OPINION
DR KIM JOBST Editor-in-chief,
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
I
f the spa industry was able and willing to engage in some form of transparent verifi cation and validation of its work,
it would lead to a greater level of credibility. For it to gain the support of scientists, it will need to begin monitoring outcomes, measur- ing change and duration of change, become accountable and demonstrate that results are being followed up. It will have to be wholly transparent. Some argue it should go one step
T
he spa industry needs to break out of the box of tourism and
hospitality, and its luxury, pampering image and use existing research to engage with the healthcare and cor- porate wellness sectors. A colleague and I have just reviewed the existing research into massage and concluded there’s signifi cant evidence to justify its inclusion in primary healthcare, yet there are few links between the spa and healthcare industries. I have oſt en suggested that the spa indus- try should create a fund and a scholarship to support research providing an evidence base for spa therapies. If such a fund were made internationally competitive, it would attract the top postgraduate students and researchers to develop their energies towards spa-related research. T e spa industry is still in an embry- onic stage and there are many opportunities
86 spa business handbook 2011
further and be limited to off ering only scien- tifi cally verifi ed treatments. However, much of the spa industry’s clientele is transient, so fol- low-up and outcome evaluation do not apply in the same way as would pertain to therapeu- tic intervention in clinical services. There are a number of reasons why the
scientifi c community is sometimes skeptical about alternative and complementary ther- apies. One relates to the tribal aspect of the functioning of human beings, whereby what is diff erent or foreign is regarded as the enemy. T ose who’ve spent years training and learn- ing about pharmaceutical drugs, biomolecular science and the mechanistic view of life, can feel undermined and challenged by evidence that appears totally at odds with the prevailing biomolecular scientifi c paradigm. I’m work- ing with a group of people on what I believe
is the boundary of so-called hard science and the more subtle world of energy to help bridge the gap between these two ‘tribal areas’. All scientists must be aware that our world,
and the entire universe, is governed by unseen forces which function according to immuta- ble laws. How, then, does one explain what happens in healing or intuitive diagnosis, whether biomolecular or not? Many phy- sicians and scientists, as well as therapists, will tell you there are times when they put their hands on someone and somehow just know things about the person: information comes to them as if by some sort of fusion. By utilising some of the new developments in biophysics and technologies – which can detect micro-current, electromagnetic fi eld and electrical charge changes in living organ- isms – it will become possible to measure and
DR MARC COHEN
Professor of complementary medicine, RMIT University, Victoria, Australia
for growth. Spas have blossomed from the hospitality and tourism sector, which, while it commonly invests in market research and feasibility studies, does not necessarily under- stand in-depth medical research. I believe, and based on existing evidence,
that spa therapies have a positive health ben- efi t. If clearly demonstrated to governments and health insurers, the spa industry could be opened up for government subsidies and health insurance rebates and an expanded range of funding opportunities. T e industry is pivotal to what’s needed globally – a para- digm shiſt in the healthcare system from an
illness model to a wellness model. T e health arena is one of the world’s biggest industries, but the spa industry doesn’t yet interact with it eff ectively, to the detriment of both sectors. We know health systems worldwide will
become unsustainable within the next 15 to 20 years, unless they move towards a health promotion model that engages consumers and puts them in control. T e spa industry already has this model. T e writing is on the wall for the health industry, with the ageing popula- tion and the growing pandemic of obesity, depression and diabetes. T e fi rst hotel chain to come out with evidence-based spa thera- pies, as they’ve done specifi c medical research on their treatments, will have a major advan- tage over their competitors. Because we’re in a crunch and the spa industry is feeling the squeeze, those competitive advantages are going to be really important. Dr Cohen is the president of the
Australasian Integrative Medicine Association.
www.spahandbook.com
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