Often in the field of alternative medicine and wellness you will hear credence given to the importance of the mind in mending the body. While this is a common concept in the worlds of massage, acupuncture, guided imagery, energy work, etc., it’s something that’s only recently taken hold in western medicine.

Thirty years ago the idea began to surface in conversations around fighting cancer. Organizations like Commonweal formed around the belief that the most effective treatment for cancer had to include informed patients who had positive thinking tools to strive for improved quality of life.

While select fringe areas of medicine began embracing the power of the mind in healing, the majority of the American allopathic industry had a long way to go. As the Times article states;

In 1979, a similar survey of American doctors found that 60% of respondents believed that using placebos was a good way to deduce whether a patient had a “real” problem or was just faking it.

Over the last few decades, however, there has been a noticeable shift. More and more hospitals are instituting programs like California Pacific Medical Center’s Integrative Medicine Program that really emphasize the importance of recognizing the mind, body, and spirit as integral considerations in a treatment plan. Research is coming out that recognizes the value of empathetic support in a patient’s fight against disease.

And whereas in the past doctors saw the placebo effect as a sign of hypochondria, of the doctors in this recent study, “96% believed that dummy pills could have real therapeutic effects.”

This isn’t to say that we have arrived. There are still many in the medical field who are dismissive of things they don’t understand. Just this week, the New York Times published an article questioning the very existence of a very painful and growingly common condition, fibromyalgia.

Thankfully, the Times Magazine article gives me a bit more hope. Quotes like:

“Physicians in this survey believe the mind and the body are inherently interconnected, and that belief can challenge our approach to the healing process in new, innovative ways”

are clear signs of forward movement in the efforts to bring the whole person and all of their strengths and imbalances into consideration when treating patients.

For more information on the placebo effect, a friend recommended Understanding the Placebo Effect in Complimentary Medicine: Theory, Practice and Research, by David Peters. It’s definitely on my To Read list.

Last week The New York Times even gave a nod to massage amongst its litany of alternative treatments for chronic pain:

Guided imagery, meditation, relaxation therapy and hypnosis or hypnotherapy are often useful adjuncts to pain treatment, because they can reduce stress and take one’s mind off the pain. Likewise, cognitive behavioral (”talk”) therapy can help patients think and behave differently with respect to their pain. Other options include massage and hydrotherapy, the use of hot or cold water to reduce inflammation and promote healing.

While this paragraph doesn’t come until after nearly a full page of discourse on various pharmaceutical approaches, it’s still encouraging to see the field of massage acknowledged in such a credible mainstream news source.

My rates will be the same - $80/hr and $100/1.5hr in Oakland, $85/hr and $105/1.5 hr in SF, and out-calls will vary depending on details.

I also wanted to let you know that starting this September I will begin a one year training program through California Pacific Medical Center’s integrative medicine program. The IHH is considered one of the top hospital massage training programs in the country and I’m excited to add their teachings to my tool belt.

Also, I just wanted to thank you again for the wonderful support you’ve given me in helping spread the word about my practice. Telling your friends and family about my work is the best thing you can do to help me expand. If you haven’t had a chance yet, I’d love if you could add a few words to my reviews on Yelp.com - you can do so for either my Oakland office or my San Francisco office.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer and I look forward to seeing you soon.

I’m going to be traveling until mid-August. If you’d like a referral for a different bodyworker in the meantime, send me an email and I will try to respond as soon as possible.

Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you when I return.

- Whitney