As Medicine Pushes toward Evidence-Based Efficacy

Sooner or later, moving a part of massage practices into the health care realm is going to require a split between the evidence-based part and the no-scientific-basis (and, in some parts, direct contradiction to known science) part. The reasons are all too clear, as seen in this article by one of the well-regarded heath care "twitterers" I follow.

Healthcare Reform Bills Legitimize Quackery. Note also the link to the Institute for Science in Medicine.

Nor is this just about CAM practices, but about moving the entire practice of medicine to be evidence-informed (i.e. with latitude for clinical experience and judgment, see Benner, et al., 2009). This doesn't say that, outside of the health system that one should forbid provision of mutually-agreed upon services, but that, within health care, if you claim treatment for specific conditions, you increasingly will need a sound evidence base and demonstrated effectiveness that is condition specific.

Also implied, is the need for a "Body of Knowledge" document that supports this distinction. One needs to be conscious of evidence-base in any regulatory claims about need for training. If you don't have an objective basis for knowledge, skills, and abilities, you can't say much about need for training. All you can say, is that there might be a need for oversight against fraud and malfeasance.