Letter: Making a point

Sir: You correctly point out that acupuncture is proven to be an effective treatment for a number of conditions. These include nausea and vomiting, back pain, osteoarthritis, neuralgia and angina.

The problem is that anybody is allowed to set themselves up as an acupuncturist regardless of qualifications or experience.

Acupuncture should be practised as a branch of medicine. It is safest to see a medically qualified practitioner for three reasons. Firstly, a qualified doctor has been trained to identify those patients who need urgent medical or surgical treatment other than acupuncture. Secondly, a qualified doctor has appropriate anatomical training and will follow correct hygiene procedures to eliminate the risk of transmitting infections such as AIDS. Thirdly, a medical practitioner will be in a position to communicate easily with other doctors such as the patient's GP or a hospital specialist.

The British Medical Acupuncture Society has only medically qualified acupuncturists as members.

Dr RICHARD HARVORSEN

London WC1