Works on the same principle as acupressure, but using needles on the body sites traditionally affecting energy channels. Becoming more widely used, particularly for pain relief. Includes 'Moxibuston' (uses fire to heat the needles). Regulated mainly by the British Acupuncture Council.
Acupuncture Association Of Chartered Physiotherapists (AACP), tel: 01733 390006, www.aacp.uk.com. Physiotherapists who also use acupuncture. Search for a practitioner on the website.
British Acupuncture Council, tel: 0208 735 0400, www.acupuncture.org.uk. Search for a practitioner on the website.
British Medical Acupuncture Society, tel: 01606 786782 / 020 7713 9437, www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk. Medical doctors who also use acupuncture. Search for a practitioner on the website.
Xinsheng L, Hairui S, Clinical comparison of the acupuncture treatment of cerebral palsy with standard and 'special points' of the scalp. American journal of Acupuncture, 1994. Vol:22,No.3,pp 215-219, Cochrane library 1999.
Duncan B. et al., Parental perceptions of the therapeutic effect from osteopathic manipulation or acupuncture in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Clinical Pediatrics 2004 May;43(4):349-53.
Sun JG et al., Randomised control trial of tongue acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in improving functional outcome in cerebral palsy. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 2004 Jul;75(7):1054-7.
A Cochrane systematic review of evidence on acupuncture in cerebral palsy was begun in 2002. U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus statement on acupuncture in general,
www.acucouncil.org/reports/nih_consensus.htm.
