doctors support acupuncture

Access to acupuncture for NHS （the National Health Service） patients should be widened, the British Medical Association (BMA) says in the report 'Acupuncture: efficacy, safety and practice'. The association is calling for nation-wide guidelines on use of the treatment following research which suggests it is successful in easing back and dental pain, migraine, nausea and vomiting.

A survey of GPs showed 58% had arranged complementary or alternative therapies, including acupuncture for their patients.

The BMA has carried out a two year study of acupuncture and other complementary and alternative medicines and says they now need to be integrated into the NHS.

The government's advisory body the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) should look at all alternative therapies next year, the BMA adds in a report.

Among other proposals in the report is a national register of all acupuncturists who are medically or non-medically qualified.

The BMA also wants to see regulatory procedures for acupuncturists strengthened and recommends better training for GPs in the benefits of the technique.

Though it found the chances of adverse effects and infection were low but physical injuries could be avoided by better training, particularly on the location and depth of major organs and sterilisation techniques.

Acupuncturists follow either the traditional Chinese approach or Western methods and there are a number of different practices and schools of instruction.

Among GPs surveyed, acupuncture was the most common form - others included osteopathy and homeopathy - and it was usually performed in GP surgeries, pain clinics or physiotherapy departments.

Just 5% of cases were referred on to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

Of the GPs asked, 82% said they had "very little" or only "basic" knowledge of complementary medicine, but half wanted to learn.

The report said: "There is a need for greater consensus on the part of the government, Department of Health, NHS Executive, the medical profession, and acupuncture organisations to provide guidelines and agree how acupuncture and other complementary and alternative medicine services can be integrated into the UK healthcare system."

More high quality research into the effectiveness of acupuncture is needed. It is thought that NICE is well placed to consider acupuncture.

Greater use of acupuncture would save the NHS millions of pounds each year, he said.

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