The Ministries of Health and Science, Innovation and Universities have produced new reports to combat pseudo therapies, which can be found on the RedETS website and on the website of #CoNprueba, the brand that encompasses the actions against pseudosciences and pseudo therapies promoted by the Spanish Government.

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New reports to combat pseudo-therapies

The reports have been carried out by the Spanish Network of Agencies for the Evaluation of Health Technologies and Services of the National Health System (Red Española de Agencias de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias y Prestaciones del Sistema Nacional de Salud). This network is made up of the agencies or evaluation units of the General State Administration and the Autonomous Communities, which work in a coordinated manner, with a common methodology and under the principle of mutual recognition and cooperation.

These reports analyse the efficacy and safety of eight techniques:

Vacuum therapy (cupping) in musculoskeletal pathology: involves the application of cups, usually made of glass or plastic, heated on the skin or by other cupping techniques, to different points on the body.
The report concludes that “cupping therapy cannot be considered a safe therapy due to the risks inherent in the application of the technique on the human body, mostly in wet vacuum therapy, and the benefit it might show is based on low-quality studies that do not support its efficacy, so it would not be recommended for use in this indication”.

Tajiki: from a physiological point of view, it would be a type of exercise that can work all the muscles of the body, enhancing strength, flexibility and balance and with fewer problems of muscle overload and risk of injury associated with other sports disciplines. It is concluded that tai chi, as a physical activity performed in various pathologies, especially those of the musculoskeletal area, is beneficial in terms of perceived well-being and various functions such as pain reduction. The perceived improvement or neutral effect in various pathologies, when compared with other forms of exercise appropriate to the problem treated, suggests that the benefit is linked to the performance of physical activity in these patients.

Light therapy for mental health problems: this is the use of light for therapeutic purposes. It is commonly applied with the use of a light box placed approximately one metre away at a height within the visual field; however, application is possible with a portable overhead light source, ceiling-mounted light fixtures; or ‘naturalistic’ light therapy, known as dawn-dusk simulation, which mimics outdoor twilight transitions. Light therapy can be administered for varying lengths of time and at different times of the day. The clinical indications discussed in this report are related to any type of mental health problem.
Due to various methodological limitations of the included studies, it is not possible to draw definitive conclusions on the efficacy and safety of light therapy for mental health problems. There is insufficient evidence to support the use of light therapy in the treatment of different clinical mental health conditions.

Mindful breathing: This involves being fully present in the moment of breathing and feeling the effects of the breath on the body. This practice may alleviate feelings of distress or stress for the person doing it, as it lowers the heart rate and respiratory rate on a physical level.

The report concludes that based on the current evidence and its limitations, studies on conscious breathing should be interpreted with caution, with no guarantee that their efficacy results are extrapolated to clinical practice.

Chi-kung/qigong: is considered a set of breathing and movement exercises with some possible health benefits due to physical exercise and breathing education. It can work all the muscles of the body, enhancing strength, flexibility and balance; and with fewer problems of muscle overload and risk of injury associated with other sporting disciplines.
The report concludes that chi-kung could have the benefit of low-impact physical activity in people with musculoskeletal conditions and in those where it can help to reduce stress levels and improve quality of life with a low risk of adverse effects. It should be noted that the evidence supporting this claim is of low quality.

Zero balancing: is a technique or modality of body and manual mind/body work which, according to its founder, Fritz Frederick Smith, involves ‘energy’ and ‘structure’, achieving a balance in the individual.

Aromatherapy: is a branch of phytotherapy that uses essential oils (extracted from plants) intending to improve well-being, reduce anxiety, stress and other clinical symptoms, both emotional and physical. The low methodological quality of many of the studies included in the systematic reviews identified does not allow definitive conclusions to be drawn. Aromatherapy may be a complementary resource of some value in the treatment of physical and psychological symptoms in cardiovascular diseases and dysmenorrhoea. Essential oils are natural, but not harmless, and many mild adverse events associated with their use have been identified.
Relaxation techniques based on the induction of bodily sensations: relaxation techniques based on the induction of bodily sensations include autogenic relaxation training (or autogenic training), which involves achieving a state of deep relaxation through mental representations of physical sensations (heat, cold, heaviness) in different parts of the body. The report concludes that autogenic training may be beneficial in improving psychological and physical symptoms in different health conditions, but the conclusions cannot be definitive due to the low number of studies for each health condition and their high or uncertain risk of bias. Further evaluation of the safety of these techniques is needed.