Lianne Aquilina left, Fan Chih middle, Dr Hsing Yi Teng right.

Yes, I was recently invited to South Kensington for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant to meet Mrs Amy Tso from Herbprime and her colleagues from Taiwan: Dr Hsing Yi Teng, the Director of Chinese and Western medicine at NUWA Fertility Centre, and Fan Chih, a pharmacist and researcher who is undergoing further studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

I participated in a 40-minute interview covering various topics related to acupuncture practice for fertility, including discussions on herbal medicine.

What type of questions did Fan Chih ask you and Dr Hsing Yi Teng?

Some of the questions we received focused on common medical conditions, which seemed to be shared between the fertility populations in the UK and Taiwan in our patient samples. This particularly included ageing fertility, women undergoing IVF with ovarian reserve issues, unexplained subfertility, recurrent implantation failure, and stress and anxiety management.

Dr Hsing Yi Teng highlighted that yin xu (a TCM diagnosis) was a common presentation at the fertility centre. In contrast, although this is indeed a TCM diagnosis within my sample of patients, I often identify patterns such as blood xu, spleen qi xu, dampness, cold, and phlegm (among others, along with many concurrent conditions or patterning).

NUWA Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic within the Fertility Medical Centre, Taipei City, Taiwan

Can you tell us about the integrated care services?

Regarding context, the way a professional TCM herbalist typically operates in the UK differs from how a TCM doctor functions in Taiwan (in my opinion). In Taiwan, practice is fully and comprehensively integrated. Databases store medical records with a substantial output of research. All under one roof, so to speak, there are ongoing cross-referrals, with, for example, hundreds of fertility-based herbal prescriptions per week for one herbalist.

NUWA Lab, Fertility Medical Centre, Taipei, Taiwan

An interesting discussion took place about drug-herb interactions, where I explained that, for example, historically, a notice had been issued by an invitro fertilisation (IVF) clinic in the UK advising their patients not to take herbal medicine because a small sample of women had lower than expected fertilisation rates. The IVF clinic stated that, upon further investigation, the common factor was that these women had all taken herbal medicines. However, unfortunately, no further information has been shared on this.

It is important to note that the UK has approved supplier schemes to ensure the good quality of individual herbs and formulations, which could otherwise be adulterated or contaminated. It’s crucial to visit an herbalist who supplies the public with herbs sourced from an approved supplier scheme and that are quality-controlled. Herbal medicines should be prescribed through a consultation, by law. This is because Chinese herbs in the UK are unregulated and do not necessarily pass any quality control testing. Dr Booker, an expert in the field of ethnopharmacy, pharmacognosy and advisor to the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), often emphasises that it is vital to only use herbs supplied by reputable companies with a good track record for quality.

It was interesting to hear that, with a physician prescribing hundreds of herbal formulations per week for women undergoing fertility treatment, there were no adverse drug-herb interactions that were associated at all with poor fertilisation rate, and that herbal medicines are a vital part of patient fertility care and women’s success.

This conversation sparked a discussion about a potential research project, potentially involving data mining to investigate extensive data on herbs and drugs used together in women’s fertility healthcare. A significant and impressive dataset is available for assessing safe practices and developing clinical guidelines. I should also mention that a similar discussion took place a few years ago with Associate Professor Qin-Hua Zhang, Director of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department and the Reproductive Department at Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and myself. She was not also only surprised by the statement like Dr Hsing Yi Teng was but also strongly disagreed with the prohibition of herbal medicine and the idea that adverse effects occur when prescribed professionally. Further knowledge on drug-herb interactions and sharing safe practices in the fertility sector is essential. Clearly, herbal medicine is used as a stand-alone treatment for fertility. Dr Booker and I spoke, and he ultimately pointed out that drug-herb reactions can be known but also unpredictable, which is why it is crucial to take a detailed case history and respond appropriately if a reaction occurs.

