A study conducted by the Foundation for Integrated Medicine found that 27 per cent of primary care groups and equivalent bodies in the UK were already providing complementary medicine or had plans to do so.

Of these, almost half say they will develop existing complementary medicine services or introduce new services on the NHS. Eleven per cent had decided to cut their services because they were considered a low priority or because they could not be provided to the whole primary care group area.

The most frequently used alternative therapies were acupuncture, osteopathy, chiropractic and homeopathy, and the NHS regions in London and the south of England used complementary services more than other parts of the UK.

The report says that while complementary therapists need to tailor their services to meet the requirements of the NHS, primary care groups also need to be given more information about complementary medicine as well as central guidance on how to set up services.

Jayney Goddard, president of the Complementary Medicine Association, says it is vital that the provision of complementary medicine throughout the UK is addressed at a national level.

The NHS Alliance, which represents three-quarters of English primary care groups, is keen to develop links between complementary and orthodox medicine.

"We would encourage making complementary therapies available side by side with traditional medicine," a spokeswoman said.

The foundation's report highlights some examples of this kind of co-operation. A practice in East Cornwall is using acupuncture, which it claims reduces physiotherapy referrals and brings down prescription costs.

　　From Health-news.co.uk