Complementary Therapies for back pain and #fibromyalgia is now available in a number of different ways.
It is important to remember that relief of chronic pain rarely occurs overnight; the healing process takes time, commitment, and an investment by the individual experiencing the pain as well as by the medical and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners treating it. Success in treating chronic pain is increased by the use of an integrative approach.
Complementary therapies (‘alternative’, ‘traditional’ or ‘holistic’ therapies) often claim to treat the whole person, rather than the symptom of the disease. You can, of course, get a few treatments on the NHS via the Pain clinics, but the waiting list is long but well worth getting onto. Some of the treatments available on the NHS are homoeopathy, herbal medicine, reflexology, acupuncture, nutrition, shiatsu massage and aromatherapy.
According to the NHS website on Complementary Therapies – to understand whether a treatment is safe and effective, we need to check the evidence.
You can learn more about the evidence for particular CAMs by reading about individual types of treatment – see their index for a list of all conditions and treatments covered by NHS Choices.
Some complementary and alternative medicines or treatments are based on principles and an evidence base that is not recognised by the majority of independent scientists.
Others have been proven to work for a limited number of health conditions. For example, there is evidence that osteopathy and chiropractic are effective for treating lower back pain.
When a person uses any health treatment – including a CAM – and experiences an improvement, this may be due to the placebo effect.
You can also get some of these treatments from your nearest training college for a quarter of the price of normal salons. There are also a number of voucher companies online that offer discounts in your area for a number of treatments which include spas and beauty treatments.
Our doctors and health services are overstretched as it is whereas most alternative practitioners have time to explore our problems in a bit more depth.
They should never be considered as a replacement for conventional medicine, but the two can certainly go hand in hand. Some treatments are far from ‘new’ with documentation on aromatherapy dating back to 3000 B.C.E.
With so many people now trying out complementary therapies and natural remedies, it’s important that you find out that they are fully qualified.
The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council’s register has practitioners who meet the standards of proficiency for their field. They must also hold professional indemnity insurance, have no criminal record and agree to abide by a code of conduct.
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