Charles Mak, a lecturer in Law, described in “Chinese Medicine in the UK at a Regulatory Crossroads” that the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) represents one notable attempt to foster excellence and patient protection; however, he outlines that with voluntary regulation, membership remains optional, and its authority extends only to practitioners who choose to join. The Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture (ATCM) UK is currently seeking the quality mark of an accredited register by the Professional Standards Authority for its registrants.

You mentioned discussing research on acupuncture and herbal medicine. What did you talk about?

I outlined UK evidence-based and leadership models, whereby, unless there are, for example, (though this has been disputed) around two randomised controlled trials of high-quality design, all treatments will remain controversial at the industry level and will not be given the green light to proceed/be implemented in day-to-day fertility services like they are in Taiwan or China. People can learn more about the context of IVF in the UK at the HFEA.

Acupuncture is popular among those facing fertility issues. When carried out by a specialist fertility acupuncturist, this treatment notably improves well-being and lowers stress levels. Although more research is necessary and some aspects of the study designs can be modified, existing research indicates a positive impact on birth and clinical pregnancy rates. Nevertheless, the evidence quality remains insufficient for a definitive conclusion in the UK. I reviewed the evidence on acupuncture in IVF many years ago, focusing on the critical appraisal of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. This information is available through our corporate member, the British Acupuncture Council’s Research database. At that time, I classified the intervention as mixed (amber) within that framework; however, it’s important to recognise that this “mixed” classification reflects variability in research design rather than the overall effectiveness of the intervention.

What type of research do you think is necessary?

I have designed a proposed pragmatic randomised controlled trial that incorporates recommendations from a design analysis of the current evidence base and industry quality standards, but I also think a network meta-analysis would be a valuable method to evaluate the overall evidence and the latest research, aligning with the health sector’s quality standards. This method is similar to how the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) commissioned an examination of treatment management for endometriosis. Additionally, a new retrospective study on acupuncture has been published, showing some benefits of acupuncture – you can read more about this here. Do you recall the piece I wrote for the SaTA regarding the launch of NICE real-world data? “Informing NICE Guidance: Introducing NICE Real-World Evidence Framework,” and certainly, projects with this methodology are encouraged.

A topic of great interest during the interview was dosing, particularly in relation to acupuncture. The findings shared indicate that acupuncture dosage during ovarian stimulation seems to be beneficial, although it is not as widely recognised as one might think.

In real-world clinical practice, an acupuncturist must consider a range of strategies beyond the medical framework; these are vital to their qualification, scope, and remit. This involves aligning their TCM diagnosis and treatment planning with medical diagnoses and treatment stages. It can be quite complex for those not specially trained in traditional Chinese methodologies; strategies such as these are integral to clinical practice.

Thank you, Lianne. It sounds like an excellent meeting!

Overall, it was a wonderful interview and meeting. I was honoured to have the opportunity to discuss and share clinical activities, research, and political contexts (there is more to discuss on this), to exchange experiences, and to compare how a modality of complementary or integrated medicine functions in our different countries. Future projects and collaborations are essential, and this can definitely be achieved.

The Science and Traditions Association encourages collaboration within the research community and values diversity and inclusivity. It was uplifting to embody the SaTA ethos and explore a range of ideas for future research that would be insightful, impactful, and valuable in the fertility sector, both from a clinical and regulatory perspective.

Lianne Aquilina RDN, Dip Ayurveda Therapy, BSc Hons Acupuncture, MSc Applied Health Research, PG Dip Herbal Medicine, MRCHM, MATCM, MBAcC, MBMAS

Lianne Aquilina is an ayurvedic therapist, acupuncturist, and herbalist. She is the founder of Aquilia Acupuncture and Jien Plant-Based Healing. Lianne is the co-author of the internationally best-selling textbook “Acupuncture for IVF: An integrated approach to treatment management.” Lianne has undertaken various leadership roles, including clinical and research supervision, guest lecturing, organisational board positions, and guideline advisory roles. She is a Trustee for the Science and Traditions Association UK.

