In what is a breakthrough for CAM in the UK the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the independent body that advises the NHS on the best care to be used in each condition, has recommended the use of acupuncture and spinal manipulation (chiropractic, osteopathy) for the early treatment of persistent non-specific low back pain. NICE has made a number of recommendations for does and don’ts about a range of interventions for LBP. It is satisfying that at last an institution like NICE has recognised the potential benefits of such treatments, something the public have been increasingly doing for many years now. There is room for far greater inclusion of effective, low risk, low cost CAM therapies for whole range of conditions treated in primary care in the future.
Copies of NICE’s full recommendation can be obtained here:
http://guidance.nice.org.uk/index.jsp?action=folder&o=44335
EFCAM is a federation of European CAM associations
