The dark side of massage therapy? People like to joke about “happy endings” at questionable spas, but chances are the “employees” are victims of human trafficking.

As a hospice worker, I’d have to say the number of family members that withhold comfort medications from patients. We have steps in place for households with substance abuse concerns, so this isn’t an issue of someone taking their meds. This is people accusing us of trying to knock out the patient or outright kill them when we recommend pain or anxiety meds. No, we’re not recommending morphine so we can make our job easier, we’re recommending it because the patient is writhing in pain, has difficulty breathing, and screams out when you touch them. I sometimes wonder if the patient was abusive to the person caring for them earlier in life, and this is how they’re getting back at them.