British Medical Acupuncture Society

BMAS House
3 Winnington Court
Northwich
CW8 1AQ

Tel: 01606 786 782
Fax: 01606 786 783
Web: www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk
Best time to telephone: 9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday

The Society provides information about medical acupuncture and its applications. At the moment anyone can call themselves an acupuncturist and start advertising and practising acupuncture immediately, regardless of qualifications or experience. The Society believes that acupuncture should be practised as a branch of medicine by a practitioner who is fully registered to treat western medical conditions as well as being fully trained in acupuncture. The Society believes that a medical practitioner is safest for three reasons:

• A qualified doctor has been trained in the whole of medicine and can identify which patients have a condition requiring urgent medical treatment. He or she will not hesitate to advise a patient if acupuncture does not seem suitable.
• You can be sure that a qualified doctor has the necessary anatomical training and will follow the correct hygiene procedures with sterile needles to eliminate the risk of transmitting infections such as AIDS or hepatitis.
• A medical practitioner will be able to communicate with other doctors such as the patient's GP or hospital specialists who may also have been consulted. He or she will be able to gain access to medical records or x-rays and can order further investigation if it is indicated.

A family doctor should be able to advise on the nearest medical acupuncturist. If he or she does not know this then you can contact the BMAS office at the address given above.