Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
have incorporated massage therapy as a routine treatment into
their practice.
According to Dr. Bauer, spas have the opportunity to collaborate with local health care providers and perform
evidence-based outreach to targeted patient groups like patients
with cancer, fibromyalgia or post-surgery, to name a few.
“The greatest opportunity to touch the lives of the greatest
number of people with a lifestyle that promotes wellness and
health is where spa and Integrative Medicine meet,” he says.
“Looking for ways to support patient groups in the community
(e.g. cancer survivors) is a good way to show the medical community that you are part of the solution to the health care
puzzle we are struggling to solve.” ■
How is the health care reform bill in the U.S. going to
affect the spa industry in the coming years?
T
he Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) includes language that emphasizes
prevention and the promotion of wellness. Whether this will translate into direct financial
support of health promoting activities such as massage or yoga remains to
be seen. Regardless, I think it will still help shift public perception of their personal role in taking
charge of their own health. As that happens increasingly, I believe more people will turn to spa to
address those parts of their wellness plan that conventional medicine doesn’t always provide (e.g.
stress management, new ways of being fit such as yoga or tai chi, etc.).
November 2011
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PULSE 45