Hey there. As the cold spell keeps us in it’s icy grips we bring you odds, sods and
winter warmers - stoke that fire, put on an extra pair of socks and grab a Hot Toddy!
STR at St George's
I had a great start to my year: Invited to teach Soft Tissue Release (STR) to the second year physiotherapy students at St George's hospital in London, I bumped into Stephen Ward, a previous sports massage graduate who went on to train in physiotherapy at St George's and now teaches anatomy in their dissection rooms (DR). Stephen's knowledge of anatomy is pretty outstanding I have to admit, so it was no surprise to learn he was working part time in their DR and as a
part-time physiotherapist. As we all know, it can be a small world and it was great to see a friendly and familiar face and to hear of someone doing well.
Dissection Days for Everyone
Talking of being in the DR, we have recently been flooded with enquiries from members of BASRaT (the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers) after one of their members took part in the Day in the Dissection Lab with us. As you know, I am always keen to encourage and support anyone who needs to understand the human body as part of their work, and spending time looking at real muscles and bones is a sure way to help reinforce the interconnectedness of everything. So it's great that this is now filtering though to those of you working as rehabilitators and who may not have had the opportunity to work with cadaveric specimens as part of your initial training. Good news is that we have managed to secure a few more dates for using the DR before they close the labs for the summer, and as with all our workshops, attendance carries CPD points.
FHT CPD Files
On the subject of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) I wanted to share with you what I have been doing myself. Like most organisations representing the interests of therapists, the FHT (Federation of Holistic Therapists) requires that their members undertake Continuing Professional Development. Last year I asked if I could buy one of their A4 ring binders so I could use it to keep my own CPD notes safe, and before I knew it they had very kindly sent me a complimentary copy. (Thank you FHT if you are reading this :). I have sorted through the last month of CPD material and filed it according to whether it was a magazine, book or on-line journal article that I read, an AGM or workshop I attended, or whether it involved focused discussion with my peers about the pathology or treatment of a client. For these are the categories that my own CPD tends to fall into. Although the binder takes documents with 4 holes rather than two, it was no problem to get a larger hole punch and keep everything together, and to use those plastic wallets that are already
multi-punched. What plans do you have for your own CPD this year? Have you identified any areas you would like to know more about? Got a stash of articles you still haven't read?
For those interested, there is an excellent article on CPD by Bob Bramah in the January edition of SportEx Dynamics magazine and as always our very own CPD page is updated on the 1st of every month with free CPD tasks for you to do. (www.thelondonmassagecompany.com/cpd.aspx)
CPMaSTT
Just before christmas I attended the AGM for CPMaSTT, the specialist interest group that represents Chartered Pysiotherapists in Massage and Soft Tissue Therapies. Last year an article in the physiotherapy journal, Frontline, triggered tremendous debate within the physiotherapy world over whether massage was or was not a core skill of the physiotherapy profession. Frontline was flooded with letters and the chat rooms heaved with comments, many arguing for massage being part of the profession, many arguing against it. At the AGM however, I am amongst the converted for everyone there believes in the value of massage.
Massage at the Olympics
At the meeting, Lynn Booth, responsible for organising the therapy services at the 2012 Olympics (London 2012), put a smile on everyone's face by saying that it was likely that 500 sports massage therapists would be needed for London 2012, in addition to the 500 physiotherapists. Lynn is Head of Allied Olympic Health Professionals for 2012 and certainly knows her stuff. Listening to the logistics of having to attract, vet and then organise the therapy services I could see why Lynn had been chosen for she struck me as a woman who was highly intelligent, with great integrity. Exactly the sort of person needed to sort the wheat from the chaff as it were. Official registration for volunteering for London 2012 opens in the summer and closes 6 months later so those of you wishing to apply to volunteer might want to register your interest on London 2012 site now, prior to the official opening. For updates on volunteering at the Olympics - in any capacity, not specifically sports massage - sign-up for the bulletin:
At the time Lynn was still in the process of looking at the qualifying factors for selecting sports massage therapists and physiotherapists. It seems reasonable to assume that when looking to recruit volunteers, organisers will give preference to experienced sports massage therapists and will not make their decisions based on qualifications alone. Then there are of course the Levels of learning that sports massage courses are mapped to - Levels, 3, 4 or 5 as outlined by the
QCF (Qualifications and Creditation Framework)
QCF (Qualifications and Creditation Framework)
We'll bring you more on this subject in the coming months. Watch this space.
