The intent of my recent post on documenting alternative aquatics practices was to bring to attention aspects of aquatic therapeutic bodywork that are based on principles that don't easily fit the current medical model, including what is widely known as evidence-based research.
Western-style medical care predominates in our culture and many bodyworkers realize that finding a place within this system is most likely to be effective in gaining credibility and promoting their therapeutic work, including opportunities to participate in serious research programs.
Those who do not ally themselves with the prevailing medical model often find that, owing to legal implications aimed at protecting the public, they have to be very careful about how they report their success in healing work even if their clients have chosen that path.
The growing willingness to adopt and adapt such alternative methods into clinical practice (rendering them complementary rather than alternative in current terminology) is an important step forward but this is not the same as truly acknowledging the different philosophies underlying alternative methods.
Those who do not ally themselves with the prevailing medical model often find that, owing to legal implications aimed at protecting the public, they have to be very careful about how they report their success in healing work even if their clients have chosen that path.
The growing willingness to adopt and adapt such alternative methods into clinical practice (rendering them complementary rather than alternative in current terminology) is an important step forward but this is not the same as truly acknowledging the different philosophies underlying alternative methods.
Prevalent medical care tends to be prescriptive and global (we have found the answer for people like you ... do this), while alternative approaches are often more exploratory and individual (lets look into this together ... and see what works for you).
Part of the human condition may be to discover how to live with the unknowable aspects of life: idiosyncratic, individual, changing, chaotic but with some pattern to them nonetheless. It's not just a new age contention: quantum physics has provided some understanding of this objective-subjective/ matter-energy dilemma.
As Mirka Knaster writes:
It is important not to lose sight of the differences between 'Western' and 'Eastern' models (see my last blog post Bodyway as in Waterway); and especially not to overlook or ignore the 'Eastern' viewpoint when collecting data and developing suitable research protocols.
We may have to look outside the conventional medical arena to find precedents for compatible scientific methodologies. Some examples concerned with explorations of human consciousness, subtle energy work, spirituality, and emotional intelligence (discussed elsewhere in this blog in relation to aquatic bodywork) are:
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the Federal Government's agency for scientific research on CAM: 'NCCAM's mission is to explore CAM practices using rigorous scientific methods and build an evidence base for the safety and effectiveness of these practices'.
Quoting from the NCCAM website:
You can see more about how these trials are conducted and some examples of current trials here.
CAM on PubMed® developed jointly by NCCAM and NLM, is a subset of the PubMed system and focuses on the topic of CAM providing brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals .
I'd like to see much more reporting of results from alternative aquatics practices that are independent from clinical centers, as well as from practices that are being applied as complementary to other medical interventions.
There is a need for a place or way (internet, teleconferencing, meeting, organization) for sharing resources and results. A reasonable starting point might be the Aquatic Therapists Network. The Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association has a website where studies can be reported but it is not much used by practitioners.
The Aquatic Therapists Network, a free online social network for anyone interested in aquatic therapy, has a clinical emphasis but during my time as moderator it has also attracted quite a number of alternative practitioners of aquatic bodywork.
I think this cross-fertilization of ideas, interests and practices is very valuable. However, I'd like to register my personal interest and concern with giving alternative viewpoints equal voice in a largely Western science-oriented arena.
It would be helpful to identify (for alternative/ Eastern healing models):
Part of the human condition may be to discover how to live with the unknowable aspects of life: idiosyncratic, individual, changing, chaotic but with some pattern to them nonetheless. It's not just a new age contention: quantum physics has provided some understanding of this objective-subjective/ matter-energy dilemma.
As Mirka Knaster writes:
'Neither the Western approach nor the Eastern approach is wholly right or wrong. The body is neither entirely a conglomeration of discrete elements nor only a flow of energy. Each represents a different side of the same coin. In the language of physics, we are both particle (a piece of matter) and wave (moving energy).'
It is important not to lose sight of the differences between 'Western' and 'Eastern' models (see my last blog post Bodyway as in Waterway); and especially not to overlook or ignore the 'Eastern' viewpoint when collecting data and developing suitable research protocols.
We may have to look outside the conventional medical arena to find precedents for compatible scientific methodologies. Some examples concerned with explorations of human consciousness, subtle energy work, spirituality, and emotional intelligence (discussed elsewhere in this blog in relation to aquatic bodywork) are:
The Institute of Noetic Sciences - a national education organization that promotes the study of human consciousness within scientific standards, including research into integral health and healing.
The International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM) - an international non-profit interdisciplinary organization dedicated to exploring and applying subtle energies as they relate to the experience of consciousness, healing, and human potential.
The Fetzer Institute - program includes scientific research into the human qualities of love and forgiveness and scientific explorations of the interconnected nature of universe, life, and consciousness. See for example the Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality for Use in Health Research.
The Institute of HeartMath - research forms the foundation for the development of practical, scientifically validated emotional refocusing and repatterning technologies that enable people to significantly improve their health and vitality, performance and quality of life.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the Federal Government's agency for scientific research on CAM: 'NCCAM's mission is to explore CAM practices using rigorous scientific methods and build an evidence base for the safety and effectiveness of these practices'.
Quoting from the NCCAM website:
CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, and alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine.
NCCAM funds studies on a variety of CAM treatments. A few examples include acupuncture; natural products, such as herbs and other dietary supplements; massage; meditation; and chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation.
Examples of diseases and conditions for which CAM therapies are studied include cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and osteoarthritis. Some of these studies involve partnerships with other components of NIH. Institutions outside the Federal Government are conducting studies as well.
You can see more about how these trials are conducted and some examples of current trials here.
CAM on PubMed® developed jointly by NCCAM and NLM, is a subset of the PubMed system and focuses on the topic of CAM providing brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals .
I'd like to see much more reporting of results from alternative aquatics practices that are independent from clinical centers, as well as from practices that are being applied as complementary to other medical interventions.
There is a need for a place or way (internet, teleconferencing, meeting, organization) for sharing resources and results. A reasonable starting point might be the Aquatic Therapists Network. The Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association has a website where studies can be reported but it is not much used by practitioners.
The Aquatic Therapists Network, a free online social network for anyone interested in aquatic therapy, has a clinical emphasis but during my time as moderator it has also attracted quite a number of alternative practitioners of aquatic bodywork.
I think this cross-fertilization of ideas, interests and practices is very valuable. However, I'd like to register my personal interest and concern with giving alternative viewpoints equal voice in a largely Western science-oriented arena.
It would be helpful to identify (for alternative/ Eastern healing models):
- model-appropriate areas of interest
- model-appropriate recording formats
- model-appropriate research methods
- interested practitioners and collaborators
- sources of study- and research-funding
I invite and welcome your comment and input ...
