Insurance Billing for Massage Therapists

Though alternative and complementary health medicine is becoming more popular and there is more scientific evidence demonstrating the benefits and cost-effectiveness, it is still difficult to get these procedures covered by insurance.

There has been some improvement in the past few years. A recent survey of 18 major HMOs and insurance providers, including Aetna, Medicare, Prudential, and Kaiser Permanente, found that 14 of them covered at least 11 of 34 alternative therapies. Chiropractic, massage therapy and acupuncture are the three most-covered therapies followed by naturopathic medicine.

Massage is one of the most popular alternative therapies. There are a wide variety of different kinds of massages. Connective tissue massage is a slow deep approach which addresses the body’s connective tissue, also known as fascia. Both the circulatory and nervous systems lie within the connective tissue, therefore this approach has widespread effects on health and wellness. Constriction in the connective tissue is responsible for many problems expressed in the physical body.

Fibromyalgia, for example, is an inflammatory condition of the connective tissue can be very painful and debilitating.
According to NIH until a cure for FMS is found, CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) providers may offer an economic alternative for symptomatic relief. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1853385/)

Before you make an appointment for massage therapy contact your health insurance companies and ask if a massage therapy benefit is included in your coverage. Also, find out if the therapy can be performed by a massage therapist.

Your insurance company may have massage therapy included in plans as a “wellness benefit.” If this is the case, your company might have a contract with a massage therapist at a reduced rate and you may still pay something out of pocket but at a reduced rate.

If you have a flexible spending arrangement (FSA; sometimes called a Flexible Spending Account) which is a benefit provided by some employers that offers a way to help pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses, while reducing the employees taxable income, you may be able to use the monies for your massage therapy.

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Unhealthy Habits

In his book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Changing Old Habits for Good, Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., offers insights into creating healthy behaviors and ways to help you make them a part of your life.

Some experts say it takes 21 days to change a bad habit to a good one. Other say it takes longer. Marlatt says “there is not a set time frame.” Each person is different in terms of what triggers bad habits and how quickly they can break them.

Whether you’re looking to quite smoking, lose weight or simply get better health, here are five essentials to consider when devising your plan of attack.

1. Put it in writing. Before you can reach your goal, you must first identify it. Marlatt says you need to set a reasonable goal, and then break it up into small steps. You know yourself best and only you will know how to divide the steps to make it workable for you. Marlatt also recommends creating a “Quit (whatever the bad habit is) Commitment Contract” to hold yourself accountable. Write down details such as what habit you’re giving up and why, how and when you plan to do it, and the friends, family and co-workers you’ve told about your goal.

2. Recognize and neutralize triggers. Just when you”re making progress toward quitting a bad habit, a craving can hit out of nowhere. It can be a smell, a song – you just don’t know. Since don’t know when the triggers might happen, make a plan to deal with them. Marlatt suggests removing temptation if possible. clean out your candy stash or toss your “secret” cigarettes. You can also replace old bad habits with good new ones. For example, if you used to eat your meals on the couch in front of the TV, investing in a dining table and using it can help you change that behavior.

3. Find ways to persevere. TBreaking bad habits is not easy. To help get though the hard times and the daily stress, Marlatt suggests making to-do lists and measuring your progress. Online prompts have also proved effective. A recent study found that receiving e-mail suggestions that include diet and fitness tips can actually promote better habits.

4. Bounce back Nobody’s perfect and don’t be hard on yourself if you slide. In fact, relapse should not be seen as a failure, according to Marlatt. “It’s human, it’s predicable and it’s not the end of the world- it’s part of the process of change,” he says. It’s important to not beat yourself up if fall off the wagon. Consider it a lesson learned and knowing it will help you do better next time.

5. Give yourself a bonus Rewards are a great way to stay motivated and focused. But how often should you reward yourself? “Do it every hour if it helps you stay focused,” Marlatt says. “You can’t spoil yourself.” He recommends choosing healthy rewards that promote your efforts to improve your habits. Massages, meditation, listening to a song you like, are all good ways to reduce tension in your body and improve your general health. Find a healthy reward that works for you.

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Natural Skin Care

Got this really great tip from Woman’s Day Magazine. You can give yourself a facial while cleansing your skin. Once you get the hang of it – you will want to do it every time you wash your face. According to the article applying uniform strokes when washing your skin helps improve blood circulation and renew elasticity. Ready to begin? Here is how you do it:

Use your ring and middle fingers (these apply the least pressure):

Forehead - Rake your fingertips in upward strokes toward the hairline.

Cheeks - In three separate strokes gently swipe from the sides of your mouth out towards below your ears, then from the sides of your nose out to the middle of your ears and then sweep below the eyes out towards your temples.

Chin and jawline - Massage in circular motion

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Scalp Massage Techniques

I just read this great article in Woman’s Day Magazine which tells you how you can reduce tension in your scalp muscles and improve your hair. Apparently, a weekly scalp massage can soothe sore muscles in your head and neck and it also helps spread out the natural oils in your hair which enhances shine. So here is your “Luster” workout:

Start with dry hair and work from the base of your neck.

Use the tips of your fingers to make slow circular motions on your scalp working up toward your hairline.

Then reverse by raking your fingers down through your hair. (Make sure your hair is tangle free or this could be painful)

Repeat steps for 10 minutes. Do this once a week.

Want more homemade recipes for shiny hair. Visit The Frugal Pig and see the post on Homemade Shiny Hair Conditioner

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