Research KATIE BARNES guillemotright.cap MANAGING EDITOR guillemotright.cap SPA BUSINESS
the fi nishing touch
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TOUCH AND GO
months a high proportion of clients agreed
that shiatsu had helped to improved their
overall health, been ef_f ective in treating
symptoms and helped to improve self-
Greater insights into the short-term and long-term ef_f ects
awareness and positive attitudes.
T_h irdly, researchers looked at the client’s
of shiatsu have been revealed in a new pan-European study uptake of advice from practitioners. In all
three countries seven.fittedfour.fitted to seven.fittedsix.fitted per cent of clients
said their practitioners of_f ered recommen-
S
hiatsu massage, dating back to the a previous ESF-funded exploratory study dations to help with symptoms. Af_t er six
early 20th century, is a staple of spa which looked at the same subject. months seven.fittedseven.fitted to eight.fittedzero.fitted per cent indicated they’d
menus. Despite its long history, made changes to their lifestyle – particularly
however, there’s limited evidence of the
THE RESULTS
increased amounts of “rest and relaxation”
benef_i ts of the practice in Western counties. In this study a typical shiatsu client was and “exercise” and changing of “diet”.
In Japan, where it originated, shiatsu has female, in her four.fittedzero.fitteds and employed. Eighty- T_h e fourth assessment focused on
been of_f_i cially recognised as a paramedic four to eight.fittedeight.fitted per cent of participants had healthcare use. Here one.fittedfive.fitted to three.fittedfour.fitted per cent of
practice since 1952. While the practice is used shiatsu before and described their clients reported a reduction in their use of
tolerated under common law in the UK and health as being “good” or better. conventional medicine in the symptoms
Ireland, it is not properly acknowledged, and T_h e dominant reason for the f_i rst-ever they went to a practitioner for.
in the rest of Europe; there’s no integration use of shiatsu by clients was curiosity; at T_h e f_i nal area homed in on clients’
of shiatsu into national healthcare systems. “today’s session” it was “to maintain or expectation and satisfaction levels. Across
With a view to working towards a legal improve health”. T_h e top reason for hav- all countries, an overwhelming number of
right to practice shiatsu, the European ing shiatsu, in terms of symptoms, was clients (nine.fittedzero.fitted per cent) indicated that their
Shiatsu Federation (ESF) – comprising pro- “problems with muscles, joints or body expectations were either “met” or “ex-
fessional associations from eight countries structure”, followed by “tension or stress” ceeded” at six months. Around one half (four.fittedseven.fitted
– commissioned the University of Leeds, UK, and “low energy or fatigue”. per cent in Spain) to three-quarters (seven.fittedfour.fitted per
to carry out a study into the short- and long- T_h e ef_f ects of shiatsu were measured cent in Austria) of clients were “completely
term ef_f ects and experience of the massage. in f_i ve areas. First was symptom severity, satisf_i ed” with their shiatsu treatment.
which was assessed on a f_i ve-point scale: Only nine clients recorded a negative
GATHERING DATA
zero being “not severe at all” and four response such as worsening of pain in the
T_h e report, which was published in the being “very severe”. T_h e scores signif_i - af_f ected area and a distressful emotional
Journal of Alternative and Complemen- cantly improved over the six months for reaction, which lasted a week or more.
tary Medicine last year, was based on six.fittedthree.fittedthree.fitted Austria and in the UK within all symptom Limitations to the study included the
shiatsu clients picked at random from groups, but only in the “problems with small sample size from Spain (accounting
Austria, Spain and the UK. muscles, joints or body structure” and for only one.fittedfive.fitted per cent of clients), the high
Each of the clients were followed for “tension or stress” symptoms in Spain. proportion of clients who had already had
six months and f_i lled in a questionnaire Typically, symptom severity decreased shiatsu and variations in treatment style.
about their treatment at four time-points: over the f_i rst three months and was then Researchers are now investigating the
af_t er the f_i rst treatment, four to six days maintained over the next three months. economic implications of the study, in
af_t er that, and three and six months later. T_h e second measurement was in terms of reductions in the use of conven-
T_h e questionnaire was developed during shiatsu-specif_i c ef_f ects. At the end of six tional medicine by shiatsu users. ●
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