Dear friend and colleague!

We are happy to welcome you to the first issue of the Journal of Massage Science. There are four major journals in the U.S. which cover various aspects of massage therapy. So why is yet another journal on the topic of massage needed? The initial idea of the Journal of Massage Science was born a couple of years ago as a result of our frustration with information provided in the existing mainstream publications.

We found that while the spiritual aspects of massage therapy were very well represented and covered in these four journals, the articles dedicated to the science of preventive and medical massage were, by contrast, very frequently based on anecdotal claims finding themselves outside the science of massage therapy. At one point, our frustration was so great that one of the members of our Editorial Board contacted the editor of one of these journals which often publishes some of the most outrageous articles, and pleaded with him to consider instituting a more rigorous review of the materials submitted by authors. The editor’s response was: Do you think massage therapists really care?

This misadventuresome contact of ours with one of the most prominent massage therapy journals read by professionals was a turning point in our decision to create an educational resource for massage practitioners strictly based on the existing, robust science of massage — of which one will find no shortage, if one only turns to it. We strongly believe that massage therapists indeed care deeply about their profession and about standards of proof and excellence in research, but that they simply haven’t been provided sources of reliable information.

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards for the articles and reviews published in our on-line journal. Also, everything you will find here has one goal: to make you more skillful and successful professionally. We will do this by publishing information which you will be able to immediately put into practice. We have confirmed this shared common commitment with authors whom we respect, who have greatly contributed to the field of the massage therapy and who will be participating in our journal.

We recognize that massage therapists learn most easily when information is presented in video format. This is why we plan for our journal to always remain on the cutting edge of 21st-century information sharing. Accordingly, we will request our authors to provide their articles, where applicable, with video support. We are certain that this will greatly increase the practical value of our publication.

For the moment, the Journal of Massage Science will be published every two months. The subscription to our journal is free of charge, and you will be regularly informed by e-mail of upcoming issues. We invite you to explore other parts of our website which contain a great amount of information which will forever change and boost your professional career. If you are an author and would like to submit an article for publication in our journal, please feel free to contact us.

The Journal of Massage Science will not be just one more massage publication. It will be your faithful source of information looking at this wondrous and timeless practice of ours through the penetrating gaze of science. And so we welcome you to join us and to become part of the growing international network of practitioners devoted to the deep, uncompromising knowledge and understanding of what they are doing.

Sincerely, Dr. Ross Turchaninov, MD

Category: Letter From The Editor

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