Encyclopedia of Thai Massage Student Workbook (Advanced Course)

Pierce Salguero, M.A.Executive Director of Tao Mountain Association and Tao Mountain PressEducation & Training in ThailandI graduated from the University of Virginia in 1996 as an anthropologist with a focus on Asia, and traveled to this part of the world shortly afterward. I soon fell in love with Thailand's unique culture and rich history, and what started as a short trip turned into a lengthy stay. I lived and studied there from 1997 to 2001, researching Thai medical traditions, learning formally and informally about Thai culture, and exploring an interest in Buddhism through extended stays at Thai meditation centers and monasteries.I received training as a practitioner of massage and herbal medicine in Chiang Mai, Thailand's vibrant center of traditional medicine. I apprenticed with individual healers such as Lek Chaiya and Mama Nit, and completed a basic course, internship, and teacher certification at the renowned Shivagakomarpaj Traditional Medicine Hospital's school of Thai medicine. With the blessing of my teacher, I founded Tao Mountain upon my return to the U.S. in 2002 as a branch of the Shivagakomarpaj lineage. When I started teaching, I wanted to provide for my students an experience as close as possible to the one I had during the time I spent living and studying in Asia.Throughout this time abroad, I was conducting research into the history, philosophy, and practice of Thai medicine from both an academic and an practitioner's standpoint. The fruits of this research have been my two recently published books (please see below.)I moved back to the U.S. primarily to pursue graduate studies, and for the past several years my academic research has remained focused on Asian medicine. Since my return, I received my Master's Degree from the University of Virginia. I wrote my Master's Thesis on the cultural history of Thai medicine, particularly focusing on the interplay between Ayurvedic and folk medicine in Thailand. (You can read this thesis in the Members Area.)Now, I am a researcher in the History of Medicine Department at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I am currently working on a Ph.D., with a concentration on the connections between Buddhism and medicine in South and East Asia. I am interested in the formative period of 500 BC to 500 AD, the period of time which gave rise to the traditional Asian healing systems which we know today. I am also interested in the integration of traditional Asian medicine in the modern hospital setting.I encourage you to contact me directly about your interests in Asian medicine. I am very passionate about these topics, and always enjoy meeting others who share these interests.Professional AffiliationsI am a member of the Association of Traditional Northern Thai Medicine, the American Herbalists Guild and the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. My courses are accredited by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). I am also a member of several academic associations, including the International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine (IASTAM), the Association of Asian Studies (AAS), and the American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM).PublicationsArticles I have written on the subject of traditional Thai medicine have appeared in magazines and newspapers nationally and internationally. I am the author of A Thai Herbal, the only English-language guide to Thai Herbal Medicine, and The Encyclopedia of Thai Massage, the most comprehensive book on Thai massage therapy in print, both on sale through Tao Mountain Press. A third book in this series, The Spiritual Healing of Traditional Thailand, is forthcoming in January 2006, as is an academicbook entitled Traditonal Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism, Ayurveda. I have also written numerous articles on Thai tradition in magazines such as Yoga Journal, Massage Magazine, Natural Awakenings, Whole Life Times, and others.Salguero, C. Pierce is the author of 'Encyclopedia of Thai Massage Student Workbook (Advanced Course)', published 2005 under ISBN 9781419608001 and ISBN 1419608002.