Passive Income Postural Assessment
Throughout January I have committed to being able to manifest anything I want. I made out a list of my most wanted goals and arranged to meet monthly with Tanya, a like minded manifester. Over coffee and scones and a rather large plate of eggs benedict with smoked salmon we told each other what were going to manifest and suddenly the hands of the clock had moved from 10.30am to 2.30pm. Has that ever happened to you? One of my goals was to manifest a very large royalty cheque, due in for my Soft Tissue Release book book that was published last May. For five minutes every day for a week I visualised the cheque arriving and....a week later found an envelope from the publishers on the doormat. Could this be it? Had I really manifested that amount of money in seven days? Inside was not the cheque but something else. Never mind, I had at least manifested a letter from them all the way from the states. I took the enclosed compliment slip, tippexed out the words on it and replaced them with 'remittance advice, cheque enclosed for Jane Johnson £7000' and returned the newly scribed slip back into its envelope. I leave it on the doormat and every time I come in the front door imagine it has been delivered and surprise surprise, there's the cheque for £7000. I am convinced that it is this positive belief and good feelings towards my publishers (Human Kinetics) that a few days ago I received an email from them contracting me for my third book, Postural Assessment accompanying on-line course. Hey, am I the Passive Income Empress or am I the Passive Income Empress? What good stuff have you manifested this month?
For all of you interested in manifesting your desires, I can recommend Mike Dooley and his website. I am a member of the TUT Adventurer's Club (www.tut.com/theclub/) and invite you to join and share your dreams. Here you can create your vision board and discover what other adventurers want to manifest in their lives. Alternatively, the website 43 things (www.43things.com) is also fun. Here you can list what you want to achieve and browse what thousands of others want, noting who has the same goals as you, and best of all you can read 'how I did it' as people post comments on how they achieved their dreams, some of which may be your dreams too. So, I may be wearing a slightly over fluffed angora today, but I still have my TUT wristband on to remind me 'Thoughts Become Things: Choose The Good Ones'.
Winter Wishes
I want to attract more birds into the garden. Not just the big city bruisers like those cockney crows and the magpie from the tower block who limps a bit, nor the family of rock doves who are now so fat they just fall from the fence to the floor. I want some of those interesting birds that everyone else gets, tiny wrens and coal tits and things that sing sweetly. 'I know', I thought, 'I'll break up the solid lump of Sugar Puffs that's been sitting in a box on top of the deep freeze since last October, and put the contents into the bird feeder. Better still, I could just hang out the lump itself and let the flurry of small bodies peck at the thing'. I removed the two red onions which were happily sprouting away in a string bag in the kitchen and set to squeezing the solid cube of puffs into the net. Suddenly and with a a 'crack' the cube shattered and sticky honey-covered puffs went everywhere, into the fruit bowls, the washing up, the pot plants and all over the floor. Of course, on hearing even the slightest of foodstuffs hit the floor, Ten Tonne Tessa, the kingsize canine kebab queen, roused immediately from her slumber and thumped into the kitchen to hoover up everything with her snout. Delicious, just the sort of mid-morning snack a ridgeback needs when she's watching her weight. She trotted happily back to her sofa like a pregnant hippo whilst I pulled off puffs from my angora.
Juicers at the ready!
If you’re anything like me, (Zoë that is) perhaps a little too much of all the good things passed your lips this festive period; and you know what they say about a minute on the lips......
so seeing as my 60 seconds was well past it’s sell-by date in the first week of January, it was time to get my power house in order - mind and body. As soon as the Christmas decorations came down I was back in the gym and back to eating normally - I had forgotten what a vegetable looked like, as any of you having experienced a French Christmas would know!
