Massage therapist was ranked 12^th out of 100 of the “Best Jobs Without a College Degree” by U.S. News and World Report, and number three among the “Best Health Care Support Jobs.” Many massage therapists are taking their careers to even more lucrative levels by specializing in specific areas of practice.

If you’ve ever thought about a career in massage therapy, or adding it to your current health care practice, there has never been a better time to get a license to practice! In fact, employment in this field is expected to grow 26 percent by 2026—faster than the average for other occupations.

If you think massage therapy careers are limited to spas and resorts, think again! Massage therapists are now an integral part of many health care settings, such as rehabilitation centers, hospitals, assisted living facilities, hospices and other health care venues. Why? Because massage therapy has profound health benefits documented by clinical research, such as lowering blood pressure, increasing circulation, reducing stress, providing pain relief and much more.

At one point or another, stress affects everyone. And if you’re a working professional trying to balance your career and your personal life, you are even more likely to feel pressure and stress. Luckily, there are effective and natural measures you can take to ease the stress you’re experiencing.

Read on to uncover how complementary and alternative medicine can help relieve your stress!

If you’re like most massage therapy students, you may be returning to school for the first time in years. In fact, 82 percent of students who start a massage therapy program do so as a second career, according to the American Massage Therapy Association.

It’s OK to have a few apprehensions about returning to school. You’re not alone. At our campus, which includes other undergraduate and graduate level programs, NUHS has many resources available to help students succeed.  And, they do succeed, as evidenced by the NUHS graduates who consistently score above state and national averages on their state licensing board exams.

National University offers a rigorous massage therapy program that can make all the difference in passing board exams and having a successful career no matter what massage therapy profession you choose.

The field of massage therapy today is about much more than helping someone feel pampered and relaxed. Successful massage therapists employ a variety of techniques that can not only help with relaxation but can treat health ailments too. Recent research has shown massage can effectively treat conditions such as high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, headaches, osteoarthritis, and several other
types of conditions.

In a rigorous massage therapy program, you will learn how to treat these conditions as a health care professional. More importantly, this type of education will give you the skills you need to work in any environment you may choose.

Here are four additional ways a rigorous education can better prepare you for today’s massage therapy industry. 

Celebrity suicides from Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain to Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington are bringing to light the increasing prevalence of depression. Despite the stigma, more celebrities like Lady Gaga and Jim Carrey are speaking out. Mental health issues are not limited to celebrities, however. They are actually much more widespread than many may think.

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), antidepressant use has risen by 65% between 1999 and 2014. A 2017 study also shows depression increased “significantly” among persons in the U.S. from 2005 to 2015, from 6.6% to 7.3%.

Research tells us that one of the biggest triggers for depression is chronic stress both from physical health issues such as chronic pain and psychosocial issues. So it is no surprise that with the economic and social stressors during the last 10 years that rates of depression would be on the rise.

Alongside pharmaceuticals, utilizing various types of treatment modalities including complementary and alternative medicine techniques often can lead to better outcomes than single modality interventions. These techniques may also help those who might want to rely less on pharmaceuticals in the long term.

Did you know that 82% of massage therapists began in the field as a second career? Mark McCray broke out of a stressful career and into massage therapy after graduating from the certification program at National University of Health Sciences in 2002.

If you’re considering becoming a massage therapist, job prospects in this field are among the most promising. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of massage therapists is projected to increase 24 percent from 2016 to 2026. This demand is above average compared to other occupations, which in turn is a huge advantage. In the $12.1 billion massage therapy industry, today’s massage therapists have a wide variety of choices when it comes to what type of massage he or she would like to practice.

What comes to mind when you hear the term “massage therapy”? Candles? Relaxation? Aromatherapy? Spa days? Luxury? Medicine?

If you’re like many Americans, the word “medicine” may not even be on the list. However, research by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) shows that 50 percent of Americans sought a massage for health-related reasons in the last year.