New survey seeks to highlight positive impact of complementary therapies on health

The Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT) has launched a new survey for therapists to pass on to their clients, in a bid to gather real “grassroots” data about the positive impact that complementary therapy treatments, such as massage and aromatherapy, can have on people’s health and well-being.

The findings will then be presented to government and health and care agencies, to demonstrate how complementary therapies can be used, alongside conventional medicine, to address individual needs and take pressure off the health and care system.

The ‘How complimentary therapy has helped me’ survey, asks clients a range of questions about the improvements that they have noticed to their health as a result of having complimentary therapy, including: if treatments have reduced the number of times they have needed to see their GPs and if treatments have led to a drop in the amount of prescribed or over-the-counter medication they use.

The survey also allows clients to highlight which types of complementary therapies they have experienced, from more traditional treatments such as aromatherapy and massage, to non-statutory regulated therapies such as permanent make-up and skin camouflage, that have helped to improve their mental health and well-being.

Commenting on the survey, the FHT said: “We do not anticipate that this data alone will have the power to change hearts and minds overnight, but we are confident that it will enable us to have fruitful conversations with relevant government departments and Ministers about the next steps needed to ensure patients can access the best of both conventional and complementary healthcare.”

A new report Co-authored by the British Beauty Council, UK Spa Association and doctors, recently estimated that the use of personal care sector massage and touch therapies could help ease the UK’s growing mental health burden by more than £10bn a year.

The report urged UK governing bodies to research the "significant effect" that touch therapy, as well as massage, could have on reducing mental health problems.