But I’m finally beginning to feel the looseness of my jeans and see the contours of my jaw line once again. But that’s not where it ends. The juicer is coming out - hear the fine-mesh motor whirrrr and the fruit and veggies jump for joy! Some of you joined Jane & I last year when we took tips from the Juice Master himself, Jason Vale, and juiced the week away (unfortunately not in the Turkish sunshine), so, if any of you are ready to take on 2010 but don’t want to feel alone on the road to feeling fantastic, get your juicer running and it’s out with the old bod, in with the new! We’ll be checking in with you all again soon!
Things We Think You’d Like...........
// For those of you who have been with us for some time, you may remember a piece about
Seeing Hands Nepal. Since 2005 they have been providing new training and employment
Seeing Hands Nepal. Since 2005 they have been providing new training and employment
opportunities for young blind Nepalese. The piece was written for us by Ainsley Moden who had just finished her 7 weeks volunteering as a massage teacher. She said her experience was “life changing”. Well, Seeing Hands are still looking for massage therapists who feel they could teach others their gift of touch. In brief, they offer volunteers a basic subsistence allowance, insurance and accommodation but you pay your flights/travel. They are ideally looking for people who are willing to do placements of minimum 1 month although they do appreciate that it can be difficult for some therapists to take time out from their practices. They are specifically looking to fill 18th March – 17th April and dates a little after. If you think this is for you - new horizons for the new year and all that! - then please contact Sue Ainley at Seeing Hands Nepal:
info@seeinghandsnepal.org. You can read Aisnley’s account from the archived Newsletter 12 on our web site www.thelondonmassagecompany.com/new.aspx
// Becca Bryant is getting a fantastic team of volunteer therapists together for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust (www.cftrust.org.uk) fun run in Dulwich Park on May 22nd.
Therapists will be working on the runners and also passers by. The clients are charged for each massage and all proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust . Although you’ll be voulunteering you services on the day, your invited to place your business cards into all of the goody bags that are given out on the day and also to leave your leaflets out at the tent for passers by to help
themselves to. Obviously this is a good marketing exercise and at the same time a great way to give back to the community! There is agreat atmosphere each year and we always have a real laugh! Last year the sun even shone for us!
Set up starts at at 10:00 and ends at 2:30/3:00 - times TBC. If you can join Beccy & teh team please email beccabryant@hotmail.com
The APNT brings their annual meeting/conference to London in April in the form of the Spring ‘Shoulder Symposium’. Taking place at the Interchange Studios in Hampstead on 24th April 2010, this day promises to provide “all you need to know about the shoulder” and includes exciting speakers covering a variety of aspects from clinical tips and forms & forces, to energetic & emotional influences on the shoulder, as well as inspiring ways of treating frozen shoulder and
reduced mobility. James Earl, who with co-founder & co-author Tom Myers brought Anatomy Trains and Body3 to the UK, will be presenting on ‘Fascial Release for Structural Balance & the Shoulder’. For more information please cotact Sorrel de la Hey - sd@apnt.org
// Elisha May is asking if anyone knows of any therapists, beauty, acupuncture etc (Anything but massage) who may need a room to rent to work from. The room is in a gym on Kensington High St, London and it’s to share with Elisha on a rental basis, available 3-4 days a week. If you can help please contact Elisha May, elishamay74@hotmail.com
// Orthopaedic Surgery; Latest Techniques & Advancements - 24th March 2010
Brings together a team of leading surgeons and world class specialists from Spire Healthcare who will present a fascinating insight into the latest techniques and advancements in orthopaedic
surgery. Aimed specifically for Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Physiotherapists and Health Specialists, the conference will equip delegates with specialist knowledge to take back to their clinics allowing them to offer patients the very best care and latest thinking in diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. For more information visit www.f2fevents.co.uk/gatwickcpd
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