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This was followed by Sandro Graca who provided a practical summary of recent acupuncture research for fertility – fantastic for those of us working in the reproductive medicine field! SaTA member Dr Lily Lai presented on her PCOS research and how this has evolved her approach to treatment in the clinic. Poster prizes were awarded by the OGKA (the Austrian Society for Controlled Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Evidence Based Acupuncture (EBA) to two extremely deserving projects – the 1st prize to Chantal Blaser from Zurich who presented her quantitative analysis of the most frequently used acupuncture points by TCM practitioners in Switzerland. The 2nd prize was awarded to Joan Boccino from New York who presented her work on her acupuncture outreach project in Guatemala exploring the use of auricular acupuncture for diabetes and other common conditions. Well done to both prize winners and good luck for your future research projects! For more information about next year’s TAO Kongress on sports medicine, fertility and longevity visit their website: https://www.tcmkongress.at/en/Home.

For more information:
JAMA RCT on acupuncture and sciatica

IBS and acupuncture RCT

RCT on Acupuncture before planned induction of labourht

Lily’s PCOS research

Prize winner Chantal Blaser

Prize winner Joan Boccino

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On 12th September 2025 we held the SaTA annual conference. The theme was “Connecting and collaborating in TCIM research”

Firstly we enjoyed a keynote speech from professor Nicola Robinson (pictured), followed by three oral presentation sessions and a poster session. We also had an update on development at SaTA. Professor Robinson talked about her long and illustrious career, which involved a wide range of collaborations and flagged the importance of making those connections and not being afraid to contact people and ask for help.

The standard of the research presented was exceptional and the trustees judging the best oral and poster prize had a really tough job. The winner of the poster prize was Lesley Ward from Northumbria University who presented the Gentle Years Yoga trial, and the winner of the best oral presentation was Nick Lowe with an analysis of the clinical registry and case report data for the clinical outcomes of acupuncture.

The abstracts for the work presented, and some of the presentations, are available on the SaTA website
We had some great discussions in the Q&A sessions around various topics. Some of my personal highlights included talking about how research and interventions can be tailored to particular populations, for example Anna Cheshire who talked about people living with Long Covid, or Lesley’s work on yoga and how to make this appealing to older people. We talked about the importance of including people with lived experience in our research. Another interesting discussion was around the importance of publishing negative studies. A number of different presentations highlighted the value of including qualitative research methods into trials, where they can help to explain findings and what challenges were faced in the trial. We also talked about the role that health economics can play, even in small studies not just randomised control trials.

There was some discussion around the challenges of being a practitioner researcher, and this was flagged as an area which maybe needs some more research done on it. An interesting suggestion was to collect routine patient data and then take it to a university who you want to collaborate with – coming with a ready-made data set can really boost your chances of finding a collaborator.

If you missed the conference and would like to watch the recording, please email [email protected]

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by Aile Trumm

Curative hypnotherapy remains a mysterious and underexplored therapeutic realm, often shadowed by stigma and lack of research. The stigma surrounding hypnosis and hypnotherapy prevails despite the evidence of its effectiveness in alleviating pain and Irritable Bowel Disease complaints. Despite gaining popularity among people who can afford private therapy, currently in the UK, hypnosis or hypnotherapy is not recommended in mental health by NICE guidelines, which could be a symptom of the lack of underlying epistemological clarity, clear definitions and peer-reviewed publications.
To understand Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy, we must first provide a theoretical and epistemological underpinning and a clear definition of Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy. This in turn provides a building block for further research.

