Relinquishing Control in Health Care | Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews & Chris Dance | TEDxBrighton

[Skycloud]

In their captivating talk Chris Dance and Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews discuss their views on integrating mainstream and traditional medicines and their collaboration which lead to them opening of the UK's first ever integrated health centre. Laura founded with Chris Dance the UK’s first NHS integrated primary care and healing arts centre, based here in Brighton. Alongside their standard medical care, they offer a range of complementary therapies which are integrated into ordinary medical services, and in some cases funded through the practice. They will be talking about the necessity for doctors and practitioners to relinquish control, and take the necessary risks involved to reap the huge gains that an be achieved through integrating different approaches to health. Chris Dance founded with Dr Laura Marshall Andrews, the UK’s first NHS integrated primary care and healing arts centre, based here in Brighton. Alongside their standard medical care, they offer a range of complementary therapies which are integrated into ordinary medical services, and in some cases funded through the practice. They will be talking about the necessity for doctors and practitioners to relinquish control, and take the necessary risks involved to reap the huge gains that an be achieved through integrating different approaches to health.

 

[Skycloud]

This was sent to me by someone who is a patient at this GP surgery in Brighton, UK. They are chronically ill and significantly disabled with complex health needs which are not all met satisfactorily by conventional medicine.

They are extremely grateful for the combination of conventional and alternative healthcare they receive at this surgery, and they are helped by both. Their opinion is tat this GP is a very good one. As far as I recall (not sure) the therapies they have received there are acupuncture and massage for pain.

I thought others might find this interesting.

edit - removed some detail

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

I am sorry to have to say it but this is just two people on an awful do-good ego trip - look at the outfit she is wearing for a start. If people want to be quacks and others want to visit them that may be OK but I cannot see why we should pay for this when people are dying in A/E because it takes too long to get to see them.

The rubbish she spouts about the balance of evidence is just lazy rationalisation.

I understand that massage and acupuncture can be comforting but these are not effective treatments for anything.

They say they are the only centre like this. Hopefully someone in the NHS will notice that this is outside any reasonably policy and close it down and there will not be any more!

 

[Valentijn]

This is the sort of fluff I hate seeing applied to ME, and I doubt it's much better in a general medical context.

Engaging with the arts is also a creative and safe way to help people cope with stress, illness, trauma, addiction and other concerns. Whether creating a simple drawing or collage, looking at art or talking about it, the arts can help you:

• Express thoughts and emotions that can be hard to put into words
• Lower stress and anxiety
• Relax and feel calmer and happier
• Find meaning in life experiences
• Connect with your deeper self, no matter what you are going through
• Form new connections with others
• Create something unique that gives you a sense of pleasure and accomplishment

This seems to be intended as psychotherapy:

We also offer Creative Art Therapy classes run by arts psychotherapist Saskia Neary.

What sort of "wellbeing"? Where's the evidence for it?

Creative arts therapies are used to promote general wellbeing in children, teenagers, and adults.

Again, they're suggesting an impact on physical health without any proof:

Writing, journaling and storytelling are powerful forms of self-expression. They are tools to help you get to know yourself better, and the more you know, the more active a role you can play in your health. The physical act of writing can also be an effective method of de-stressing and has a similar effect on the mind as meditation. Your breathing slows down and you get into a zone where words flow freely from your head.

Oh look, you can boost your immune system by writing! And in case you're wondering, the link to the supposed sources is broken:

Studies show that the act of 'writing oneself' is proven to have mental and physical health benefits in the following areas:

• Coping with life-threatening or chronic illness
• Recovery from addictions
• Eating disorders and trauma
• Repairing troubled marriages and family relationships
• Increasing communication skills
• Developing healthier self-esteem
• Getting a better perspective on life
• Clarifying life goals
• Boosting the immune system

And the magical powers of singing, again with a broken link to the source:

Apart from having a lot of fun singing songs together, they offer their members a tool box of gentle exercises to relax and to free the body, breath and voice. There is a lot of evidence that singing benefits health and wellbeing in many different ways, with over a hundred research projects published in recent years. Research by the Sidney De Haan Research Centre For Arts and Health and others shows that singing improves posture, increases mobility, reduces pain, improves breathing and lung function. It strengthens the immune system, improves mood, relieves depression and isolation, reduces stress levels and boosts confidence.

