Population Health Sciences

More adults are using complementary and alternative medicine in England but access is unequal, finds survey

Use of practitioner-led complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as acupuncture, massage, osteopathy and chiropractic treatment, rose from 12 per cent of the population in 2005 to 16 per cent of the population in 2015, according to a survey led by researchers at the University of Bristol's Centre for Academic Primary Care. However, access to these treatments was unequal, with women, those who are better off and those in the south of England more likely to use CAM.

Concern over unregulated high street health checks that may be putting extra pressure on the NHS

An investigation by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), highlights companies are offering private blood tests for a range of conditions and deficiencies, with some making misleading claims, not backed by evidence, and leaving an already overworked NHS to follow up “abnormal results". In a linked opinion article, experts from the Universities of Bristol and St Andrews highlight several areas of concern and argue that private blood testing companies need clear regulation to prevent more poor quality, over-hyped testing with harms to individuals and unnecessary costs for the NHS.