ABMP Statement Regarding Erie County Public Employee Health Care Benefits in Buffalo,

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A recent article highlighted statements made by the office of Erie County Comptroller Stefan I. Mychajliw in Buffalo, NY that referred to massage as a “luxury,â€￾ and derided the Erie County Public Employee Health Care Benefits program for offering massage and acupuncture as a benefit to public employees. After being alerted by ABMP members in the area, ABMP Government Relations Director Jean Robinson has sent a statement on behalf of our organization and its members to support the role of massage as a valid and proven form of complementary and alternative medicine. The statement, in its entirety, is below:
[h=1]February 14, 2013[/h] Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz
Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw
Erie County Executive’s Office
Edward A. Rath County Office Building
95 Franklin Street,*16th Floor
Buffalo, New York 14202
Re: *Erie County Public Employee Health Care Benefits
Dear County Executive Poloncarz and Comptroller Mychajliw,
Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) is a professional membership association for massage and bodywork therapists representing more than 80,000 members nationally and over 2,000 in New York State.
We would like to take this opportunity to provide some facts in response to recent items in the Erie County press calling into question whether county employees should receive health insurance benefits for therapeutic massage.* Study after study indicates that therapeutic massage is not a frivolous indulgence but rather an effective treatment for dozens of physical conditions.* For example:

• Massage therapy is a safe and effective way to reduce pain and improve function in adults with osteoarthritis of the knee, reported a 2006 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• The Annals of Internal Medicine reported in 2003 that massage therapy was effective for treat*ing persistent back pain, as did a 2000 report by the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
• Research has shown massage reduces carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.* The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2004.
• Premature infant massage in the NICU was reported in Neonatal Network to be effective in increasing weight gain, improving developmental scores, shortening hospital stays and improving parent-baby bonding (2003).
• Pediatric healthcare staff report increasing hospital use of complementary and alternative medicine, including massage (Advance for Nurses, April 2007).
• In 2005, Cancer Control reported massage therapy effectively reduced stress and anxiety in cancer patients, with a promising outlook for pain control and management of other symptoms.
• Oncology patients show less pain, fatigue, nausea, anxiety and depression following massage therapy, according to a study by Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 2004, and a report in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2002.
• Women with lymph node dissection receiving arm massage had less pain and surgery-related discomfort, according to a 2004 Cancer Nursing article.
• Forty-eight percent of respondents to a Consumer Reports survey rated massage therapy as “very helpfulâ€￾ in relieving back pain. The survey revealed pain relief was a top motivator for those seeking massage. (Consumer Reports, May 2009).
• Touch may help alleviate symptoms of depression according to the American Journal of Psychiatry. Researchers suggested the release of oxytocin and relaxing aspects of massage help improve this condition. (March 2010).

Individuals who are treated with massage therapy are often able to address their conditions without physician or hospital visits, resulting in enormous health care cost savings.* Massage therapy is an accepted, proven, and cost-effective health care practice.
We invite you to review the facts and continue to include therapeutic massage as an important part of Erie County’s employee health benefits.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jean Robinson, Government Relations Director

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