Proven: NHS Study Proves CAM Therapies
We have been campaigning for an integrated [pluralistic] health care system for the last 4 years mainly due to the drug problem, where certain complementary therapies should be made available as mainstream 'first-line therapy' NHS treatment options and now a major UK Government-funded study, carried out in Northern Ireland and commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, concluded there would be a range of benefits to patients if they were given access to complementary and alternative medicine, and that the treatments could save the health service millions of pounds.
In the study, the treatments which were administered after referral from local GPs.
The Health Minister in Northern Ireland has made the independent evaluation report available to download on the Department's website. Within the extensive report there are detailed responses from patients, GPs and practitioners, using a validated audit tool, focus groups and surveys. It goes on to make recommendations about the way forward.
The Results
In the pilot [May 2008], 713 patients with a range of ages and demographic backgrounds and either physical or mental health conditions were referred to various complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies via nine GP practices in Belfast and Londonderry.
There was some comparison of CAMs involved in the study. This showed for instance that of the patients who availed of chiropractic and osteopathy treatments 56% were likely to record an improvement in their level of wellbeing, 77% of those availing of acupuncture and for homeopathic treatments the figure was 79% success (see page 31 of the report).
Key statistics on CAM Health improvement
• 80% of patients recorded an improvement in the severity of their main symptom
• 81% of patients reported an improvement in their physical health
• 79% reported an improvement in their mental health
• 84% of patients linked an improvement in their health and wellbeing directly to their CAM treatment
• In 65% of patient cases, GPs documented a health improvement, correlating closely to patient-reported improvements
• 94% of patients said they would recommend CAM to another patient with their condition
• 89% of patient indicated a desire to continue with their CAM treatment
With many conventional treatments the side-effects can be debilitating, however the experience from this project has been that the side-effects have been positive, beneficial and welcomed by patients, with many of the patients pointing to an improvement in their general mood and overall wellbeing.
Reduction in Drug Use
• 14% reduction in the proportion of patients using medication between the pre and post-treatment stages (i.e. down from 75% to 61%)
• 44% of patients who were taking medication prior to their treatment, had reduced their use of medication
• 55% of patients said that they use fewer pain killers following treatment
• 64% of patients in employment said that following treatment they now take less time off work
• 89% of patients expressed an interest in continuing with CAM, with just 30% saying they would be able to afford to continue (denied access)
Health Service and Social Benefits
• 65% of GPs reported seeing the patient less following the CAM referral
• 50% of GPs said the scheme had reduced their workload and 17% reported a financial saving for their practice
• 50% of GPs said their patients were using secondary care services less
Despite initial scepticism, the GPs involved were almost unanimously in favour after seeing tangible results.
In 99% of patient cases GPs said they would refer the patient, or a different patient, to the scheme again and in 98% of cases GPs said they would recommend the service to other GPs. However, they also called for more information to help build their understanding of CAM therapies.
Crtics say 'the smart people are realising the drug system doesn't work. They are figuring out that taking a lot of prescription drugs multiplies their risk of death, and they are also realising that prescription drugs don't really help them in any significant way. Yes, they might mask symptoms on a temporary basis, but they don't make anyone fundamentally healthier over the long term.
In fact, people are discovering that they feel terrible when they take these drugs. They feel more fatigued; they start having brain fog; their muscles hurt; then they have side effects to treat with more prescription drugs. It's just a cascading set of symptoms and drugs, which is good for profits in the pharmaceutical industry, but doesn't help people'.
No one is arguing against pharmaceutical medications, some medicines do save lives however a sole reliance on these medications is not working but there is no doubt the results from CAM treatments are far superior to those of pharmaceutical treatments but patients are denied access to them.
Blocking Treatments
Critics have also accused GP's and PCT's of being in 'denial' over the effectiveness of NHS addiction treatments due to the scale of the drug and alcohol problem and of 'protectionism' as GP's have been told by their union the BMA to 'freeze the independent sector out of the NHS' to protect their own payments and bonuses rather than referring patients they can't help to 'outside' specialists as they do in the rest of Europe.
Standard Rhetoric
Since 1854 this has been the key threat to the pharmaceutical industry and the reason why alternative treatments are attacked rather than supported by the medical profession who also have a conflict of interests. The next time your hear a medical professional say a CAM treatment is not 'evidence based' or 'scientifically proven' as a reason not to use it, you will know this argument is wrong and they are preaching the medical mantra. In fact, what it does show is they are actively blocking access to these treatments, which has been the standard practice of medicine since 1854, not because they don't work but because they work better than pharmaceutical methods.
We will continue with our efforts to gain NHS recognition for our treatment options which are desperately needed to help with addiction and dependency problems.