After the class he then had to pass a national certification exam. The belief is that people will be healthier if they take care of themselves. People in Europe, he used as an example, have routine weekly massages. Welch said the idea is that people will work better mentally, emotionally and professionally if they maintain their health with massages. Dugas, who has been certified for five years, agreed.
Many people are wary of considering massages as medical therapy.
In fact, only 30 states require professional masseuses to practice massage therapy with a license. The problem, said Welch, is that people would rather think of a massage as a kind of award or luxury. It is like the situation of the chiropractor 10 years ago, he said. At first no one thought it was really medical. It was rare for insurance companies to cover it in a health plan.