Hugh Bayley MP launched the York Clinic for Integrated Healthcare
30/08/2011 23:02:54
Hugh Bayley MP at the relaunch
York Central MP, Hugh Bayley, launched the York Clinic for Integrated Healthcare, formerly known as the York Clinic for Complementary Medicine, at a name changing ceremony on Friday 20th May at 11.00 a.m.
The York Clinic has been offering complementary therapies since it opened in 1982. It now has 22 practitioners, offering a range of therapies, including acupuncture, Alexander technique lessons, aromatherapy, Chinese herbal medicine, nutrition, counselling, reflexology and shiatsu. In the past many patients who were receiving these treatments felt they couldn't tell their GP about it because they feared disapproval. This is no longer the case. 'Complementary' therapies are being used to treat people in hospitals and by GPs, and in many cases acupuncture and counselling are available in doctors' surgeries and hospitals.
Two years ago the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), which provides guidance on best practice for doctors, recommended that treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathy should be available on the NHS to treat lower back pain. NICE's decision was based on rigorous clinical research, some of which was carried out at the York Clinic under the supervision of the Clinic Director, Dr Hugh MacPherson. This is the first time that NICE has explicitly recommended the use of complementary treatments. With more than a million people in the UK suffering from back pain, and the majority of those having lower back pain, treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathy offer a low cost, non-invasive effective treatment. Many GPs and hospital specialists have welcomed the new guidelines from NICE.
With 'complementary' treatments increasingly being used alongside conventional healthcare, the York Clinic decided it would be more appropriate to change its name to the York Clinic for Integrated Healthcare. The Clinic has a strong relationship with the University of York through Dr. Hugh MacPherson, the Clinic Director, who is a senior research fellow in the Department of Health Sciences. The Clinic is currently taking part in a clinical trial run by the University to use acupuncture in the treatment of depression, following a successful bid for £800,000 of funding from the National Institute of Health Research.
Hugh Bayley MP says: "Complementary therapies have an important part to play in improving healthcare. There is a core of evidence based research to show that acupuncture, for example, is both effective in treating certain conditions and cost-effective when delivered by qualified practitioners. The York Clinic for Integrated Healthcare combines best practice with a calm, caring environment. I am pleased to see that it has gone from strength to strength."
The naming ceremony included a balloon release, sending good wishes for good health over York, a speech by Hugh Bayley MP, and live music from the local flute group "A Garland of Flutes".