Asklepios
Rigorous Integrative Health Practice Research
Asklepios is a group of researchers dedicated to ensuring rigorous and scientific methods are applied to research on integrative healthcare studies such as Tai chi, Qigong, Massage Therapy, Yoga, Pilates, Meditation, Music Therapy, Animal Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nutrition Therapy, Lifestyle changes, and other holistic mind-body practices. The researchers encourage well-developed research design and publish reviews based upon the research agenda that includes double-blind control groups, random subject assignment, prescriptive frequency and duration guidance, and specific in-depth descriptions of behavioral therapies that include thought clues for the mind and exact directions for movements rather than ambiguous and simple descriptions such as the names of Yoga postures or Tai chi forms.
ASKLEPIOS is also dedicated to ferreting out non-reproducible therapies that rely upon "magical" powers of a single guru. We discourage psuedo-science. Studies should always include a control group, randomization, and be done on groups of subjects large enough to reach statistical significance in order to be published. The large number of "pilot" studies or research which seems to have the primary purpose of providing evidence only on a single form or practioner and do not follow scientific principles do more harm than good for the overall goal of providing solid reproducible evidence of the power of integrative health practices such as Tai Chi, Qigong, Massage, Yoga, Pilates, Medication, Music Therapy, Animal Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nutrition Therapy, Lifestyle changes, and other holistic mind-body practices.
