Newly Updated in 2026! Medications and supplements can affect factors that are important to safe and effective massage therapy, including blood pressure, heart rate, alertness, sensation, bleeding and bruising, blood glucose, skin integrity, and fatigue. This 4-hour continuing education course provides massage therapists with a practical foundation in pharmacology and explores how commonly used medications and supplements may affect massage therapy.
Rather than memorizing medications, you will learn how to review medication histories, recognize relevant effects and precautions, and make appropriate massage therapy decisions. Topics include nervous system, cardiovascular, pain, endocrine, respiratory, gastrointestinal, immune-related, and cancer treatments, along with blood-thinning medications, herbs, supplements, and drug interactions. Client scenarios help you apply pharmacology concepts to realistic massage therapy situations while staying within your professional scope of practice.
In this course, you will learn:
- Basic pharmacology terminology, medication routes, and medication categories relevant to massage therapy.
- How medications and supplements may affect common factors such as blood pressure, heart rate, alertness, sensation, bleeding, blood glucose, skin integrity, and fatigue.
- How to obtain and review a relevant medication and supplement history.
- How to consider medications, underlying conditions, and current symptoms when planning massage therapy.
- Massage therapy considerations for cardiovascular, nervous system, pain, endocrine, respiratory, gastrointestinal, immune-related, and cancer treatments.
- Potential concerns related to blood-thinning medications, herbs, supplements, and drug interactions.
- How to recognize medication-related red flags, when massage may need to be modified or postponed, and when medical referral may be appropriate.
- How to apply the Medication → Effect → Observation → Modification → Referral framework to realistic client scenarios.
Why take this course?
Massage therapists frequently work with clients who take prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, herbs, vitamins, and dietary supplements. Understanding how these substances may affect a client's presentation can help therapists recognize potential concerns and make informed decisions about massage techniques, pressure, positioning, treatment areas, and referrals.
This course emphasizes practical application rather than memorizing long medication lists. You will learn a repeatable approach for connecting medication use, underlying conditions, symptoms, and potential risks to massage therapy decisions while remaining within your professional scope of practice.
The Center for Massage Therapy Continuing Education, LLC is an Approved Provider through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB); Approved Provider number 409296-00.
Our massage online continuing education courses are also accepted by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), and most state boards.
For more information on individual state requirements and approvals, please visit our Approvals page and click on your state.
I am working on all kinds of people taking all kinds of meds. It is crucial to understand the effects of these meds. - Kathleen, Schaedler, LMT
I like the simple easy content. - Miyuki Dunn, LMT
I loved the information on how different medications affect teh body systems. I also liked reading about how medication can affect the results of massage strokes. - James Mercer, LMT
Why is asking a client why they take a medication particularly important?
A. It allows the massage therapist to determine the correct dosage.
B. The underlying condition may be just as relevant to massage therapy as the medication itself.
C. It allows the therapist to determine whether the medication is working.
D. The therapist can recommend a different medication if necessary.
What is the most important consideration when a client takes a blood thinner?
A. Blood thinners always prohibit massage.
B. Increased bleeding and bruising risk
C. The client must avoid all massage for life.
D. Deep massage is always prohibited.
A client taking a beta-blocker and another antihypertensive medication becomes dizzy after quickly sitting up from the massage table. What should the therapist do?
A. Have the client stand immediately.
B. Keep the client safely positioned and allow time for recovery.
C. Tell the client to stop taking their medication.
D. Continue the massage without addressing the dizziness.
