Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1208028
Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 51 as a complement to the management of various conditions. Apart from some notable exceptions in specialized journals, though, very few provide substantial support for issues highlighted in the agenda. NO NEED TO REINVENT THE WHEEL There is no need to reinvent the wheel in attempting to address the issues already outlined in the work that has gone before. However, we urgently need to revisit the issues, consider what progress has been made, and—much like those early investigators who realized the value of Lind's discovery 40 years after the fact—take a fresh look at what we already have, and see what we may be missing. An astute point made in the MRAW agenda reads: The first research task for MBT should work to uncover the features of MBT practice that make it distinct (Domain 2) and that motivate people to either study it or seek it for health care (Domain 1) . . . MBT needs to know more about itself scientifically before it can accurately design research to compare itself to others or even to fully understand its own mechanism of action. 11 The steps toward acquiring research literacy, and from there to research capacity (the ability to conduct research), are many. 12 The first step on this path is considering our own assumptions about what we do, why we do it, and considering the questions that arise. In this series, future columns will provide and examine more detailed explorations of each question raised in this column. The purpose of this article was to provide food for thought— and to note key historical examples that may benefit current inquiry. We will move to the more specific explorations in coming columns. Notes 1. Michael Bartholomew, "James Lind's Treatise of the Scurvy (1753)," Postgraduate Medical Journal 78, no. 925 (December 2002): 695–96, https:// doi.org/10.1136/pmj.78.925.695; Iain Milne, "Who Was James Lind, and What Exactly Did He Achieve?," Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 105, no. 12 (December 2012): 503–08. 2. Eduardo Hariton and Joseph J. Locascio, "Randomised Controlled Trials—The Gold Standard for Effectiveness Research," BJOG 125, no. 13 (December 2018): 1716, https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.15199; David S. Jones and Scott H. Podolsky, "The Art of Medicine: The History and Fate of the Gold Standard," The Lancet 385, no. 9977 (April 2015): 1502–03, https:// doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60742-5; Mira G. P. Zuidgeest et al., "Series: Pragmatic Trials and Real World Evidence: Paper 1. Introduction," Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 88 (August 2017): 7–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2016.12.023. 3. P. J. Devereaux and S. Yusuf, "The Evolution of the Randomized Controlled Trial and Its Role in Evidence- Based Decision Making," Journal of Internal Medicine 254, no. 2 (August 2003): 105–13, https://doi. org/10.1046/j.1365-2796.2003.01201.x; Christopher M. Booth et al., "Evolution of the Randomized Controlled Trial in Oncology Over Three Decades," Journal of Clinical Oncology 26, no. 33 (November 2008): 5458–64, https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2008.16.5456. 4. Claire M. Cassidy and Jacqueline A. Hart, "Methodological Issues in the Scientific Investigation of Massage and Bodywork Therapy: Part I," Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 7, no. 1 (January 2003): 2–10, https:// doi.org/10.1016/S1360-8592(02)00102-X. 5. René G. Favaloro, "Critical Analysis of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A 30-Year Journey," Journal of the American College of Cardiology 31, no. 4 (1998): 1B–63B, https:// doi.org/10.1016/s0735-1097(97)00559-7. 6. Cassidy and Hart, "Methodological Issues in the Scientific Investigation of Massage and Bodywork Therapy: Part I," page 2. 7. Janet Kahn, Massage Therapy Research Agenda (Evanston: AMTA Foundation, 2002); Glenn M. Hymel, "Advancing Massage Therapy Research Competencies: Dimensions for Thought and Action," Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies 7, no. 3 (July 2003): 194–99, https://doi.org/10.1016/ S1360-8592(03)00021-4; Trish Dryden and Rona G. Achilles, Massage Therapy Research Curriculum Kit (Evanston: AMTA Foundation, 2003); Cassidy and Hart, "Methodological Issues in the Scientific SOMATIC RESE ARCH Investigation of Massage and Bodywork Therapy: Part I"; Claire M. Cassidy and Jacqueline A. Hart, "Methodological Issues in Investigations of Massage/ Bodywork Therapy: Part II," Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 7, no. 2 (April 2003): 71–9, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1360-8592(02)00125-0; Claire M. Cassidy and Jacqueline A. Hart, "Methodological Issues in Investigations of Massage/Bodywork Therapy: Part III," Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 7, no. 3 (July 2003): 136–41, https://doi. org/10.1016/S1360-8592(03)00035-4; Claire M. Cassidy and Jacqueline A. Hart, "Methodological Issues in Investigations of Massage/Bodywork Therapy: Part IV," Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 7, no. 4 (October 2003): 240–50, https:// doi.org/10.1016/S1360-8592(03)00067-6. 8. Kahn, Massage Therapy Research Agenda. 9. Cassidy and Hart, "Methodological Issues in Investigations of Massage/Bodywork Therapy: Part I." 10. Milne, "Who Was James Lind, and What Exactly Did He Achieve?" 11. Cassidy and Hart, "Methodological Issues in Investigations of Massage/Bodywork Therapy: Part I"; Cassidy and Hart, "Methodological Issues in Investigations of Massage/Bodywork Therapy: Part II." 12. Hymel, Research Methods, 5. 13. Marcia L. Meldrum, "A Brief History of the Randomized Controlled Trial: From Oranges and Lemons to the Gold Standard," Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America 14, no. 4 (August 2000): 745–60, https://doi. org/10.1016/S0889-8588(05)70309-9; Devereaux and Yusuf, "The Evolution of the Randomized Controlled Trial and Its Role in Evidence-Based Decision Making"; Bruce E. Wampold and Kuldhir S. Bhati, "Attending to the Omissions: A Historical Examination of Evidence- Based Practice Movements," Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 35, no. 6 (December 2004): 563–70, https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.35.6.563. Sasha Chaitow, PhD, is a professional artist, gallerist, and scholar who exhibits and lectures internationally. With over a decade in journalism and academic publishing, she was appointed managing editor of the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies in March 2018. Based between London and Corfu, Greece, she is studying for an MPH at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus.