BIOTONE Grants Support Massage Therapy Foundation 2010 Community Service Projects

BIOTONE Funded Projects Focus on Role of Massage Therapy to Relieve Pain

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BIOTONE today announced its annual donation to support two Massage Therapy Foundation funded community service projects. BIOTONE’s $15,000 donation is part of the company’s ongoing support for the Massage Therapy Foundation’s granting program. BIOTONE funded projects for 2010 to enable public health service centers to integrate massage therapy with conventional medical treatment to help individuals suffering from chronic pain and injuries.

“Massage Therapy for Indigenous Women of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico”

Ruth Werner, president of the Massage Therapy Foundation, said, "BIOTONE demonstrates an unwavering commitment to extending the healing benefits of massage therapy to individuals being served through community-based programs. In addition to the invaluable contribution to these local communities, BIOTONE's support continues to shed light on how alternative therapies work to improve health and well-being."

About the BIOTONE Funded Projects

Outside In is a center that provides primary health care and integrated health options to more than 7,400 homeless and low-income people in Portland, Ore., who suffer from substance abuse, mental illness and chronic diseases. The center’s director, John Dukes, and staff members have realized how tremendously powerful and transformative massage therapy can be for homeless people and those with severe mental illnesses. The BIOTONE grant will allow Outside In to hire a part-time massage therapist to provide four hours of 50-minute therapeutic massages a week to at least 200 clients over the course of a year.

“Massage Therapy for Indigenous Women of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico,” under the direction of project leader Leslie Korn, will expand the services of the Center for Traditional Medicine, a small public health service, to improve community health standards in several rural villages outside the popular Mexican tourist area of Puerto Vallarta. The grant will help to expand treatment for those suffering from chronic pain as well as from untreated or insufficiently treated injuries.

Two massage therapists will give one-hour massages in the clinic or travel off site as necessary to reach immobilized clients, many of whom work in the fields, tend their families in inadequate conditions, travel rough terrain by foot, and correspondingly suffer from osteoarthritis of the elbows, hands, and knees. Massage therapy is meant to provide solutions for pain resolution and mobility and promote self-care.

“The Massage Therapy Foundation program gives us an opportunity to not only give back to communities, but also to further explore the incredible potential of massage therapy to work alongside conventional medicine to heal the mind and body,” said Jean Shea, BIOTONE president. “We greatly value the opportunity to be a part of such a unique and instructional program and look forward to many more years and many more projects that contribute to communities and to the expanded role of massage therapy in mainstream healthcare.”

About the Massage Therapy Foundation

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501 (C) 3 public charity, with a mission to advance the knowledge and practice of massage by supporting scientific research, education, and community service. For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.

About BIOTONE

BIOTONE, headquartered in San Diego, CA, is the leading manufacturer of superior quality professional massage oils, cremes, lotions and gels as well as spa body, face and foot treatment products. Founded in 1980, BIOTONE is a family-run, woman-owned business. The company sells its products in the US and Internationally. More information can be found at www.biotone.com or by calling 800.445.6457.