sunscreen every day. I’m not suggesting that anyone should go out and burn themselves, but in measured doses (10-15 minutes at a time in the summer) enjoy some natural Vitamin D synthesis.

A big part of the Vitamin D production in the skin has to do with the melanin, the body’s light filter. Concentration of melanin in the skin has to do with how well the UVB can penetrate and get made by the skin. People with more melanin will require more time in the sunlight to produce the same amount of Vitamin D. The time required to produce an adequate amount of Vitamin D depends on how far they are from the equator and the season, determining the amount of sunlight.

Although it’s best to have the Vitamin D made in your skin, you can get it through nutritional sources. In fact, it seems that most processed food in the US is enriched with Vitamin D. Only fish is naturally rich in Vitamin D, you can get all you need with a daily tablespoon of cod liver oil (the idea of squishing fish livers for their precious oil makes me want to swoon) but fortified foods include many breakfast cereals, milk and soymilk. Many supplements abound fortified with Vitamin D, including Balance Complete™ by Young Living which is a super-food-based meal replacement that is both a powerful nutritive energizer and a cleanser. Offering the benefits of Ningxia wolfberry powder, Balance Complete is high in fiber, high in protein, and contains the good fats, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals needed for a nutritionally dynamic meal. Balance Complete also features Young Living’s proprietary V-Fiber™ blend, which supplies an amazing 11 grams of fiber per serving, absorbs toxins, and satisfies the appetite while balancing the body’s essential requirements.

According to Wikipedia, diseases caused by Vitamin D deficiency include:

· Rickets, a childhood disease which slows long bone growth
· Osteomalacia, a bone-thinning disorder which occurs in adults,
· Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by brittle bones and loss of calcium

A deficiency of Vitamin D has also been pointed to for many other chronic health problems, although research is less official and other factors may be present. These include:

· High blood pressure
· Depression
· Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
· Cancer
· Periodontal disease (Gum disease)
· Multiple sclerosis
· Chronic pain syndrome

The problem of Vitamin D and The Sun is compounded and exacerbated by our culture of fear of the sun but in measured doses and with care we can help our body get the sun it deserves.

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Jimmy Buffet is a lot of fun. Foot fungus is not. Here are today’s suggestions for the evils of summertime mold:

You can soak those nasty flip flops in the pool, the chlorine’ll take care of them. Or, dust them with a baking soda and essential oil paste . Lavender, lemon grass, or tea tree mixed with baking soda would work very nicely. If your feet are the problem you can mix those oils or Roman Chamomile, or rosemary with some carrier oil such as coconut oil, olive oil or V-6 Mixing oil and liberally massage into your feet as often as you can.

Animal Scents Ointment from Young Living is a natural way to treat many skin disorders, and it has the added benefit of **not** having to be approved by the ADA. So, it assists the body (human or animal) to heal by itself, which is how our bodies are designed to heal. I truly believe it.

One of my favorite lines from Bull Durham is when Kevin Costner is lecturing Tim Robbins about the mold on his shower shoes, “You’ll never make it to the bigs with mold on your shower shoes, win ten in the show and the press thinks you’re colorful. Until then, you’re a slob. Think classy, you’ll be classy.”

Last week I got an email from a friend of mine. She’s going camping in Maine later in June with her two little girls and was wondering if I could suggest any Essential Oils for her Summer Camping Emergency Kit. I said I would be happy to recommend a few oils to put in her fanny pack-style emergency kit along with her sun block and band-aids; oils make the journey smell better and easily solve lots of little problems.

Thinking about which oils to suggest I ran my mind through my camping trip last year on an island on a fresh water river in Maine. The weather was beautiful and we hiked quite a bit. Our two biggest issues were bug bites in the evening and sunburn. Of course everyone got scraped here and there hiking around the island, scraping into the berry brambles and climbing on rocks, but bug bites were definitely our biggest concern.

