 Recent articlesOn the 3rd Aug, the Govt launched a UK consultation on the regulation of practitioners who offer acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine in the UK. Read the Dept of Health press release.... The Understanding your Eating Programme has been developed from research carried out by Julia Buckroyd, Emeritus Professor of Counselling of the University of Hertfordshire. It is designed for people who are aware that their over eating is driven by emotions rather than by hunger. Patients whose pain is not improving should have access to a choice of different therapies including acupuncture, structured exercise and manual therapy
Professor Peter Littlejohns of NICE
This guideline is about the care and treatment that people who have persistent non-specific low back pain can expect from the NHS in England and Wales to help them manage their pain As therapists we all have our own individual mix of talents, skills and abilities. I’d like to bring you a flavour of the essence of my work as a healer - by means of three insights: 1) the underlying ethos, 2) some student feedback 3) signposting to further details and information. Information on the Government funded tax-free payment available for mothers-to-be to help stay well & healthy in the latter stages of pregnancy. When I first came across an ad in Massage World for a new cushion system to be honest I didn't really give it a second thought;just a set of cushions I mused. What I didn't realise at the time is quite what a huge impact these cushions would have on my therapy business! The thing that makes each one of us unique as therapists is obviously the amalgamation of our life experiences. I can honestly say no experience has been wasted even if it wasn’t pleasant at the time! Unlike other regression therapies Past Life Therapy is not hypnosis and nor is it necessary to believe in past lives. Instead, all that is required is an open mind and the willingness to use metaphor as a way to bring unconscious processes to light. Why should you take time out to have a treatment? Life is busy and there are great demands on you from work, studying, traveling, household chores and family needs. Surely there are more important things to do than indulge oneself with a treatment........? LaStone Therapy was introduced to the UK in the late 1990s. Now it is a much sought after therapy. Diana Walsh, a trained LaStone Therapist gives an insight into this powerful treatment. Stressed? Done one run too many? Your computer your worst enemy? Local sports massage therapist, Sharon Lorimer could be the answer. Ever seen a treatment advertised and wondered what on earth it was all about? Don’t know your ayurveda from your zero balancing? Well here is your reference list for all things complementary. Manual Lymphatic Drainage - not a job for a plumber, but a skilled therapist with a specialism in cancer care. Mary Goodfellow takes us through her day.. Dancing the 4 Elements with Biodanza - a path of discovery and integration.
Biodanza is an integrative dance therapy; it is music, movement and feelings. It makes use of the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water as archetypes and is a means of self exploration. Recognising a Stroke - Act FAST The Healing Hands Network work in Sarajevo, Bosnia and are dedicated to the relief of suffering caused by war and disaster. Read about this beautiful country and its people. If you are interested to help HHN's work please contact them (details at the end of the article). If you ever need reminding of muscular anatomy then these are two great books with superb diagrams. Suitable for practitioners and student alike, at least one of them should be on your reference book shelf. Visit Articles/General to see more. Already ancient philosophers were convinced that it is not so much the events in our lives that cause us problems but the views we hold about these events. Read here more about how your thoughts influence your well-being. Dance has been an integral part of my life since I was a small child. I found such joy and freedom within it that I was hooked from the early age of three. Looking back, what I now see is that through dance, I found an inner calm, stillness, and an ability to connect with the universe as a whole. | Low Back Pain - NICE Recommend Acupuncture and Manipulation (source: BBC)Published May 27, 2009 by libby.callaway
[Talk about it]
Patients whose pain is not improving should have access to a choice of different therapies including acupuncture, structured exercise and manual therapy
Professor Peter Littlejohns of NICE
Patients with persistent low back pain should be offered acupuncture, massages or exercises on the NHS, says guidance. It is the first time the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has explicitly backed the use of complementary therapies. The rationing watchdog said evidence suggests they help and will be cost effective if doctors stop providing less proven back services like x-rays. The move was welcomed by some charities and experts but criticised by others. Low back pain is a very common problem affecting one in three adults in the UK each year, with an estimated 2.5 million people seeking help from their GP. For many people the pain goes away in days or weeks. But for some, the pain can persist for a long time and become debilitating. NICE says anyone whose pain persists for more than six weeks and up to a year should be given a choice of several treatments, because the evidence about which works best is uncertain. Complementary therapies In addition to painkillers and regular advice to stay active and carry on with normal activities as much as possible, patients, together with their doctor, can decide to opt one of three complementary treatments. This includes up to eight exercise sessions or 10 sessions of acupuncture over 12 weeks, or a course of manual therapy, which includes up to nine sessions of spinal manipulation, mobilisation or massage. Professor Peter Littlejohns, NICE Clinical and Public Health Director said NHS providers now had the opportunity to look at the services they provide and decide what changes are needed. He said: "There is variation in current clinical practice, so this new NICE guideline means that for the first time we now have the means for a consistent national approach to managing low back pain. "Importantly, patients whose pain is not improving should have access to a choice of different therapies including acupuncture, structured exercise and manual therapy." Patients who fail to benefit from their first choice may be offered another of these options, he said. If that doesn't work, they can try an intensive treatment programme combining exercise and psychological therapy. Contentious He said the costs to the NHS would be minimal - in the order of £77,000 - because they are offset by the savings in terms of reducing future disability and healthcare needs and moving away from treatments with little supportive evidence. The guidelines, which apply to England and Wales, say doctors should no longer offer spinal x-rays or MRI scans or injections of therapeutic substances into the back for non-specific low back pain. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy welcomed the guidelines, as did Dr Dries Hettinga of the charity BackCare. He said: "This offers a real choice for patients. "This guideline will help patients understand what treatment and care can help them with their back pain and shows that there can be a positive outlook for treating this condition." But others were critical of the recommendations. Professor Edzard Ernst, an expert in complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School, said he was surprised by the guidance and particularly by NICE's recommendation of spinal manipulation. "It feels as though the panel was biased in favour of this approach thus over-rating its effectiveness and under-estimating its risks which can be considerable. In my view, a critical risk benefit analysis of the most reliable data fails to come out in favour of chiropractic. "We must remember that no optimally effective treatment for back pain exists." |