Policy Number: SRP 036
Policy Name: Complementary and Alternative Therapies
Status: Not Funded
Effective Date: 1st April 2024
Next Review Date: 1st April 2029
Mid and South Essex ICB does not fund standalone treatments using complementary or alternative therapies. This restriction applies equally to primary and secondary care provision, and GPs must not prescribe such products e.g. homeopathic remedies/supplements/desensitising injections on FP10s.
Complementary therapies are seen by an increasing number of people (with increasing requests for treatment) as a more holistic and ‘natural’ approach to dealing with a variety of complaints. Attractions include the comparably longer interaction time with the practitioner and the belief that such therapies will work, affecting a complex mix of factors impacting on health. However, there is much uncertainty about benefit/effectiveness, evidence of complications for some therapies and considerable grounds to suspect other adverse effects may occur. Since conventional medicine also aspires to a holistic approach, this means that some alternative therapies should be considered where evidence exists.
The types of complementary therapies covered under this policy include Homoeopathy, Acupuncture, Osteopathy, Biofeedback, Hypnotherapy, Chiropractic Therapy, Massage, Reflexology, Clinical Ecology, Aromatherapy, Herbal Remedies, Chinese medicines, Psychotherapy and Meditation. Whilst there is some evidence of clinical benefit for some complementary therapies such as acupuncture, osteopathy, biofeedback and hypnotherapy for certain conditions these are considered to be a low clinical priority for funding.
Some procedures may be available through services in hospices and hospitals as part of a palliative care package; these are usually through charitable services and not part of commissioned services. Some patients may also be treated as part of an integrated conventional and complementary service for a specific condition where these are commissioned.
Those listed below* are considered experimental and investigational because there is inadequate evidence in the peer-reviewed published medical literature and the effectiveness of these approaches has not been established and will not be funded. This list is not exhaustive and other treatments not listed here but that are considered ‘alternative’ or ‘complementary’ therapies will be considered in the same way.
These services/procedures have been assessed as a Low Clinical Priority by MSE ICB and will not be funded unless there are exceptional clinical circumstances.
Individual funding requests should only be made where the patient demonstrates clinical exceptionality.
Further information on applying for funding in exceptional clinical circumstances can be found on the ICB website.
*The following alternative medicine interventions are considered experimental and investigational because there is inadequate evidence in the peer-reviewed published medical literature and the effectiveness of these approaches has not been established and will not be funded.
- Acoustic therapy for anxiety/depression
- Active release technique
- Acupressure
- Alexander technique
- AMMA therapy
- Amino acid injections for pain management
- AmpCoil device
- Antineoplastons
- Anti-oxidant function testing (e.g., Spectrox™)
- Actra-Rx
- Apitherapy
- Applied kinesiology
- Aromatherapy
- Art therapy
- Aura healing
- Autogenous lymphocytic factor
- Auto urine therapy
- Bee sting therapy
- Bioenergetic therapy
- Biofield Cancell (Entelev) cancer therapy
- Bioidentical hormones
- Biomagnetic therapy
- Biophotonic Therapy (light emitting diodes [LED]) (eg, Celluma)
- Bovine cartilage products
- Brain integration therapy
- Buteyko breathing technique
- Carbon dioxide therapy
- Cari Loder regimen (lofepramine plus phenylalanine with B12
- Cellular therapy
- Chakra healing
- Chelation therapy for Atherosclerosis
- Chung Moo Doe therapy
- Coley’s toxin
- Colloidal silver
- Colon hydrotherapy
- Colonic irrigation (colonic cleansing, colonic lavage)
- Color therapy
- Comprehensive muscular activity profiler (CMAPPro) for evaluation of soft tissue injuries
