Complementary therapies 'can help women'

Complementary therapies can play a big part in helping women who feel ill, according to one expert.

Mr Michael Dooley, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist who is also the medical director of the Poundbury Clinic, said that alternative treatments can certainly have a beneficial impact on women's healthcare.

His comments came after the British Fertility Society (BFS) issued new guidelines in the journal Human Fertility on the use of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in fertility treatment.

According to the organisation, there is currently no evidence that having acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine treatment around the time of assisted conception increases the likelihood of subsequent pregnancy.

Furthermore, the BFS found there are no published randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness of using Chinese herbal medicine in conjunction with fertility treatment and there is currently no evidence to support the use of this in fertility treatments.

However, similar research published at the same time in the Archives of Internal Medicine entitled A Randomised Trial Comparing Acupuncture, Simulated Acupuncture, and Usual Care for Chronic Low Back Pain showed that acupuncture was effective for chronic low back pain.

Mr Dooley explained: "Complementary therapies can have several benefits. Of themselves, they can improve general fitness and wellbeing. They also make it easier for patients to do the hard things, like change their diet, give up coffee or alcohol, and stop smoking."

He added that some therapies, such as acupuncture, may directly affect how well conventional treatments are going to work.

The expert concluded that he is "convinced" that the way forward for women's healthcare is an integrated approach which involves looking after the whole person.

"Relying on the patient to remain passive while doctors provide some technical fix is not always the best course of action," Mr Dooley concluded.

Posted by Stephen Tate

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