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Doctors in England may soon start prescribing dancing and other art forms to treat a wide variety of ailments. The British government has dubbed this “social prescribing,” an alternative to pills that are so easily prescribed to combat various sicknesses. Booty droppin’ over pill-poppin’.
The unconventional treatment will allow for the establishment of the National Academy for Social Prescribing. The government organization will provide physicians with the resources to help patients, pointing them in the right direction towards different arts and sports.
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British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at a recent think tank that the medical industry should be doing more in terms of preventative care than relying on drugs. Taking dance classes, playing basketball, and enjoying your hobbies are better for you than deferring to pills to get you through your ailments, according to Hancock.
“We’ve been fostering a culture that’s popping pills and Prozac, when what we should be doing is more prevention and perspiration,” Hancock said, according to Smithsonian Magazine. “Social prescribing can help us combat over-medicalizing people.”
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Case studies have shown that engaging in the arts tends to benefit those with certain ailments. People suffering from psychosis, for example, have taken dance lessons and shown improved communication skills as a result. This no doubt makes us want to take a hip-hop dance class to deal with our issues.
The program is expected to begin in the United Kingdom in 2023, but some pilot programs are already underway in the region. Time will tell if this new approach to treating patients will pay off. One thing we know for sure, however, is there’s going to a whole lot more dancing going on in Britain from now on.
