Patients call for NHS Complementary Therapy

 

by Deborah Miarkowska

In essence Fairtrade and ethical fashion practices and complemetary therapies all have a common theme and that is a sense of holism at their core and the need to treat  how we relate to each other and our natural resources with respect and care. 

The overall aim is to create a sense of wellbeing albeit in fairtrade business practice through the chance to support oneself through trade not aid and receive the benefits of healthcare and schooling that are  at the core of fairtrade business practice. In ethical fashion design the focus is on the use of materials and processes that are kind to our planet, that  fashion design and production needs to look at it’s environmental impact.  Complementary therapies again treat the individual as a whole being as part of their environment and not simply as a part gone wrong.  What we are aiming to acknowledge is that all humans exist in whatever their circumstances within an interrelationship between physical, spiritual and mental health.

Having previously written and published on the need for holistic practice in healthcare I was interested to discover this review.

A year-long pilot scheme in Northern Ireland has found that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can offer significant health improvements to NHS patients.

After receiving CAM treatments on referral from their GP, 81% of patients reported an improvement in their physical health and 79% in their mental health. The majority of patients, 84%, directly linked improvements in their health and wellbeing to the CAM treatment they had received and 94% said they would recommend it to others with a similar condition.

The 713 patients, with a range of ages and demographic backgrounds and either musculoskeletal or mental health conditions, were referred to relevant CAM therapies via nine GP practices in Belfast and Londonderry. The therapies included acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, homeopathy, reflexology and aromatherapy administered by local practitioners. The scheme was implemented by social enterprise Get Well UK, which aims to improve access to complementary therapy on the public health service.

Patients assessed their own health and wellbeing pre and post therapy and GPs and CAM practitioners also rated patients responses to treatment and the overall effectiveness of the scheme.

Independent analysis of the findings showed:

• Patients receiving acupuncture treatment reported an average 33% improvement in their health and wellbeing

• Patients receiving chiropractic and osteopathy treatment reported an average 38% improvement in their health and wellbeing

• Patients receiving homeopathic treatment reported an average 54% improvement in their health and wellbeing

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Complementary and Alternative Medicines Pilot Project Evaluation, February 2009.

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