Introduction
Physical Healing Methods
Biofield Therapeutics
Combined Physical and
Biofield Methods
Recommendations
Research on manual healing methods is needed in four parallel and interactive directions:
• To determine the range of clinical benefits for the many common physical complaints and problems treated by therapists using these methods (e.g., back pain, headache, whiplash, and chronic fatigue syndrome).
• To determine the degree to which a general sense of well-being is enhanced by the various manual healing methods.
• To evaluate the effect of structural manipulation on body awareness (both visceral and external); regulation of motion; range of movement; ability to cope with stress; muscle tone and flexibility; growth, development, and aging; autonomic function (neural control systems); electrical patterns in muscles; immune system response; and cardiovascular and respiratory function.~ • To determine the physiological and neurological mechanisms associated with specific manual healing methods.