Practicing without a license is a crime in many jurisdictions. There’s a reason massage therapists need 1000 hours of training, certification, and regular continuing education. It’s a field susceptible to pseudoscience, so an understanding of anatomy and the medicinal risks is important to make sure you don’t screw anything up.
It is irresponsible that you are teaching others without ever being taught yourself.
One safety-related thing I’ve seen mentioned in multiple other places but not here, is that you can damage venous valves (especially in limbs) by massaging incorrectly. Especially if you’re massaging with force just short of inducing physical pain.
But, let’s say, 10 hours would be reasonable (part of that safety advice, part of that supervised practice) if you are doing to do something with a potential to hurt others. And if you are going to teach people to do as you do. At least you are aware that you didn’t learn from any expert, but those poor people think they did.
Should there be a 10 hour training minimum for taco creation, or sharing recipes online? There’s a wide variance in the quality of tacos. A very poorly made taco can even make you sick!
But I worry that maybe one day I will read an article on Less Wrong like this:
I’m sure there are a bazillion youtube videos about nutrition and food safety, but I haven’t watched any of them. I just started putting random ingredients together...
If you want to cook for other people, my main advice is that you cook for yourself. Then you understand how it tastes and can offer that to others.
Just explore, be curious, and try random things.
Someone once told me that putting arsenic in a meal can cause poisoning?
And by the end of the article, my answer might change to yes. :(
Practicing without a license is a crime in many jurisdictions.
Good call out. I think this is worth keeping in mind. Although it sounds like the author isn’t practicing or proposing anything that is for-profit, in which case I doubt there are any legal things to worry about.
It’s a field susceptible to pseudoscience, so an understanding of anatomy and the medicinal risks is important to make sure you don’t screw anything up.
I disagree here. People in romantic relationships massage each other all the time and that isn’t considered risky.
I think the pseudoscience stuff is relevant when there is a financial transaction taking place. You don’t want the buyer to think they’re getting a peach when in reality they’re getting a lemon.
It is irresponsible that you are teaching others without ever being taught yourself.
Agreed. The Neglected Virtue of Scholarship comes to mind. There’s reason to believe that it’s a field that’s been studied enough such that you can start off standing on the shoulders of giants to a moderate extent.
Practicing without a license is a crime in many jurisdictions. There’s a reason massage therapists need 1000 hours of training, certification, and regular continuing education. It’s a field susceptible to pseudoscience, so an understanding of anatomy and the medicinal risks is important to make sure you don’t screw anything up.
It is irresponsible that you are teaching others without ever being taught yourself.
One safety-related thing I’ve seen mentioned in multiple other places but not here, is that you can damage venous valves (especially in limbs) by massaging incorrectly. Especially if you’re massaging with force just short of inducing physical pain.
That reason is “rent seeking behavior”.
1000 hours is too much.
But, let’s say, 10 hours would be reasonable (part of that safety advice, part of that supervised practice) if you are doing to do something with a potential to hurt others. And if you are going to teach people to do as you do. At least you are aware that you didn’t learn from any expert, but those poor people think they did.
Should there be a 10 hour training minimum for taco creation, or sharing recipes online? There’s a wide variance in the quality of tacos. A very poorly made taco can even make you sick!
Currently I would say no.
But I worry that maybe one day I will read an article on Less Wrong like this:
And by the end of the article, my answer might change to yes. :(
Good call out. I think this is worth keeping in mind. Although it sounds like the author isn’t practicing or proposing anything that is for-profit, in which case I doubt there are any legal things to worry about.
I disagree here. People in romantic relationships massage each other all the time and that isn’t considered risky.
I think the pseudoscience stuff is relevant when there is a financial transaction taking place. You don’t want the buyer to think they’re getting a peach when in reality they’re getting a lemon.
Agreed. The Neglected Virtue of Scholarship comes to mind. There’s reason to believe that it’s a field that’s been studied enough such that you can start off standing on the shoulders of giants to a moderate extent.
left a comment here, lmk if there’s anything else