Use |
For recreation or as a gift, in the absence of specific health problems requiring treatment |
Primarily in place of conventional medicine, when conventional medicine considered unsuccessful or unsuitable; mainly for specific, chronic complaints |
Primarily as supplementary or additional to conventional medicine; mainly for ill-defined or mild symptoms, or aspects of a health condition not remedied by conventional treatment |
As technical specialties aligned to conventional medicine (e.g., for specific musculoskeletal problems either unresolved by or unsuitable for conventional medicine) |
Anticipated benefits |
Enjoyment, pampering, general relaxation |
Improvement in and understanding of symptoms and general health; participatory, trusting relationship with therapist |
Improvement in physical and emotional state; gentle, enjoyable, and individualized treatment |
Explanation and effective treatment of musculoskeletal problem |
Rationale |
Relaxation not considered intrinsic to health (consistent with biomedical model) |
Holistic model: physical and emotional health intrinsically linked; “natural” approaches to treatment |
Varying combinations of biomedical and holistic models |
Physiological/biomechanical model of musculoskeletal functioning |
Financial justification |
Personal financial cost accepted, valued as luxury consumable |
Most see as a legitimate treatment that should be state funded |
Mixed opinions about whether it should be state funded or privately funded |
Most see it as a legitimate treatment that could be state funded but may accept personal cost as comparable to payment for other types of circumscribed treatment (e.g., spectacles, prescription) |