I came up with the following oils for the

Summer Camping First-Aid Kit:

Lemon

Peppermint

Idaho Tansy

Pan Away Roman Chamomile

Lavender

Tea Tree

Eucalyptus globules Cypress

Aloe

Lemon mixed with distilled water in a spray bottle is a great disinfectant. This spray can be used in areas for food preparation. Lemon oil, even in a spray bottle will induce a photosensitive reaction on skin exposed to sunlight, so take care not to spray this on people. Since Lemon is a natural mosquito-repellent and since it smells so wonderful and is anti-bacterial, feel free to spray it liberally around the campsite. Peppermint mixed with lemon will also repel mosquitoes.

Maine is famous for it’s black flies—some people call them horse flies. These flies bite, they take chunks out of flesh and the bites are very painful. It’s awful to be in a tent and to hear the buzzing of the fly and know you have to get up and get it out of the tent. Now! The same is true of the mosquitoes and their little squeaky buzzing, then the silence, as you know they are sucking your blood! A spray of Idaho Tansy and water will repel the horse flies as the lemon and peppermint spray will get rid of the mosquitoes. Pan-Away is great for taking the sting out of black fly bites.

If, however, is too late and you have been bitten by the bugs the First-Aid Spray below will help you. The anti-fungal and healing properties of the Lavender and Tea Tree will free you from the poison and invite your body to heal itself.

Even though it’s in the 80s and 90s in the rest of the Northeast, something particular to Maine is the coolness of its weather, particularly at night. The sun in Maine, particularly along the ocean, is as scorching as anywhere else. Prevention is the easiest way to deal with sunburn, don’t let it happen to you. Put on liberal amounts of sunscreen as the manufacturer suggests. One of the most cooling remedies to sunburn is Aloe, a gel widely available from the Aloe Vera plant. Mix Lavender Oil or Tea Tree with Aloe for a wonderfully cooling balm for the burn.

In the evening chill, campers may catch a cold! Eucalyptus globules inhaled or gargled with some water will take care of chest congestion or cough. A warm compress can be made with Eucalptus and warm water on a towel and applied to the chest, over the throat and upper back, if the congestion is bad. In camping style the water for the compress would, of course, have to be heated over the campfire unless the camper in charge also brought instant heat packs.

Peppermint oil is the super oil, good for easing queasy stomachs during long car or boat rides, indigestion, vomiting, fever, gas, headaches or abdominal cramps. Peppermint is also a great pick-me-up. Just add a drop or two in a bottle of water and experience sudden clarity.

During the day hikers may climb mountains or walk miles on the beach. Getting back to the campsite they may realize how exhausted they are and in need of a muscular pick-me-up. Pan-away oil can take the pain out of sore muscles and renew the vitality of a hiker who has to go and lug some more water back to the campsite. Pan-away or Lavender mixed with Aloe gel can also ease scrapes and scratches gotten on the trail. Cypress is also handy for campers who have walked many miles. Cypress is a natural deodorant and astringent, so you can mix it with water to wash your face as well as rub it on your body so you don’t smell like the trail!

At the end of the day and after many s’mores sometimes campers, especially the little ones lie awake in their tents. Roman Chamomile or Lavender rubbed on the feet can ease the body into sleep. Roman Chamomile added to a cup of warm water is also lovely as an instant tea at the end of a long day. As the events of the day wind down and campers go to sleep remember to keep your insect-repellent spray of Lemon and water nearby along with your flashlight to shoo any last-minute mosquitoes.

Recipe for a First-Aid Spray

5 drops Lavender

3 drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia)

2 drops Cypress

8 oz. Distilled Water

Mix oils into ½ teaspoon of salt. Put the salt and 8 ounces of distilled water into a spray bottle and shake vigorously. This is a great first-aid spray.

To get an added benefit, add Tea Tree directly to any open wounds in addition to using the First-Aid spray daily until healed.

Peppermint has power to block pain receptors in the brain. Specifically, it is known to block Substance P, which shows up in large amounts in people who have Fibromyalgia. I am wondering, has anyone out there with Fibromyalgia tried Peppermint essential oil specifically to ease their symptoms???

Please send a comment if you’ve tried Peppermint with Fibromyalgia symptoms and letting me know your results.

