Homeopathy, acupuncture and reflexology are among a range of complementary and alternative therapies a new trial concludes should be provided on the NHS.
The major new Government-funded study found there would be a range of benefits to patients in providing access to complementary and alternative medicine, and that the treatments could even save the health service money.
As many as 81% of patients receiving the treatments on referral from their GP reported improvements in their physical health, and 79% in their mental health. (article continues, here)
Key Findings
• 81% of patients reported improvement in their physical health, 79% in their mental health.
• 84% of patients directly linked improvements in their health and wellbeing to the complementary treatment.
• 62% of patients were suffering less pain, with 55% said they had been able to reduce their use of painkillers.
• 64% of patients in employment said they took less time off work after treatment.
• Half of GPs reported prescribing less medication for chronic or acute patients during the trial.
• In 65% of cases, GPs reported a health improvement.
Source: Evaluation of Government-funded pilot project in Northern Ireland, carried out by Social & Market Research (SMR)