Who are we?
The launch of the new Australian Massage Research Foundation (AMRF) will be announced on 17 May 2008 at the Australian Association of Massage Therapists’ (AAMT) 4th National Conference held in Adelaide. The AMRF will contribute to the growing body of research into the health benefits of massage therapy, with positive implications for public health in Australia.
An initiative of the national peak body AAMT, the sole purpose of the Foundation is to provide funds for research. The Foundation is a separate company with a Board of Directors, plus an Advisory Committee of key health stakeholders, to be appointed to determine the distribution of funds to research.
The Foundation, through initiating research into massage therapy, reflects the AAMT’s priority to develop a research agenda that encompasses contemporary Australian healthcare concerns. Further funding is required to be dedicated to this area of healthcare so, by 2020, Australians can choose and receive treatment through a wholistic and integrated approach underpinned by knowledge, safety and best practice.
Two thirds of Australians use some form of complementary medicine each year, and studies undertaken in 2000 show expenditure on alternative therapies of approximately $AUD2.3 billion1.
There is a growing body of evidence to support that complementary medicine can make a significant cost-effective contribution to public health in chronic disease management2. However, overall acceptance of complementary medicine by conventional medicine is variable and evidence based studies, including clinical trials, are necessary to strengthen acceptance and integration of proven therapies into the health care system.
1http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12200102?dopt=Abstract2http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/FUNDING/types/granttype/strategic/prevent.htm