Massage Therapy as a Career | AMC-Miami Massage Therapy and Shiatsu School If you’re considering becoming a massage therapist, then you’ve probably also looked into related health and medical occupations. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists four related occupations with similar job duty descriptions to massage therapy. They are: … Read More

In a previous article, we discussed the history and origins of Swedish Massage. In it, we explained that the name Swedish was misnomer that arose due to translation mix-ups. Per Henrik Ling, a Swedish medical pioneer and founder of the Swedish Gymnastics system, often gets credited with inventing the modality. However, the actual inventor of Swedish Massage is Johann Georg Mezger, a Dutch physician who was noted for studying French massage techniques and their effects on physical healing. It was Mezger, not Ling, who codified the five massage techniques that form the foundation for Swedish Massage. In this article, we will discuss the five techniques of Swedish Massage. … Read More

If you’re considering becoming a massage therapist, then you’ve probably also looked into related health and medical occupations. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists two related occupations with similar job duty descriptions to massage therapy. They are: … Read More

Massage Therapy Career: An Overview | AMC- Miami Massage Therapy School The healthcare industry is booming. It is booming so much that it is considered one of the largest financial sectors in the U.S., which includes the entire cost of treating and managing diseases and illness. While modern medicine includes a wide range of diagnostic tools, fancy machines, and expensive instruments, one of the simplest forms of healing medicine can simply come from the touch of your hands. … Read More

Going Dutch: The Story behind Swedish Massage's Confusing Name | AMC Miami Massage Therapy School Recently, we did an extensive post on the History of Massage Therapy. In it, we covered many of the significant massage modalities that have contributed to our modern understanding of Massage Therapy as a holistic medical practice. These massage modalities can be roughly be divided into two major categories: Eastern and Western. … Read More

Massage: The Oldest Medical Practice | AMC-Miami Massage Therapy School Massage Therapy is one of the most commonly practiced forms of holistic medicine. Massage Therapists heal patients by using their touch to manipulate the muscles and other soft tissues of the body. This therapeutic touch is used to relieve pain, help heal injuries, improve circulation, relieve stress, increase relaxation, and aid with general health and wellness. According to the most recent data published by the National Center for Health Statistics (CDC-NCHS), approximately 7% of the US adult population received a massage treatment in 2012. That’s approximately 15.4 million people! And it only appears to be growing in popularity. As a profession (in the US), Massage Therapy jobs are predicted to increase by 24 percent between 2016 and 2026. While the numbers are impressive, it should not be particularly surprising that massage therapy is a popular practice. Massage Therapy has many health benefits, including improved sleep quality, enhanced relaxation, pain relief, decreased stress and inflammation, decreased blood pressure, improvements in injuries and sports injuries, as well as improved mental health. … Read More

What is Electroacupuncture? In previous articles, I have cited studies that utilized electroacupuncture, but I have not explained this modern version of acupuncture. Electroacupuncture is a modern variation of acupuncture that adds electricity to its needles. At an initial glance, it seems that modern technology and a 2,500-year-old system of traditional Oriental medicine would little in common. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by its very name is, well, traditional. Tradition and change are mutual opposites, yet inseparable, like … Read More

Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. Conventional vs Holistic Medicine: In the first article of our Philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine series, we discussed the differences between conventional and holistic medicine. Conventional or Western medicine takes a reductionist or pure physical (bodily) approach to healing, while holistic or non-conventional medicine takes a whole-person or physical (bodily) and non-physical (mind) approach to healing. … Read More

Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. In our Philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) blog series, we discussed the differences between holistic and conventional medicine and explained why Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as Oriental Medicine, is considered to be holistic medicine. … Read More

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as Complementary Medicine Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. In the last article, we discussed the current state of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a medical practice in the West. We noted that the terms alternative and complementary are used interchangeably to describe TCM (also called Oriental Medicine). While these terms accurately describe TCM as a medical practice, I make the argument that the two terms should not be used interchangeably, because of their different meanings. … Read More

Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. … Read More

Over the past several weeks, we have been discussing the TCM view of the human body, which is the model taught At the core of this model is the notion that a set of three entities, call the functional entities, are responsible for producing and maintaining health. The three functional entities are: … Read More

Over the past few weeks, we have been discussing health and illness in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to TCM, a person is healthy when there is specific yin-yang and qi balance of the Functional Entities. … Read More

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has many different healing modalities. In this article, we will discuss four of the most common healing modalities: Acupuncture, Tui Na, Nutrition Therapy, and Herbal Medicine. … Read More

What is Qi (chi)? Definition of Qi | AMC Acupuncture School Blog | Miami, Florida In English, qi (also known as chi) is usually translated as “vital life force,” but qi goes beyond that simple translation. According to Classical Chinese Philosophy, qi is the force that makes up and binds together all things in the universe. It is paradoxically, both everything and nothing. Unless you're enrolled at an acupuncture school, this concept may seem strange and inapplicable to medicine and healing. As such, in this article, we will explore the concept and definition of qi, as it relates to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Understanding what Qi is in TCM In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the concept of qi or chi has two main branches. There is the physical or nourishing portion of qi that makes up the air, water, and food that we take in. The other branch of chi is more insubstantial. It is the vital fluids and the energy itself that flows through our bodies. Chi flows along the meridian points of the body and serves the basis for understanding acupuncture. The first, as stated above, could be thought of as those things we take in and make a part of us while the second is what has already become part of us and is then released to continue the cycle of life. It is the imbalances and interruptions of this flowing force that is responsible for most human ailments whether physical, mental, or emotional. In this article, we will explore the concept of qi in the human body and how it relates to Oriental Medicine. … Read More