Complementary therapy funding?

[EquineArcher77]

Hello all

Has anyone here had success securing funding for complementary therapies through their local NHS dept? Eg: shiatsu, acupuncture, homeopathy etc etc.

I currently have Shiatsu massage to help relieve my FMS pain and symptoms, but at nearly £50 a go I can only afford one session every 6 weeks. I have been tried on a whole host of tablets and pills to relieve the pains etc, but nothing so far has worked.

If there is a way of securing funding somehow to help me out I'd love to know it!

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Rach

[charlie_red]

Oh I will be following this. I go for a weekly massage which is £70 a month. Would be good to know of there is any funding available.

C x

[Fibrofoggiest]

Hi there, I live in Devon and our practice will refer people for chircopractic treatment, not osteopathy, not massage or anything else. Sadly as I have osteoporosis my GP sensibly wouldn't refer me. I think it is all down to the funding arrangements made with the local PCTs so you could check with your surgery, but you probably have already tried that.

Sending positives vibes your way

Foggy x

[EquineArcher77]

Thanks guys. Seems odd that they will happily fling packets and packets of tramadol, voltarol, diclofenac and amitryptiline my way (which altogether cost thousands) yet don't seem to want to entertain the idea of paying £50-100 a month so I can get my massage and not take the pills!

Really appreciate the replies x

[Fibrofoggiest in reply to EquineArcher77]

I couldn't agree more, but for me a combination of both would be more realistic .......... If only !!

Foggy x

[Betty67]

Not funding and only available some times and places but do you have any training colleges looking for volunteers for students. Worth looking out for.

[EquineArcher77]

Not sure Betty, although my first thought is that I'm not sure I'd want people practicing on me! I know they have to practice on someone, I just would dread having my symptoms accidentally exacerbated. x

[Ian123]

Can I suggest Personal Health Budget nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourc... as an area worth searching for funding

[EquineArcher77]

Ian this is fab, thanks. Now I have to place to start (that place being my rude and unsympathetic GP!) Thanks again x

[Ian123 in reply to EquineArcher77]

The Care Commissioning Groups (CCG ) formerly called PCT are the next layer of bureaucracy above GP's should that meeting not go as well as hoped.

CCG map of England england.nhs.uk/wp-content/u...

[TheAuthor]

Hi EquineArcher77

I sincerely hope that you are feeling well today? My GP gave me a paid for referral to a Chiropractor (initial 4 sessions and a max of 10) whereby I had massage, acupuncture and various other stuff that I had never heard of? The result was a meeting with a private consultant who diagnosed my Fibro.

I want to wish you all the best of luck and I genuinely hope that you find the answers that you are looking for.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken

[mimiwen]

I was referred to the Royal Hosp for Integrated medicine (the old Homeopathic hosp) in Holborn, and had homeopathy & acupuncture there. The problem is that the NHS will only fund treatment for 6 months. My consultant managed to get me a year of treatment but after that she had to discharge me. I was referred there again a few years later by my neurologist but the same thing applied. It's better than nothing of course, but the whole point of complementary medicine is that you have it for a long time - for as long as you need it, even if that's forever. In China, you have acupuncture while you're well to stop you getting ill, not the other way round.

[EquineArcher77]

Thanks all for the great responses, I'll let you know how I get on x

[Mdaisy]

Hello Equinearcher77,

Please can I provide you with this link to our FibroAction evidence based Complementary Factsheet;

fibroaction.org/News/New-Co...

Hope it is of interest

Emma

FibroAction Administrator