Virtual Health - Registered Massage Therapy | Cupping Therapy | Acupuncture

1. Virtual Health Registered Massage Therapy | Cupping Therapy | Acupuncture

2. Virtual Health: Shifting Paradigms in How We Access Healthcare • Why Virtual Health Is The Future • Registered Massage Therapy: What You Should Know • Having Digestive Issues? Try Acupuncture • The Link You Never Knew Existed Between Acne and Cupping Therapy Synopsis

3. Virtual health is literally every digital technology that facilitates a patient’s access to healthcare. Acting as complementary support or a full substitute, virtual health can relief economic burden, streamline healthcare processes and benefit the patient. • First of all, we are all aware of the typical first doctor appointment where the vast majority of time is spent gathering information, reviewing it and making treatment recommendations. At the same time, not everybody communicates the same or feels as comfortable sharing perhaps what would be considered the embarrassing part of their condition, patients might also be overwhelmed and forget details of their situation. All these factors not only cost time and money on both sides, but they also increase the risk of an inaccurate diagnosis or integrated care pathway, resulting in more long-term and potentially serious complications. Picture if your healthcare professional was fully equipped to gather all the relevant information from the patient prior to the meeting, including biometric data retrieved from wearables. This would indeed save so much time for both sides and ensure that when the physical consultation occurs both sides are aligned, and an informed discussion can be held. Virtual Health: Shifting Paradigms in How We Access Healthcare

4. In the long-run, virtual health has the potential to support the continuum of care and also educate patients to self-manage their conditions better. For people suffering from debilitating conditions such as diabetes which require constant monitoring and involve drastic lifestyle adjustments, having such an option can significantly decrease in-person doctor visits. And this is not a far from reality thought with many apps and medical technologies now being able to monitor blood glucose and alert physician’s about their patient’s state. • At the same time, imagine a patient could be supported regardless of whatever circumstances they find themselves in. This is going to lay a gold standard of care for many who are unable, for example to see their physiotherapist on a regular basis but would benefit so much from a ‘digital physiotherapy session’. Patient can now make so much out of their health. Virtual Health: Shifting Paradigms in How We Access Healthcare

5. Combining virtual health with traditional treatment paths can help in addressing many of these issues. At the very least it can take the pressure off clinician costs and capacity challenges, this way practitioners can help more people at the same time. Virtual health is also widely accessible, for example your physiotherapist can create a personalized program and monitor performance via something as simple as FaceTime or Skype. By offering this support, patients are more open to following an at-home exercise program and stick to it. In an easy-to-access way the patient becomes more informed, motivated and at the same time empowered. • Patients are as well becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of virtual health. According to a survey conducted by global company Deloitte, 74% of U.S. patients would use telehealth services, 76% place at the very top of their priorities having human contact with their health care provider and an amazing 70% feel comfortable using technology to communicate with them. In another study, over 300 clinical and IT professionals involved in telehealth investments and practices in the U.S. and Canada were surveyed. Results revealed that virtual health is one of the top four priorities of healthcare providers and they also reported amazing results: patient outcome improvement and timely delivery of care, and higher patient satisfaction. Why Virtual Health Is The Future

6. The CMTA (Canadian Massage Therapy Alliance), a nationwide organization established in 1991, has been hard at work in trying to make massage therapy a key component of the Canadian healthcare system . Their goals in the next years include advancing the massage therapy profession in the area, encouraging the regulation of the practice and collaborating with more industry partners to make it available, affordable and accessible to Canadians suffering from a range of conditions. In order to do so, however, there is a need for a clear distinction between a registered massage therapist and an individual who performs massage techniques without having the proper, required training to do so. • In Ontario for instance, this therapy is deemed to be a regulated health profession and requires professionals to be registered with the body who oversees professionals and establishes guidelines and best practices. As opposed to someone who followed a month long course or even worse, did not follow any sort of training at all, a registered massage therapist has to have successfully completed at least 150 hours of clinical hours, a competency-based curricula at a Government accredited institution which includes studying anatomy, pathology, neurology and more, and participate in continuous education and skill honing. Registered Massage Therapy: What You Should Know

7. Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine deeply rooted in ancient Chinese medicine. Where conventional treatment stops working or is not producing the wanted results, acupuncture becomes a very valuable solution. The practice works so well because it reduces stomach and pancreas inflammation, improves digestive function and benefits related organs. Among the conditions where acupuncture has been studied include gastroesophageal reflux, gout, biliary colic, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcer or obesity. • Certainly, the approach is dictated by the disease’s mode of action, but usually involves a practitioner evaluating the patient and identifying specific acupoints throughout the body. The painless process of inserting very fine needles in those specific points has the power to boost metabolism, strengthen gastrointestinal muscles and restore acidity to normal. Besides enhancing health and making people feel well, acupuncture is a risk free, non-invasive and painless which is why many people prefer it as opposed to medical procedures or drug treatment, especially when they are sensitive, intolerant or when conventional treatment just does not work for them. Having Digestive Issues? Try Acupuncture

8. A far less popular approach in the treatment of acne is cupping therapy. This technique is an ancient form of alternative medicine during which a practitioner places cups on the patient’s skin to create suction. It is a highly popular treatment method among people who experience pain, inflammation, restricted blood flow or stress. • Acne is generally triggered by dampness, stagnation or skin overheating and cupping therapy has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which act directly to the source of the problem. Even though there aren’t many large scale studies available yet, the ones that do exist show great promise. Take for instance one in particular where wet cupping treatment has been administered to acne patients and has resulted in skin improvements and clearance for 10 out of 11 participants . These numbers are optimistic and they draw attention to the need of more research in this area. The Link You Never Knew Existed Between Acne and Cupping Therapy

9. For more details, please visit: http://www.strivept.ca/ The End