I'm getting the impression that people who thought it would be a lot of fun to get a performing arts degree have been unable to find work in the field. So now they're desperately spewing bullshit in an effort to convince the NHS (or anyone else) that they should give them money.

 

[Skycloud]

I was very surprised to learn that there was a GP practice like this (I was less surprised that it’s in Brighton). How do they get NHS funding for this? (rhetorical q)

I can’t see that they are able to justify this with evidence of improvement in anyone’s medical condition, beyond subjective report from patients of, for example, feeling less pain, when pain is subjective reported anyway.

They seem to me to be responding to emotional and mental suffering. It actually reminds me in some respects of the way varied alternative therapies, talking therapies and other activities are offered in hospices. They do no good medically whatsoever, but are offered to help with emotional and mental wellbeing. I don’t know if they do help in that way, but suspect many people who experience them say they do, much as the person who sent me this TED talk says they have been helped with their intractable pain.


I understand that only some patients are referred for these therapies on the NHS and suspect they are often the ones that can’t be helped much medically. It's certainly true of the person who sent me this. Potential heart-sink patients, I suppose. Is this any more expensive than sending those people off for talking therapies? Does it reduce these patients use of more expensive GP time? I shouldn’t think they are trying to discover any of that.

I'd lump it in with MUS centres, which some people will be very grateful for, and some people will report as being helpful, and which the NHS seems very intent on giving us all the benefit of.

I'll just add that this GP is thorough medically with the person who sent me this, and they're also under good specialist care, I've no reason doubt that. (Whatever conclusions one may draw about the rest of it.)

edit - change to last paragraph

eta - I could ask the patient for more info about how this operates but can't be bothered unless anyone wants the info.

eta - I didn't mean to imply the NHS are intent on giving us GP practices like this, which is how what I wrote could be read... I think

 

[Jan]

I'd love to be able to access acupuncture and massage on the NHS. It would be a thousand times better than cbt or get! If they can't treat us, why not do something to help us live with it, it might reduce the use of pain meds a little, which can only be a good thing.

 

[Valentijn]

I'd love to be able to access acupuncture and massage on the NHS. It would be a thousand times better than cbt or get! If they can't treat us, why not do something to help us live with it, it might reduce the use of pain meds a little, which can only be a good thing.

Yeah, that wouldn't be too bad. Unfortunately the NHS doesn't seem interested in providing that unless it comes with a side of BS or psychotherapy

 

[Awol]

I'd love to be able to access acupuncture and massage on the NHS. It would be a thousand times better than cbt or get! If they can't treat us, why not do something to help us live with it, it might reduce the use of pain meds a little, which can only be a good thing.

Acupuncture has been available on the NHS for several years.
I guess it may depend on area, but may be worth asking your GP about it if you haven't already?

I also found gentle massage by a qualified physiotherapist very soothing of my neck, shoulder, upper back pain, in private sessions while waiting to be seen by NHS Physiotherapy. This was all before the NICE guideline and set up of the NHS fatigue clinics.

 

[Skycloud]

I'm not sure about acupuncture; there are energy channels flowing through the body?! I'm aware there's been some research but I've never looked into it.

I have tried it a few times because an easy opportunity presented itself and my husband was keen for me to try. I was curious to know what it felt like. I can't say that it helped my pain or anything else and seeing the practitioner was fatiguing.

Interesting weird sensations though.

 

[Awol]

I tried acupuncture in one of the last ditch attempts to improve, partly as it was suggested to me in the NHS rheumatology department for trying to help relieve muscle pain, and partly because a trusted friend recommended an experienced practitioner; but I only managed two or three sessions before crashing to a bedbound state (not suggesting that was because of the acupuncture) and never bothered to follow it up.