In 2017 Iyengar Yoga Australia (IYA) protested the scrapping of private health coverage for 16 natural health therapies including yoga, effective from 2019, because we objected to the basis of the decision – namely that there was not enough scientific evidence to show yoga works.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Review of Natural Therapies that led to the decision said yoga had not been “conclusively shown to work on patients”.
In April 2019 yoga was removed from private health insurance, mostly affecting people with anxiety and depression who could get a $200 rebate for their yoga classes, and hospital rehabilitation programmes covered by private health insurance that were starting to incorporate yoga.
We were not alone in objecting and the Natural Therapies Review 2019-20 (NTREAP) was established to look at additional evidence and advise if any therapies should be covered by private health insurance. I collected 40 evidence based case studies and randomised, controlled studies on Iyengar Yoga and submitted them on behalf of IYA. I’ve been attending stakeholder meetings since then.
The Review is ongoing and was delayed by Covid, but we are hoping to hear the results in December this year or early next year. We are hoping that, at the least, the Review finds there is evidence to show that yoga works.
In the meantime, here is the latest update to the stakeholder group from the review, led by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd. Evidence evaluations for yoga are still being finalised, but looking at the other therapies will give you an idea of the process:
Natural Therapies Review – update
At the tenth stakeholder update teleconference on Friday 11 August 2023 the Department advised the evidence evaluations for naturopathy Review A, tai chi and yoga were being finalised and research protocols were being prepared for Buteyko, Bowen Therapy, Feldenkrais and kinesiology.
The naturopathy Review A evaluation has now been finalised as have the research protocols for Buteyko, Bowen Therapy and Feldenkrais.
Links to the protocols are available on PROSPERO at the links below along with the comprehensive protocol for Naturopathy review B (previously the summary was only available):
Buteyko: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=466774
Bowen Therapy: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=467144
Feldenkrais: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=467191
Naturopathy review B: https://crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=410906
The evidence evaluations for tai chi and yoga and research protocol for Kinesiology are still being finalised and we will advise when they are completed.
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