Exploring the Epistemological Landscape:

Hypnosis has long been entangled in misconceptions and controversy. The ambiguity surrounding the definitions of hypnosis and hypnotherapy further complicates the landscape. While some emphasize suggestibility and altered states of consciousness, others, like Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy, focus on individual experiences and subconscious exploration.
At the core of Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy lies a departure from dualistic biomedical paradigms. Unlike traditional approaches that segregate physical and mental ailments, Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy views them as interconnected, originating from subconscious misinterpretations of life events. Drawing from phenomenological principles, it delves into the subjective experiences of individuals, aiming to uncover and rectify these misinterpretations. Essentially, Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy posits that physical and psychological symptoms stem from subconscious beliefs, shaped by past experiences. These beliefs, often erroneous, manifest as symptoms to fulfil subconscious needs. Through hypnosis, Lesserian therapists guide individuals to explore and reinterpret these beliefs, leading to symptom resolution at its core (Hypnotherapy Training College, 2022; Trumm et al., 2024).
In essence, Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy seeks to permanently resolve issues by addressing their subconscious roots. Unlike traditional diagnostic-driven approaches, it treats each individual holistically, delving into their unique subconscious landscape to facilitate healing (Trumm et al., 2024).

Conclusion:

In exploring the epistemology and theory of Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy, we pave the way for a deeper understanding of complementary and alternative therapies. This theoretical clarity directly impacts translational medicine by elucidating the positioning, mechanisms, and theories underpinning hypnotherapy. Enhanced clarity and understanding of hypnosis and hypnotherapy benefit alternative medicine practitioners, researchers, specialists, and professionals in nursing, psychiatry, and psychology. By bridging research gaps and clarifying epistemological foundations, we lay the groundwork for future advancements in therapeutic discourse (Trumm et al., 2024).

Note: Aile Trumm wrote the Definition and Theory of Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy with the help and support of Helen Lesser, Dr Catherine Aicken and Dr Laetitia Zeeman. Available at:
Hypnotherapy Training College. (2022). LCH Explained – What is Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy? https://www.lesserian.co.uk/lch
Trumm, A., Zeeman, L., Aicken, C., & Lesser, H. (2024). The Definition and Theory of Lesserian Curative Hypnotherapy. The Hypnotherapist.

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By SaTA Trustee Lianne Aquilina

Lianne reviews the evidence behind current clinical guidelines for endometriosis and finds that some key limitations appear to have been missed. She then summarises the current evidence for acupuncture for endometriosis, which suggests some benefits.

What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition defined by the occurrence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. This endometrial type of tissue grows in different parts of the body. During the menstrual cycle, these cells mimic the endometrial cells of the womb lining by building up and breaking down.

This results in bleeding outside the womb in parts of the body and places where no bleeding should occur. Unfortunately, this results in pain, inflammation, and scar tissue.

Endometriosis is classified as hormone-related. The exact cause of endometriosis remains unknown.

Endometriosis can cause severe pelvic pain, period pain, heavy bleeding, and pain during and after sexual intercourse. Pain can occur during a bowel movement and urination. There may be rectal bleeding or blood in the urine. Women can experience abdominal bloating and fatigue. Endometriosis can also lead to fertility problems. Other symptoms suggestive of endometriosis include cyclical cough, chest pain, shoulder tip pain, and catamenial pneumothorax.

It is important to note that this chronic condition can seriously affect a woman’s quality of life, including their physical, psychological, emotional health and wellbeing.

Although there is currently no cure for endometriosis, treatments are offered to ease the debilitating symptoms. The European Society of Reproductive Medicine (ESHRE) highlights that treatments can offer partial or temporary pain relief and that symptoms often reoccur after discontinuation of treatment.

Treatment Options

The treatment management of endometriosis outlined by the National Health Service includes over-the-counter painkillers, the prescribing of medication, hormone therapy, and surgery.²

The ESHRE update for treatment management of endometriosis states that there are limitation reasons for caution around the evidence base for this condition and that therefore, no firm recommendations could be made on the most appropriate treatment.³

Pain Management

It should be noted that there are weak or strong healthcare recommendations for the management of endometriosis-associated pain based on the limited evidence base. For example, a weak recommendation for the use of analgesics (paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) based on “very low-quality” evidence, or a strong recommendation for surgery to reduce endometriosis-associated pain based on limited evidence.

Some medications have shown promise but have not been proven, and can have severe, dose-limiting side effects.

