This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine and consists of inserting fine needles into specific points on the skin. The Alexander technique stresses that movement should be economical and needs only the minimum amount of energy and effort.
The different smells and chemical constituents of aromatherapy oils can produce different emotional and physiological reactions. Ayurveda is an ancient healing system from India that uses a range of techniques to treat illness and encourage wellbeing. Bowen is a holistic remedial body technique that works on the soft connective tissue fascia of the body. Bowen therapy can be used to treat musculoskeletal or related neurological problems including acute sports injuries and chronic or organic conditions.
It is gentle and relaxing and does not use forceful manipulation. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.
The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances.
The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. Skip to main content. Complementary and alternative care. Home Complementary and alternative care. Complementary therapies. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page.
Complementary therapies and conventional medicine Use of complementary therapies Philosophies of complementary therapies Why people use complementary therapies How to choose a complementary therapy practitioner Where to get help.
Complementary therapies and conventional medicine Conventional medicine is based on rigorous science and evaluation. Use of complementary therapies Complementary and alternative therapies are estimated to be used by up to two thirds of people in Australia.
Philosophies of complementary therapies Complementary therapies tend to share a few core beliefs, including: Illness occurs if the body is out of balance. When, if ever, should their view outweigh that of experts?
This project and others like it present an opportunity to involve the public and to seek its views about making changes to services to enhance the availability of CAM services in health NHS and social care and if, as anticipated, such changes are sought, about how they may be implemented.
In its e-newsletter dated Sadly, this is not the case. Interestingly, the AHPs listed above include the statutorily regulated profession of osteopathy. This is defined as a Group 1 therapy in paragraph 2. The Group 1 definition also includes chiropractic which is statutorily regulated , acupuncture, herbal medicine and homeopathy yet only osteopathy has been accepted as an AHP.
Might other CAM professions be acceptable too? There have been significant advances in relation to both the regulation and research of CAM in the 17 years since the House of Lords Report was published. Has the time come to reassess the contribution by CAM, perhaps by way of a new House of Lords call for evidence and subsequent Inquiry and Report? It is a matter of record that many CAM practitioners work and practise, often on a voluntary basis, in the NHS and that there is an evidence-base for their safe and appropriate clinical contribution.
In answering this question and while it seems like stating the obvious, NHS Managers and policy-makers could apply the philosophy of Unipart Chief Executive , John Neill , and implement procedures to promote the provision of integrated including CAM health services within the NHS by seeking, listening to and acting upon the ideas of those NHS staff members who hold or approve of appropriate CAM qualifications.
It is common sense to let people use their knowledge and experience , especially when this could lead to a more efficient NHS. Similarly, the NHS could benefit from the integrative CAM treatment services, commitment and expertise of these practitioners.
Logically, this should be a request that it is difficult to refuse not least because CAM is already available at many NHS hospitals, clinics and GP surgeries, for instance to help relieve the symptoms of cancer or the side-effects of NHS prescribed cancer treatment when, incidentally, an Allied Health Professional who is also a qualified and accredited complementary medicine practitioner could, if permitted, provide CAM treatment alongside conventional treatment as part of an NHS approved integrative treatment plan.
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust , London, in its patient information publication Your guide to support, practical help and complementary therapies page 7 , refers to complementary therapies as contributing to integrated healthcare. In the interests of patients and health professionals, the NHS could implement a policy to record and analyse the use of and requests for complementary healthcare within the integrated personal commissioning and personal health budgets schemes.
Information about the professionalism and regulation of CAM practitioners can be viewed on the websites of their respective professional organisations and regulators and, for example, by checking to see if they are registered with a CAM regulator such as the General Regulatory Council for Complementary Therapies , the CNHC or The Federation of Holistic Therapists.
Such concerns are also addressed by Professional Standards Authority accreditation. A preliminary review of some of the evidence-base for CAM including regarding cost-effectiveness may be found in my February blog. Practitioners, their patients and researchers will find it interesting to review the British medical Journal BMJ Clinical Evidence efficacy categorisations where the BMJ seeks to answer the question:.
We also wish to highlight treatments that do not work or for which harms outweigh benefits. Included within it are many treatments that come under the description of complementary medicine e. Is this a fair assessment of the patient outcomes achieved by CAM for the at least 1 in 10 of the UK population who, it is estimated, receive such treatments? Should the BMJ be asked to clarify and substantiate its text? In our view, this is because generating such solutions would require a fundamental change in perspective, an abandoning of certain deeply held principles and assumptions, and the introduction of new ideas and methodologies from disciplines beyond EBM.
This article does not expressly refer to Complementary or Integrated Medicine or Healthcare. This, together with its arguments against bias and for a more flexible approach to EBM, I suggest support the contention that safe, appropriate and evidence-based CAM should not be excluded from treatment options available to a patient.
Another consideration is the disturbing research article published in the BMJ These articles and papers, together with the BMJ and Kings Fund initiatives, demonstrate the need for an in-depth, patient-centred, unbiased and transparent approach to the publication of evidence in support of integrated medicine, to include the combined practise and research of both CAM and conventional medicine. Department of Health Policy Research Programme Project — The effectiveness and cost effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine CAM for multimorbid patients with mental health and musculoskeletal problems in primary care in the UK: a scoping study The University of Bristol :.
I have also attached our Executive Summary. As I said then, this is great news. Many congratulations to Professor Deborah Sharp and to her colleagues. No doubt CAM practitioners and others welcomed the opportunity to provide feedback and to respond to the request for further input to this project.
The Executive Summary , which may be found here , includes the following observation:. Studies are underway to determine the safety and usefulness of many of these practices. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.
Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. On this page Basics Summary Start Here. Learn More Related Issues Specifics. See, Play and Learn No links available. Resources Reference Desk Find an Expert. To minimize the health risks of a non-mainstream treatment Discuss it with your doctor. It might have side effects or interact with other medicines.
0コメント