Modality taxonomy

Ten channels, ten measures

We group intervention by the physical channel through which it acts on the body, and we specify each channel by the unit it is measured in.

Why a taxonomy

A facility is usually described by the equipment it has bought. We describe it by the channels it can actually dose and verify.

Grouping by channel makes duplication visible: three pieces of equipment acting on the same thermal channel are one capability, not three. It also makes the gap visible, since most schemes carry no way to measure the dose they deliver. Where a modality has no unit and no method, we list it and say so.

Channels in the taxonomy

Intervene on the body

Observes only, held separate

1 unit

Governing measure per channel, minimum

A modality without a unit and a method is a purchase, not a specification.

The nine intervention channels

Each channel carries the unit it is dosed and verified in. Modalities are listed as delivery methods within the channel, not as capabilities in their own right.

Thermal

Heat and cold applied to the whole body or to the sleep surface, dosed by temperature and exposure time.

Governing measure

Air or water temperature in degrees Celsius, exposure in minutes, contrast as ΔT between phases

Sauna

Infrared cabin

Steam

Cold water immersion

Whole body cryotherapy

Contrast protocols

Heated and cooled sleep surfaces

Photic

Light as a biological input rather than as illumination, scheduled by time of day and measured at the eye or at the tissue.

Governing measure

Melanopic lux at the eye, wavelength in nm, irradiance in mW/cm², correlated colour temperature in K

Circadian and tunable lighting

Red light and photobiomodulation

UVB

Bright light therapy

Blue depletion after 21:00

Acoustic and vibrational

Sound and mechanical oscillation delivered through the air or through the body, including the sound that has to be removed.

Governing measure

Sound pressure in dB(A), rating in NR, frequency in Hz, vibration amplitude in mm and acceleration in m/s²

Soundscapes

Binaural audio

Sound baths

Whole body vibration

Low frequency stimulation, Neurosonic type

Noise attenuation

Mechanical and pressure

Force applied to tissue, whether by hand, by machine or by a column of water.

Governing measure

Applied pressure in mmHg, percussion frequency in Hz, contact duration in minutes

Percussion

Pneumatic compression

Massage, manual and robotic

Flotation

Hydrostatic pressure

Cupping

Atmospheric and respiratory

The composition and pressure of inhaled air, from background ventilation to deliberate hypoxia and hyperbaria.

Governing measure

CO₂ in ppm, particulate in µg/m³, ventilation in l/s per person, pressure in ATA, inspired oxygen fraction in per cent

Air quality and CO₂ control

Hyperbaric oxygen

Altitude and hypoxic training

Oxygen bars

Salt rooms

Breathwork devices

Aromatics

Electromagnetic and electrical

Current and field applied to nerve, muscle or bone. The channel where the gap between claim and evidence is widest.

Governing measure

Field strength in mT, current in mA, frequency in Hz, session duration in minutes

PEMF

TENS and NMES

tDCS

Microcurrent

Grounding, no accepted dose measure

Chemical and nutritional

Anything ingested or infused. Specified by dose and route, and subject to clinical governance rather than to design.

Governing measure

Dose in mg or µg per day, route of administration, fluid volume in ml and electrolyte concentration in mmol/l

Supplements

Intravenous drips

Nutraceuticals

Hydration systems

Kinetic and load

Mechanical load generated by the body itself. The best evidenced channel in the taxonomy, and the most often left unprescribed.

Governing measure

External load in kg, power in watts, minutes per week by intensity zone, sets and repetitions

Strength and cardio equipment

Mobility

Exercise prescription

Cognitive and behavioural

Trained attention, breathing and behaviour. Delivered by protocol and coaching rather than by plant, and dosed in adherence.

Governing measure

Minutes per session and sessions per week, adherence in per cent, HRV as RMSSD in ms

Meditation

Sleep coaching

HRV biofeedback

Cognitive training

Measurement and monitoring

Held apart from the nine. These claim to observe the body, not to change it, so they are specified for agreement with a reference method rather than for dose.

Specified by accuracy, not by dose

Wearables, validated against polysomnography or ECG

Sleep staging, reported with epoch level agreement

Body composition, one method held constant across visits

Blood and biomarker testing, accredited laboratory and stated reference range

The taxonomy sets the channel and the unit. The standards each unit is read against, and the method used to read it, are set out in the evidence framework.

Evidence and standards