Mental health is one of the foremost reasons for people in the UK to consult traditional acupuncturists. Mental health problems have been forecast to rise significantly as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic and many acupuncture patients, not just those who originally presented with mental health issues but also those suffering physical pain, found it difficult to cope without their treatment.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a new guideline for chronic pain. This guideline was driven by the urgent need to cut down prescriptions of opioids and other painkillers and includes acupuncture as one of the four recommended treatments.