According to The Mayo Clinic Athlete’s Foot is actually a type of ringworm which most people will get at some point in their lives. Most commonly it is picked up in a public shower (hint: wear shower shoes) perhaps at the gym, a hospital or hotel. It is a fungal infection which thrives in the warm, cozy, sometimes moist environment created by feet wearing damp socks. It’s spring time here in New England and soggy feet abound!

The big symptoms of Athlete’s Foot are dryness and pain. The pain can be as varied as fissures on the bottoms of the feet, itching, burning, or peeling skin, or troubles with the toenails which may be falling apart or peeling away from the toes. Owie!

You don’t have to use the toxic chemicals available at the drugstore to combat Athlete’s foot (although you can if you wish.) Perhaps the best way to immediately treat the condition is to run out and get a fresh pair of flip-flops and wear them to get lots of air flow around those feet and toes. The fungus will go away in a hurry if the feet are cool and dry.

The question of socks is a very interesting one regarding Athlete’s Foot. Often, people assume that it’s important to have nice, clean white cotton socks, or organic cotton socks. What is important to get rid of the fungus is “dryness” and in order to keep the feet dry, socks should be made from a fabric that breathes or which wicks moisture away from the skin.

The picture above was taken from Dermnet, which is a wonderful resource for learning about really nasty skin conditions.

In addition to keeping the infected feet dry, anti fungal essential oils such as Tea Tree can be used. You can buy Tea Tree and other oils here.

Other oils which may be helpful are Peppermint (one of my favorites), Lavender, Thyme, and some blends designed by ND Gary Young, Melrose, Thieves, Purification, ClaraDerm. Oils may be added to a foot bath with Epsom salts or natural bath salts or diluted 50:50 with a natural carrier oil or massage oil. They may also be applied directly to the affected areas, usually between the toes and around the toenails.

Getting a foot fungus is no fun, it’s best to be rid of it as quick as possible. As with any medical concern, a person should always see their primary care physician, for a professional diagnostic opinion.

I wish you a fun-filled, fungus-free spring!

I have a friend who took her son and his friends home after a soccer game last year and said that the car was “unbearable” because of the smell of the boys’ stinky feet. She had to roll down all the windows so she didn’t keel over while driving!

A couple of quick and easy aromatherapy fixes for stinky feet: Pine Essential Oil and Sage Essential Oil. The oils may be mixed with baking soda and put in sneakers or cleats to deodorize them. They may also be mixed with a pure carrier oil (such as Young Living’s V-6 Massage Oil) and rubbed into the feet in the morning or after a shower or bath.

The Pine or Sage Oil mixed with baking soda may also be useful on the mats of the stinky car to absorb the odor, after setting in the car for at least 15 minutes the deodorizing mixture may be vacuumed out, leaving the car with a purified, fresh scent.

Buy Essential Oils Here!

Vitamin up: Vitamin C in large doses can help the body normalize itself, likewise citrus juice which is high in Vitamin C is beneficial. Orange juice and grapefruit or tomato juice are usually in the fridge, or can be easily gotten from the store. Maybe this is one of the reasons that cold pizza is legend in it’s ability to ease hangover symptoms.

Essential oils may help. A drop of the following oils: fennel, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, rose, rosemary or sandalwood taken with a spoon of Blue Agave (available at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods) or Honey will immediately have a rejuvenating effect. Peppermint oil behind the ears (sounds weird but it’s true) will naturally chase away headache symptoms like magic and a drop of peppermint in some water is very soothing to the stomach. A drop of therapeutic-grade peppermint has the properties of 28 cups of peppermint tea,

Bananas or Gatorade. These provide a quick hit of sugar in the form of fructose, which is easily digestible, and potassium, which are lost when you drink too much alcohol. Bananas help with the nausea, and are high in magnesium which can help headache symptoms. Maybe this is why Elvis was so into peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Try some coffee? To ease a hangover coffee should be fortified with honey because fructose is easier to digest than table sugar (sucrose).

Other suggestions abound on the internet. For best results though nutrition and time are the best healers. By fortifying the body with Vitamin C rich solutions and quelling nausea with Peppermint, the hangover will soon be a distant memory.