Coming soon…..
Acupuncture Awareness Week
3rd-10th
March 2014
A new study shows Britain is risking a back pain
epidemic caused by unhealthy habits and sedentary lifestyles. The findings from
a study by the British Acupuncture Council to mark 'Acupuncture Awareness Week'
(3rd-10th March 2014) show that almost 80 per cent of people suffer with back
pain yet admit to behaviours that put their backs under unnecessary strain1.
The study of 5,000 adults found that almost half of the
nation admit to eating on their lap, 40 per cent complain they sit at a desk
all day and over a third admit to watching TV or films in bed. When asked about
their posture, almost a third also admitted they slouch most of the time.
Further results reveal that when it comes to dealing
with back pain, 74 per cent say they repeatedly use painkillers to deal with
their discomfort rather than addressing the root cause of the problem.
Lynda French, a qualified member of the British
Acupuncture Council, comments: “Painkillers often numb the end symptom and mask
the problem but do not address many of the combined underlying causes of back
pain. By stimulating different points of the body, traditional acupuncture can
be extremely beneficial for back pain, providing long term pain relief and
reducing inflammation.”
With 2.3 million acupuncture treatments
carried out each year, traditional acupuncture is one of the most popular
complementary therapies practised in the UK today. Based on ancient principles
which go back nearly two thousand years, acupuncture involves placing extremely
fine, sterile needles painlessly at specific points on the body to trigger a
healing response.
Despite
acupuncture's widely recognised health benefits, many of us are missing the
point when it comes to this ancient Chinese medicine. Statistics show that 41
per cent of people would only consider acupuncture as a last resort and nearly
90 per cent didn't know the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE)
recommends the therapy for persistent,
non-specific lower back pain.
Lynda continues:
"I find that many patients opt for the painkiller route with limited
success before turning to acupuncture. Simple lifestyle changes alongside
acupuncture could save millions of people taking medication every day. It's
important to recognise the impact our behaviour has on our bodies and to make
sure we are fully informed about all treatment options to promote long term
health and well being."
To find out more about traditional acupuncture visit
Notes to editors:
1 One Poll
survey, December 2013
