By Raymond Perrin DO, PhD. Registered Osteopath and Specialist in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME, Founder and Director of the Perrin Clinic, Hon. Senior lecturer in the Department of Allied Health Professions at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston.

By Charles Peers, Osteopath, Plymouth PCT (BSc (Ost), BSc (Hons))

Musculoskeletal conditions are believed to account for 30 per cent of GP consultations - with back pain sufferers the largest presenting group. An effective, integrated and streamlined management programme is likely to provide dividends in terms of efficiency if provided in primary care. The Musculoskeletal Services Framework (MSF) advocates managing musculoskeletal complaints predominantly in primary, rather than secondary care.

By Dr Sara Eames, former GP and Director of Education and Women’s Services, The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, and a fellow and council member, Faculty of Homeopathy

Within the NHS, homeopathy is practised both at hospital level and also by GPs within their own practices. There are five homeopathic hospitals (in London, Glasgow, Bristol, Tunbridge Wells and Liverpool) which have been part of the NHS since its inception. They are unique in that they are staffed by conventionally trained doctors, who have additional training in homeopathy and other complementary therapies, and only receive referrals from other medical colleagues. This has led to a gradual specialisation in the treatment of patients who have not been helped by conventional methods for a variety of reasons, including contra-indications, unacceptable side effects and the lack of effective treatments.

By Mike O'Farrell, Chief Executive Officer, British Acupuncture Council

Who would have thought that a White Paper from the Department of Health (DoH) defining the regulation of health professionals ("Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century") would also include specific guidelines and recommendations for some complementary medicine therapies and practitioners - yet that is exactly what has happened in February this year!

By Adrian White, Clinical Research Fellow, Primary Care Research, Peninsula Medical School, and Editor, Acupuncture in Medicine

Acupuncture is increasingly seen as an option for treatment of chronic knee pain that has not responded to first line interventions. Researchers from various international centres met in Kyoto recently to review the considerable body of evidence on the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.

Peter Dixon, Chairman of the General Chiropractic Council

Chiropractic: why should commissioners bother to implement Musculoskeletal Service Framework strategies using chiropractors?

By Gilly White, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)