Recently, a systematic review and metanalysis published on acupuncture for endometriosis found that acupuncture was beneficial for pelvic pain and menstrual pain. The quality of the evidence is considered low. However, in the grand scheme of the available quality of evidence based on which treatment options and recommendations are made, acupuncture in a research output is more than a promising intervention.⁴ Acupuncture treatment for endometriosis demonstrated clinically relevant improvements in pelvic pain. More about this later…

Acupuncture

Traditional Acupuncture

An acupuncturist’s perspective of endometriosis includes complexity, albeit manageable. Diagnosis and treatment strategy are based on the collection and differentiation of an individual’s presenting symptoms, including psychological and emotional context.

Patterns of disease can generally be subclassified as endometriosis due to Blood Stasis and Qi Stagnation, endometriosis due to Cold Stasis, endometriosis due to Blood Stasis and Heat, damp heat, and/or Kidney Deficiency. These pathophysiological mechanisms are associated with the quality, consistency, and flow of “blood.”

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Endometriosis: A Systematic Review

A systematic review of acupuncture found insufficient evidence on the overall effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion for endometriosis. The researchers found that studies were of low to moderate certainty. The studies showed acupuncture may improve endometriosis pain-related symptoms and improve quality of life, with few adverse events presenting. Acupuncture plus conventional therapy indicated greater improvements for patients. However, more research is most certainly required to explore this finding.¹⁴

Acupuncture for Endometriosis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

In 2023, a review found low-quality evidence for a positive impact of acupuncture on endometriosis. Low-quality evidence means that you cannot be certain of the positive effects that were found. The researchers concluded that acupuncture was beneficial for endometriosis-associated pelvic pain (low certainty) and menstrual pain (moderate certainty) and that acupuncture should be considered as a potential treatment intervention.¹⁵  The authors conclude that acupuncture may cause a large reduction in pelvic pain compared to non-specific acupuncture at the end of treatment. It is reported as uncertain whether this reduction in pain continues after cessation of treatment, as studies did not report this. Most studies recounted low rates of adverse events.

Acupuncture and Endometriosis

When it comes to best practice and the care of women with endometriosis for the partial or temporary relief of painful symptoms, I recommend trying acupuncture. Treatment options are commonly tested for efficacy in the clinical setting, and when ineffective, they require trying a range of alternative approaches to ascertain what works and does not work for an individual. Acupuncture is no different.

You may not be aware that acupuncture is a treatment option, mainly as it is not included in guidelines, and sources wrongly state there is no evidence supporting acupuncture as a treatment. It will become evident whether an acupuncturist is helping to manage endometriosis-associated pain and improves a person’s quality of life. Feedback, visual analogue pain scales, and other validated tools can be incorporated to monitor pain reduction within teams.

A primary or secondary healthcare provider can refer directly to an acupuncturist on an accredited health and social care register. Patients can also self-refer to the British Acupuncture Council: “Find Us.”

Lianne Aquilina RDN, BSc Hons, MBAcC, MSc

Lianne is an individual expert for draft healthcare guidelines, consults on evidence base policy development for registered health professions. She is a peer reviewer of research before publication. Lianne’s current research project is exploring the clinical practice of Chinese herbal medicine for threatened miscarriage in inpatient and outpatient hospital settings in China. Lianne is a member of the British Acupuncture Council.

The Professional Standards Authority protects the public by overseeing the regulation and registration of healthcare professionals. The PSA oversees registrant members of the British Acupuncture Council.

Resources:

Endometriosis UK Pain and Symptom Diary

Endometriosis Get Support

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As a novice researcher, I was expecting to be challenged throughout the process. Yet I had not anticipated the influence that being a researcher-practitioner would have at every stage of the project. 

