Dear Jim and Margery,

I love you guys. Huge fan! Listen whenever I can, live, and also subscribe to your show on Stitcher so that I can hear it when I miss it live. By listening to you I get to keep my finger on the community and political pulse. Also, you make me laugh, which I’ve especially appreciated during these last few months. I was sorry to have missed the beginning segment of your show yesterday regarding Part 2 of Phase 2 reopening the state. I would have called in, or at least tried!

I am a nationally certified and Massachusetts-licensed massage therapist. (I would be remiss not to take the opportunity to emphasize that my title is “massage therapist” not, as many folks call us, “masseuse.” Also, where I work is not a “parlor.” The connotation of the word “masseuse” and “parlor” is back rooms, secrecy, under-the-table and possibly illicit interactions and transactions. That is not what massage therapists do. Language matters!) I am a massage therapist with a private practice in an office. I love my work and would like to continue doing it for decades to come. But on March 17 I temporarily closed my doors and stayed home to do my part in stopping the spread of this novel SARS-COV2 corona virus — my part to keep my clients, myself and my community safe. Which brings me to the reason I am writing:

Re: re-opening massage therapy

No matter how therapeutic and healing it is, no matter how much we love it, massage therapy is not essential. More importantly, many massage therapists believe that massage therapy is a high risk profession when it comes to transmission of COVID-19. There is too much we don’t know or understand to be able to practice safely or confidently yet.

Although Governor Baker and state officials have said that it is okay for us to reopen as of yesterday, I —and many of us— would like for this matter to be reconsidered.

According to the CDC*:

COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period.

There are aspects of the practice of massage therapy which fundamentally violate these CDC recommendations:

• We typically spend 60-90 minutes with each client*
• Much of that time, we are in direct physical contact. Social distance is impossible.* (Measures like contactless payment and asking clients to wait in their cars rather than the waiting room are laughable precautions when we are about to touch them — skin on skin— for 60 – 90 minutes.)
• Many of our treatment rooms are small, enclosed, and poorly ventilated spaces.* (Further, massage therapists who are employees or independent contractors in a spa or other clinic or wellness establishment may not have ultimate say in where/how they practice.)

Other extremely relevant concerns include:

• We cannot screen clients who are asymptomatic.* (Up to 45% of COVID-19 infections may be asymptomatic)
• Blood clotting: COVID-19-related blood clots occur even in “asymptomatic” cases. Clots are an extreme contraindication for massage therapy. We may not know if a client comes in with a clot. Early symptoms of clot may include “sore leg muscles,” which is often a reason someone seeks out massage therapy in the first place. Movement of a clot induced by massage can be deadly.*
• Best practice guidelines for the massage therapy profession require full PPE — not just masks — but full PPE among other strict and arduous sanitation practices. Proper use of PPE requires training. Proper use of N95 mask alone requires an hour long training. There are currently no trainings for this in place for our profession. Furthermore, availability of PPE is of concern, and considering the shortage, supply MUST go to essential medical providers, which massage therapy/bodywork is not.*

Most professions in the “personal services category” (in which we massage therapists in in Massachusetts have been included for part 2 of phase 2) do not share all of these risks.*

It is worth mentioning the reason I suspect some massage therapists have been pushing for reopening: financial concern and livelihood. Massage therapy is not a lucrative profession. For many it is a month-to-month kind of livelihood. Many massage therapists, especially therapists working in establishments like spas, work as independent contractors with no benefits by their employer. Or we are self-employed (like me). As such we are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits. Pandemic Unemployment assistance, which has been a life saver financially for many of us during the last 2 months, is slated to end in July. It is understandable then, though very unfortunate, that a number of people in our profession who, concerned for their financial security, may be pushing to overlook COVID-19 red and yellow flags related to safety.

If there is anything you can do in relation to this matter, even if it is giving voice to my/our concern, I’d appreciate it.

I’d also like to get word out about a great resource for other massage therapists who are feeling uncertainty and doubt about re-opening:  The Facebook group,“Massage, Health Practitioners and COVID-19,” is filled with scientifically-based research and discussion, as well as support and community.

Lastly, if you ever wanted to do a segment related to this, I –and many in my profession– would applaud you and be very grateful for the airtime.

Experts in the field include local long-time oncology massage therapy practitioner and teacher Tracy Walton (see https://www.tracywalton.com/our-blog/) and Ruth Werner, who literally has written the textbook on pathology (now in its 7th edition) as it relates to practicing massage therapy (see http://ruthwerner.com/).

Jim and Margery, thank you for listening/reading. I appreciate your time! And please, don’t ever go off the air.

Warmly,
Heidi Fischbach

P.S. I will likely post this letter to you on my blog. More eyes!

An enormous thank you to Ellen Mossman, Beth Baron, and Francesca Genco for their research, advocacy and concise wording in the CDC quote and bullet point sections of my letter. The bulk of the starred wording(*) comes from letters they wrote to their governing bodies and representatives, and generously shared with the massage therapy community.

————–
Heidi Fischbach, LMT, Ed.M.
Do you feel at home in your body?
www.HeidisTable.com

The post An Open Letter to Jim Braude & Margery Egan of Boston Public Radio Voicing Concerns Over Re-Opening Massage Therapy During Phase 2/Part 2 in Massachusetts appeared first on Heidi's Table.