- Conceptual mind-body techniques
- Craniosacral therapy
- Crystal healing
- Cupping
- Dance/Movement therapy
- Denneroll posture regainer
- Digital myography
- Ear Candling
- Egoscue method
- Electrodermal stress analysis
- Electrodiagnosis according to Voll (EAV)
- Emerg Auto-Emersion-Therapy mattress
- Equestrian therapy
- Essential Metabolics Analysis (EMA)
- Essiac
- Exosome therapy
- Faith healing
- Feldenkrais method of exercise therapy (also known as awareness through movement)
- Flower essence
- Fresh cell therapy
- Functional intracellular analysis
- Gemstone therapy
- Gerson therapy
- Glutathione
- Glyconutrients
- Graston technique
- Greek cancer cure
- Gua Sha (scraping therapy)
- Guided imagery
- Hair analysis
- Hako-Med machine (electromedical horizontal therapy)
- Hellerwork
- Hivamat therapy (deep oscillation therapy)
- Hoxsey method
- Human placental tissue
- Hydrolysate injections
- Humor therapy
- Hydrazine sulfate
- Hydrogen peroxide therapy
- Hypnosis
- Hyperoxygen therapy
- Immunoaugmentive therapy
- Infratronic Qi-Gong machine
- Inhalation aromatherapy
- Injection of vitamin B and trace elements for the treatment of chronic pain syndrome
- Insulin potentiation therapy
- Insulin sensitivity therapy
- Intravenous ascorbic acid (compounded) for chronic pancreatitis
- Intravenous curcumin infusion for the treatment of cancers and all other indications
- Intravenous magnesium for the treatment of fibromyalgia
- Intravenous micronutrient therapy (Myers’ Cocktail)
- Intravenous vitamin C infusion
- Inversion therapy
- Iridology
- Iscador
- Juvent platform for dynamic motion therapy
- Kelley/Gonzales therapy
- Laetrile
- Laughter therapy
- Live blood cell analysis
- Macrobiotic diet
- Magnet therapy
- MEDEK therapy (also known as Cuevas Medek Exercises (CME)
- Megavitamin therapy (also known as orthomolecular medicine)
- Meridian therapy
- Mesotherapy
- Micronutrient panel testing
- Millimeter wave therapy
- Mirror box therapy
- Mistletoe (Iscador)
- Motor imagery for stroke rehabilitation
- Moxibustion
- MTH-68 vaccine
- Muscle testing
- Musgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI) method
- Music therapy
- Myotherapy (myofunctional therapy)
- Neural therapy (neural tension technique/electroneuromedular medicine)
- Neuralgo-Rheum injection for neuropahtic pain and all other indications
- NUCCA procedure
- Ozone therapy
- Patricia Kane (PK) protocol
- Pentoxifylline plus vitamin E for the treatment of trismus in individuals with scleroderma
- Pfrimmer deep muscle therapy
- Pharmaco-puncture (herbal acupuncture)
- Pilates
- Placentophagy / placenta capsules
- Polarity therapy
- (Poon’s) Chinese blood cleaning
- Primal therapy
- Psychodrama
- Purging
- Qigong longevity exercises
- Ream’s testing
- Reflexology (zone therapy)
- Reflex Therapy
- Regenokine therapy
- Reiki
- Remedial massage
- Revici’s guided chemotherapy
- Rife therapy/Rife machine
- Rolfing (structural integration)
- Rubenfeld synergy method (RSM)
- 714-X (for cancer)
- Salt room therapy
- Sarapin injections
- Shark cartilage products
- SleepEasy’s Neuro-Somatic Therapy for the treatment of insomnia
- SonoKinesthesia treatment
- Spascupreel injection solution
- Supportive oligonucleotide technique (SOT) for cancer treatment
- Telomere testing
- Therapeutic Eurythmy-movement therapy
- Therapeutic touch
- Thermal gas injection (as a component of physical therapy)
- Thought field therapy (TFT) (Callahan Techniques Training)
- Thermogenic therapy
- Trager approach
- Transcendental meditation
- Traumeel preparation
- Trichuris suis ova therapy
- Tui Na
- Ultraviolet blood irradiation for use in integrative/functional medicine, and all other indications
- Urban Zen Integrative Therapy
- Vascular endothelial cells (VECs) therapy
- Vibrational essences
- Vibratory pads (vibratory stimulation)
- Vibro-acoustic therapy
- Virtual reality procedural dissociation
- Visceral manipulation therapy
- Weighted blanket for panic disorder
- Whitcomb technique
- Whole body vibration
- Wilderness Programs
- Wurn technique/clear passage therapy
- Yoga
- Zeel injection
*Adapted from the AETNA Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy.