This disease affects up to 30% of Canadians, although many of them don’t know it yet. It causes kidney failure, heart disease, amputations, blindness, and shortens lifespans by 5-15 years. What is it? It’s diabetes mellitus. And people with diabetes often seek massage therapy, along with other interventions, to help manage their condition. This means massage therapists need to be well informed about this common and extremely complicated situation.

Join Ruth Werner, author of A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, for A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Diabetes for a lively and informative discussion of diabetes mellitus, and how massage therapy can be offered most safely for people who live with this condition.

• Identify and describe the definition, demographics, pathophysiology, signs and symptoms and common treatment options for type 1 and type 2 diabetes
• Discern the variables that inform clinical decision-making for massage therapy for clients with diabetes
• Describe risks, benefits, and appropriate accommodations in massage therapy for clients with diabetes

Ruth Werner, BCTMB
www.ruthwerner.com

Ruth Werner is an award-winning educator, writer, and retired massage therapist who loves to share her interest in the role of bodywork for people who live with health challenges. Her textbook, A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology is now in its 7th edition. She is a columnist for Massage and Bodywork, and she teaches continuing education workshops in research and pathology virtually and in person all over the world.