Caitlin Allen Acupuncture

Can you get acupuncture on the NHS?

Did you know that NHS Leeds (formerly the Primary Healthcare Trust), which governs health services in Leeds, has a policy that means you may be able to apply for funding to cover your acupuncture costs? NHS Leeds is the organisation responsible for funding and planning NHS services in the city and improving the health and wellbeing of the local population. They may cover acupuncture costs for patients with migraine headaches, pain from osteoarthritis of the knee or hip, foetal breech presentation, chronic low back pain, nausea in pregnancy, post-operative and chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, post-operative dental pain and temporomandibular disorders. Your GP would have to check that you fit the criteria for funding, details of which are in the Complementary and Alternative Therapy Evidence Based Decision Making Framework. It is also the GP's or midwife's responsibility to check that you have treatment with a registered practitioner. For more details check their website leedspct.nhs.uk or ask your GP for more information.

Hope for future older IVF mothers

UK researchers are planning a trial of a new test for identifying which IVF embryos are most likely to result in a healthy pregnancy. The technique has already been used to achieve seven successful pregnancies in women who had previously been unable to become pregnant with or without IVF. The trial, due to commence this autumn, will involve 90 women under the care of Dr Kamal Ahuja, scientific and managing director of the London Women's Clinic. Preliminary trials of the test, carried out in the US last year, were extremely promising, however, the test remains controversial in the absence of robust evidence to indicate its benefit to couples undergoing IVF. Dr Elpida Fragouli, from the University of Oxford and Reprogenetics, UK, said that her team had so far trialled the test on 35 women with a history of failed IVF attempts and an average age of 42. Of these women 20 per cent achieved a successful pregnancy - more than double that expected for women in this age group and with this medical history. Speaking at the annual meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Amsterdam today, she said of the initial results: 'This represents a doubling of the usual pregnancy rate for women who fall into this category, which is otherwise, at best, under 10 per cent and, at worst, zero. To date, we have two live births from this group, and all the other women who became pregnant have maintained their pregnancies.' The new method, known as Comparative Genomic Hybridisation (CGH), uses a laser to cut a hole at the edge of the egg to remove an extra copy of all the egg's chromosomes from a structure known as the 'polar body'. This can then be examined for chromosomal abnormalities without disturbing the main genetic material of the egg itself. Currently, only one in three IVF treatments will result in a successful pregnancy. Often this is because the egg has an abnormal number of chromosomes, a condition known as 'aneuploidy'. In younger women, 50 per cent of their eggs will have some sort of chromosomal defect. This rises to 75 per cent in women over 40 years old. CGH has several advantages over conventional screening methods: it allows the full complement of 23 chromosomes to be analysed, it doesn't risk disrupting the developing embryo by removing cells, it can be carried out on unfertilised eggs allowing it to be used in countries where embryo screening is illegal and it can be preformed on embryos at the 100-150 cell stage allowing more cells to be tested. Read more at Times online

How To Beat Back Pain

Dr David Devlin in The Independent offers an explanation for common back pain and advice on how to manage this painful condition. In the article he refers to the recent NICE guidelines that recommend GP's consider referring patients with back pain for acupuncture. Leeds already offers some NHS funded acupuncture treatment. Read my article on 'Can you get acupuncture on the NHS' for more information. Acupuncture, in my experience, offers a highly effective treatment for back pain and patients should usually expect a reduction or complete alleviation of symptoms and pain after a course of treatment. The number of sessions you may need will depend on factors such as how long you have had the pain (the longer and more chronic the bad back, the more acupuncture you may need) and whether your lifestyle continues to exert pressure on your back. I often use a combination of massage (using almond oil and often 'woodlock', a Chinese muscle rub) and acupuncture. The massage helps to relax the tissues and muscles and the acupuncture can then work on a deeper level. I also often include heat either by means of a therapeutic heat lamp or by using the burning of a Chinese herb called 'moxa'. Many patients have benefited from this treatment for their back pain, including Michelle. "I first went to Caitlin in March 2005 for help with a back injury I had sustained in a horse riding accident. I had been referred to physio after the accident and attended many appointments but wasn’t getting the results I felt I should. Caitlin was providing treatment for my organisation so I was already aware of the benefits of acupressure massage and acupuncture. Within the first few sessions I was feeling the benefits and was back to full mobility within a couple of months after attending weekly treatment sessions."

Father’s genes ensure good fertility and heathly baby

A new study published in the journal Nature has found that the father plays an active role in ensuring good fertility and a healthy baby. Genes packaged in a special way within the sperm may promote the development of a healthy foetus. This also raises the possibility that factors such as age, health and lifestyle which can damage DNA and genomes may affect fertility. There is hope that this new research may give rise to a new clinical diagnostic test in the future which will help give more information to men and couples who are trying to conceive. Fertility services are usually geared towards women in the UK. Even when there is a sperm issue many clinics keep notes and address correspondence to the female in the partnership. This can make the man feel even less visible and redundant. Women centered fertility services encourage men to keep silent about their fertility and feelings of isolation are common amongst men. This adds to the stigma that they can feel about having a sperm fertility issue. Any research exploring the role of the male in fertility is to be encouraged and hopefully, future tests and advice for men will encourage clinics and couples to feel fertility is a shared issue. Supplements and good diet can make a massive impact on sperm health. Ask me more about this and ensure if you are tying to conceive that you are both taking a good quality fertility supplement.

Access to IVF improves but not in West Yorkshire

Access to IVF for infertile couples has improved over recent years. Infertility Network UK has been working with the Department of Health to carry out research into overall progress made by local health services in fully implementing NICE recommendations. A recent survey showed that 27 per cent of trusts offer the full three cycles of NHS-funded IVF. Although this is a significant improvement from the five per cent of primary care trusts which were meeting this target in 2007, there is 'still a long way to go' says INUK Chair Lewis-Jones. New guidelines aimed at improving access to fertility treatment were welcomed by the UK's new Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron, last week. The recommendations, entitled 'Commissioning Aid for regulated fertility services', and compiled by the Expert Group on Commissioning NHS Infertility Provision and Department of Health (DH), will help commissioners of fertility services to deliver the full three cycles of National Health Service (NHS) funded IVF recommended in the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guideline issued in 2004. In a keynote speech made at a conference in London to highlight the launch of the new guidelines, Merron emphasised the need for three full cycles of IVF in order to gain patient acceptance of single embryo transfer, a measure aimed at reducing the incidence of multiple births for the safety of mother and baby. Hopefully her enthuasism will encourage Commissioners in Yorkshire to take up the NICE guidelines and improve access for IVF. Read more from the BBC