When designing the research project, I made decisions that took into account my role as a researcher-practitioner, such as how informed consent was taken, or choosing to use questionnaires over interviews. These decisions were made in order to reduce participation bias (the desire of the participant to please the researcher). I was aware that a researcher’s beneficence is to society whereas a practitioner’s is to their patients, creating potential conflict where the practitioner’s duty of care to patients should prevail over the researcher’s (Aita and Richer, 2005). With this in mind, I was attempting to separate my role as researcher from my role as practitioner, ensuring both ethical research and practice. At the design stage, I thought these decisions were well thought out, and other than a brief mention in the limitations, no more consideration would be required. 

Before giving informed consent, I advised potential participants to take time to fully read the Participation Information Sheet and ask any questions they may have. Despite such precautions, I still held the dual role of the researcher requesting consent and the practitioner delivering treatments. It was noteworthy that almost all patients gave consent whilst the remaining few did not return for treatments. When reflecting on this, I was aware there had to be some participation bias in these decisions, despite my attempts to mitigate for such eventualities. Did the patients truly have a free choice? Does this impact the ethics of the research? I used my research journal to reflect on these, and other pertinent questions as they arose. In doing so, my understanding of this dual role evolved over the course of the project, which I will further illustrate using examples from my journal.  

At times, I grappled with the internal tension between prioritising the best care for the patient as their practitioner and my interest in the research. For example, when a patient told me of their worsening symptoms, I was immediately curious as to how they would subsequently report their experience of acupuncture. As their practitioner I would usually only be concerned with their symptomatic change. This curiosity felt immediately inappropriate. When reflecting on the experience, I was able to identify the conflict, allowing me to ensure that the patient’s best interests were not compromised. Furthermore, this reflective process allowed me to identify similar events and respond reflexively going forward. 

I decided to utilise questionnaires rather than interviews because I thought their use would reduce participation bias. However, there were occasions when their use challenged my role as a researcher-practitioner. For example, discrepancies occasionally arose between the written responses in the completed questionnaire and the verbal information conveyed to me as the practitioner. I was uncertain whether the cause of these discrepancies was a result of misreading or misunderstanding the questions, or if it was a conscious decision made by the participant. Consequently, I was concerned about the impact of potentially incorrect data on my results. It was only through reflecting on each example in my research journal that I was able to conclude that all data needed to be included as provided. I needed to ensure that any additional insights I may hold as the practitioner had to be disregarded. 

A similar example occurred when I possessed more detailed information concerning the circumstances of a participant’s experience of acupuncture than was reported in the questionnaire. This was frustrating because of the stark contrast between the richness of the data I possessed and the sparsity of the data provided. This occurred towards the end of the data collection period, and by this time, I had reflected on numerous other examples. I was able to respond reflexively, knowing that I was only able to include the written data. 

Neither of these examples would have occurred had I used interviews instead of questionnaires, yet I had dismissed interviews because of the higher risk of participation bias. Would interviews have been the preferable option? I would have already established rapport and trust as the practitioner, allowing for richer data collection. However, participants with negative experiences would be more likely to omit information (Jack, 2008). Both options require a self-awareness of my own bias and power in the relationship alongside reflexivity. In hindsight, I might have included a purposeful sample of interviews nested within a questionnaire study. 

There are interesting lessons to learn from these experiences. A researcher-practitioner has a moral obligation to prevent exploitation by being a reflective practitioner (Costley and Gibbs, 2006). Equally, reflexivity is required to be aware of the complexity and contradictions inherent throughout the research project (Appleby, 2013). Reflecting on the challenges as they occurred was a learning experience and allowed for greater reflexivity as the project progressed. 

At the start of this project, I would have chosen to work in a team and not have to encounter these issues. However, this process has had a positive impact on me. As an experienced practitioner, I am very comfortable with contradictions during the treatment process and respond reflexively where necessary. I have learnt to harness this reflexivity during the research process and accept the inherent challenges; I have grown as both a researcher and practitioner, and this can only have a positive impact on future research endeavours. 

It is often the practitioner that becomes researcher in the world of complementary and integrative medicine and understanding the value of this role is important. As the recent recipient of the George Lewith Memorial Prize, it is fitting to conclude with his thoughts that the “…tension inherent in the identity of being a practitioner-researcher is frequently uncomfortable but it is a vital contribution to deepening our understanding of what constitutes CAM and how we can properly evaluate it” (Lewith et al., 2009 p344).

