Sharon J. Ruffin is a Tennessee Licensed Massage Therapist and Internationally Certified as a Colon Hydrotherapist. She completed her training as a Massage Therapist at C.O.R.E. Massage Institute in Knoxville, Tennessee where she studied Anatomy, Physiology, Swedish and Intuitive Massage as well as Active Isolated Stretch Theories. She completed courses in Neuro-Muscular Therapy (NMT), also known as medical massage, Hydrotherapy, Connective Tissue Therapy, Myofascial Therapy, Body Reading and Integrative Exercises as well as Seated Chair Massage. She later enrolled in C.O.R.E.’s 200+ hour course in the Myofascial Integration Structural Technique (MIST) program. MIST provided an in depth study in Structural Integration.

“After enduring a very stressful work atmosphere, I began having massages for relief. During my first massage, the therapist advised me to drink plenty of water. She said due to my taut muscles, I might experience a day or two of soreness. Boy, was she wrong! I hurt for five days. I continued to have weekly massages and my body gradually released the built up stress.

Around the same time I read a book entitled BODYTHERAPY, by William S. Leigh and was fascinated by the different modalities involved in massage. I wanted to know more. I quizzed my massage therapist about her education and found out that she’d attended CORE Institute in Knoxville. I made an appointment, reviewed the curriculum, and decided that I wanted to be a part. CORE offers courses on several types of massage, one of them similar to one described in BODYTHERAPY.”

Ms. Ruffin then enrolled in The Health Alternatives School of Colon Hydrotherapy in Dayton, Ohio where she completed studies in anatomy and physiology of the human digestive system.

She is a member of The Tennessee Massage Therapy Association (TMTA), American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), www.amtamassage.org, the International Association of Structural Integrators (IASI), www.theiasi.org and a Certified Member The International Association of Colon Hydrotherapy (I-ACT), www.i-act.org.