Month: January 2020

Categories
Acupuncture

Quarter of youth Mental Health referrals rejected

A worrying trend in mental health.

Young people are being abandoned by NHS services, after a report revealed a quarter of those who have been referred to a mental health specialist have been rejected for treatment.

This is according to the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which revealed as many as 133,000 young people have not been given the support they needed, despite some having a history of abuse or self-harm.

Author of the report Whitney Crenna-Jennings said: “There is a vast treatment gap, meaning the needs of hundreds of thousands of young people in England are not being met.”

The EPI document, which was based on Freedom of Information responses, showed 26 per cent of referrals to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) were rejected due to the fact the child did not meet eligibility criteria.

It went on to say there was “patchy” provision for young people in England, as a result of inconsistency across the services.

Mental health charity Mind told the BBC these findings are “deeply concerning”.

Spokesperson for the organisation Vicki Nash said: “We know that particularly for young people, timely and appropriate help can prevent further issues in later life. Too often the NHS is failing to provide this.”

Access to good-quality CAMHS is essential, as a previous study from Mind revealed three in five young people in the country have either been close to someone with a problem, or have had first-hand experience of one themselves.

It also found that 14 per cent of adolescents between 11 and 19 believe the state of their mental health is poor or very poor.

Acupuncture can help.

As I’ve written about before, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can improve your mental health. Anyone struggling with their mental health might consider, as it has been shown to be effective at relieving symptoms of depression and anxiety. If you want to book in a session, please get in touch

Categories
Acupuncture

Just what is the Opioid Crisis?

Mill Acupuncture offer pain relief options to a variety of different clients who have had problems with, or do not want to use other forms of pain relief – such as an Opioid. Some patients may have chronic pain that necessitates the use of opioids alongside their Acupuncture, and some use Acupuncture as a way of avoiding heavy pain medication.

The opioid crisis in the US has received a lot of attention from a broad range of sources, and some areas have looked at the potential pf acupuncture to help patients.

States looking to cut opioid prescriptions have been experimenting with extending Medicaid coverage for acupuncture as another option for pain treatment. When Vermont commissioned a small pilot study on acupuncture for chronic pain in its Medicaid population, it concluded that 32 percent of people taking opioids for pain cut back. They were eligible for up to 12 treatments over two months.

The opioid crisis in the US has seen a spike in the number of people dying from opioid overdoses in the past decade. Over 40 per cent of these were as a result of prescription opioid use. There has also been a rise in the incidence of new-borns experiencing withdrawal syndrome due to opioid use and misuse during pregnancy.

In 2017, a national emergency was called over the opioid crisis in the US, which has led to increased focus on opioid prescription in the UK. However some doctors are concerned that mismanaged pain could lead to increased mental health issues and suicide among patients.

Categories
Acupuncture

Can you have Acupuncture while Breastfeeding?

Those looking for acupuncture in Cheshire in the postpartum period, may be interested to know if they can have acupuncture while breastfeeding?

There are a number of reasons women may
have acupuncture while breastfeeding. Some may wish to use it as a drug-free
treatment for sciatica pain or pelvic girdle pain that hasn’t cleared up after
the pregnancy ended. Some may want to use it to treat problems they are
experiencing with breastfeeding itself. So, what is the evidence for using
acupuncture while breastfeeding?

Traditional Chinese medicine argues the
case for acupuncture used at specific sites can promote the production of
prolactin and oxytocin. These two hormones are both involved in the production
of breastmilk. However there is no evidence for the use of acupuncture to help
with breastfeeding problems, in part due to the difficulty in producing a
double blind study using acupuncture as people are pretty aware of whether they
are having needles poked into them!

One study in Poland looked at the impact of
acupuncture on prolactin levels in women who had breast milk secretion for 1-9
years after stopping breastfeeding. It found that the acupuncture’s effect was
not due to prolactin secretion, suggesting using acupuncture for this
particular method of action is unsupported with evidence.

A survey of 50 Swedish maternity units in 2007 found that 60% of hospitals used acupuncture to treat engorgement, 18% used acupuncture to treat mastitis, and 2.2% each used it for painful breastfeeding or to improve milk supply. The authors found there was no evidence to back up its continued use for breastfeeding issues.

One systematic review found that
acupuncture of sites around the ear resulted in a positive effect on milk
production, onset of lactation, serum prolactin, breast fullness, neonate
states, and frequency of newborn urination and defecation. 

There have been no studies done on the
impact of acupuncture applied to the mother on their breastfed babies, though
there have been no reports of adverse effects either. The reason for the lack
of evidence is that there are some ethical issues to do with running studies on
babies that are unlikely to be of benefit to them.

However, observational studies could be
useful here, would have little to no impact on a baby, and the results could be
beneficial for a number of families.

So what if you are looking at using
acupuncture to deal with a problem unrelated to breastfeeding, is it safe? The
answer seems to be yes. This is as long as it is given alone and not alongside
any herbal medicines, which could affect supply or the breastmilk itself.

In fact, acupuncture is often used on
pregnant women due to its drug-free nature, though we would suggest a
specialist practitioner is sought due to the positions a pregnant women can
adopt for extended periods of time being limited, much like with massage.

If you want to talk to us about your
postpartum issues and the options for acupuncture treatment then get in touch
asap so we can go through your needs and design a plan just for you.