Aita, M. and Richer, M.-C., 2005. Essentials of research ethics for healthcare professionals. Nursing and Health Sciences, 7, pp.119–125.

Appleby, M.M., 2013. The Nature of Practitioner Research: Critical distance, power and ethics. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 7, pp.11–21.

Costley, C. and Gibbs, P., 2006. Researching others: Care as an ethic for practitioner researchers. Studies in Higher Education, 31(1), pp.89–98.

Jack, S., 2008. Guidelines to Support Nurse-Researchers Reflect on Role Conflict in Qualitative Interviewing. The Open Nursing Journal, 2, pp.58–62.

Lewith, G., Brien, S., Barlow, F., Eyles, C., Flower, A., Hall, S., Hill, C. and Hopwood, V., 2009. The meaning of evidence: Can practitioners be researchers? Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 16(5), pp.343–347.

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Karen Pilkington’s keynote on her adventures with evidence was fascinating and inspiring, and at some points laugh out loud. It was great to reflect on just how far the CAM evidence base has come since the early days of evidence-based-medicine, when innovations included a PC on a trolley being wheeled around ward rounds!

The oral presentations covered a wide range of topics including effectiveness and implementation of CAM, behaviour change and self-management, and CAM in practice, guidelines and integration. There is no way to do justice to the wealth of research presented in this summary, but some highlights for me included:

• A-la Park highlighting the need for cost-effectiveness studies in CAM (and offering to collaborate on these, as a highly sought after health economist)
• The importance of how interventions are reported in CAM studies, which is a currently neglected area, as Jackie James explained regarding reflexology
• The role of lifestyle and behaviour change in CAM interventions, as discussed by both Jo Rochford and Jonquil Pinto
• Developments in integration of CAM into the NHS, including Beverley DeValois’ important work on guidelines in integrative oncology, and Klara Dolakova’s view of integration through an ethical lens.

The poster presentations were fantastic and the presenters did so well to summarise their work in a quickfire 3 minute slot.  The prize judging was particularly challenging this year as they were all of such high quality.  Lovely to see so many students presenting their work.

Graeme Donald and John Hughes led a discussion about feasibility and pilot studies, which is a really hot topic in CAM at the moment. RLHIM are leading this field with many studies conducted or underway. We had a heated debate about the difference between feasibility and pilot studies, and Graeme highlighted his paper on this topic, and that RfPB encourage feasibility and pilot studies for funding of up to £250,000.  SaTA members considering a feasibility study are encouraged to get in touch with us.

We were delighted to award two prizes from the day:

• Best oral presentation was awarded to Jo Rochford from NCA for her work on “The potential for Acupuncture Practice to Influence Behaviour Change in Patients: A Grounded Theory Study”
• Best poster was awarded to Rachael Frost from UCL for “Over-the-counter products for depression, anxiety and insomnia in older people: A scoping review”

Although not awarded a prize, the second highest scoring poster and oral were for delegates from the University of Worcester, who contributed a number of excellent presentations to the conference.

The final Q&A panel discussion covered diverse issues including:

• The need for research showing how CAM could fill the gaps where conventional medicine struggles to be effective – watch this space for an SaTA project on this
• How the field should move on from pilot studies, and the need for better dissemination and a database of CAM pilot studies to enable development and progression rather than duplication
• The importance of educating CAM practitioners in research and how important it is, and medical students in CAM.
• Alternative RCT designs including n of 1 and pragmatic/complex intervention/non pharmacological studies.
• The importance of continuing to encourage collaboration between practitioners and researchers
• The need to evaluate lifestyle medicine.

Finally, John Hughes reminded us:

1. If you would like to join the SaTA please visit www.sata.org.uk/join
2. SaTA members are eligible to apply for the George Lewith prize https://sata.org.uk/about-us/awards/

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