Home / FAQs / Online Degrees / Certificate Courses / Admission Policies / Class Rooms / Request Info.

Canyon College

online reflexology for nurses course at Canyon College

Module I

Massage therapy and the history of nursing



Course Title:
Department:
Instructor: 		NUR470 - Reflexology for Nurses
Nursing
Heather Johnstone, Ph.D., R.N., A.P.N., C.S.,N.P. Email | Vita


Massage definition

Massage as a method to heal the body has been practiced for over 6000 years (Bean,1975).It was found that pressure applied to the body helped to relax the person and improve symptoms, both proximally and distally. Massage is the use of pressure to the surface of the body with the intent to help the person relax or to treat health problems(Morris,1975).The theory bases of how massage works include basic physical therapy theory and subtle energy theory. Basically according to physical therapy theory base, massage works to improve circulation of blood, lymph and stimulate nerves, so that problems with the body resolve. Local or proximal problems can resolve with this direct stimulation. It can be inferred that whole body problems can resolve through this care as the body's organs will function better when the function of these systems is improved by the massage stimulation(Ramacharaka,1937;Wong,1979). Subtle energy theory, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and yogic psychic healing, states that the problems are resolved by the rebalancing of human vital energy (Ramacharaka,1937; Wong,1979).

The type of pressure is determined by the style of massage used. The type of pressure may be strong and generalized as in deep tissue massage or Swedish massage. The pressure may be strong and very localizes as in reflexology(Carter,1981;Kunz & Kunz,(1982). Or the pressure may be light at the surface as in effleurage. Worldwide, massage has been and continues to be a widely used form of therapy for the treatment of illnesses and the improvement of wellness(Wong,1979).

Massage and the practice of nursing

The art of nursing has always included increasing the comfort of the patient or client. Throughout history one comfort measure that was a component of a.m. care, p.m. care, pre-operative care, post-operative care was massage(Donahue,1985; Henderson & Nite,1978). Historically, the nurse, either in the home or in the hospital, provided massage as a way to relax the client, improve circulation, or relieve pain. Sometimes the massage was a component of the total bed bath(Henderson & Nite, 1978). Anecdotally, in my nursing career, I provided massage therapy as a nurse in all the above-described areas. Always my patients or clients found that the massage therapy was helpful.

As the insurance reimbursement structure changed in the 1980’s from retroactive to proactive billing style, nurses found themselves with less time available for the patients. Interestingly, as the bedside or home care nurse was less able to provide massage as part of basic nursing care, the nurse’s role as a wellness care provider developed. In that role the nurse incorporated massage into client care. So despite changes in the structure of health care delivery, massage therapy has been and continues to be a component of basic nursing care.

With this class in reflexology, you will learn a style of massage that will help your client or patient to feel better. This type of massage is easily integrated into any nursing care setting, even in the very rapid paced setting of intensive care nursing. Our work in this class will help you to understand how to provide this type of massage therapy for your clients or patients in any type of nursing setting.

References Online Bookstore

Bean,R.(1975). Helping your health with pointed pressure therapy. West Nyack,N.Y.: Parker Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN #: 0133864669
Carter, M. (1981). Hand reflexology:key to perfect health. West Nyack, N.Y.: Parker Publishing Company,Inc. ISBN #: 0133836045
Donahue, M.(1985). Nursing the finest art an illustrated history. St. Louis,Missouri: The C.V. Mosby Company. ISBN #: 0801614244
Henderson, V. & Nite, G. (1978).(6th ed.). Principles and practice of nursing. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. ISBN #: 0023535806
Kunz,K. & Kunz,B. (1982). The complete guide to foot reflexology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN #: 0131605984
Morris, W. (ed). (1975). The American heritage dictionary of the English language. Boston: American Heritage Publishing Co. ISBN #: 0395203600
Ramacharaka.(1937). The science of psychic healing. Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society. ISBN #: 0911662073
Wong,P. (1979). Modern Chinese massotherapy. Hong Kong: Medicine and Health Publishing Co.



Canyon College offers reflexology for nurses courses online - enroll and start your online reflexology for nurses courses today!