To promote Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19th May), The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has partnered with Anxiety UK, the country's leading anxiety disorders charity to launch a joint research project and increase awareness of how traditional acupuncture can help those with anxiety disorders.

From today, patients and the public will be able to choose an acupuncturist belonging to a register vetted and approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. The BAcC's register has been accredited under a new scheme set up by the Department of Health and administered by an independent body which is accountable to Parliament.

Duchess of Cambridge considering acupuncture for nausea/morning sickness.

To find a highly qualified practitioner, contact the British Acupuncture Council www.acupuncture.org.uk/find

Acupuncture Awareness Week
25 February - 3 March 2013

Acupuncture Awareness Week, which takes place from 25 February to 3 March 2013 aims to educate people about how traditional acupuncture can help improve sleep and aid relaxation. Among the 82% of us who admit to sleeping troubles or insomnia, many of us are missing the point when it comes to this ancient Chinese medicine.

With 2.3 million acupuncture treatments carried out each year, traditional acupuncture is one of the most popular complementary therapies practised in the UK today. Yet statistics show that 1 in 5 of us would only consider acupuncture for sleep as a last resort. Almost a quarter of people admit they didn't realise acupuncture could benefit them despite its widely recognised health benefits.

A new report into the effectiveness of the complementary therapies that are commonly used for treating arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions was recently undertaken by Arthritis Research UK.

Twenty-five therapies were considered in the report. Each therapy was scored according to their effectiveness on a scale of one (little or no evidence that it was effective) to five (good evidence that it was effective), based on published data from clinical trials. Effectiveness was measured in terms of improvements in pain, disability or quality of life. In addition the safety of each therapy was graded either green, amber or red.

Acupuncture was found to be most effective for osteoarthritis, low back pain and fibromyalgia