British Columbia is the first Canadian province to offer acupuncture treatments as a supplementary benefit for its Medical Service Plan (MSP) premium assistance recipients.

"Acupuncture is recognized worldwide as a safe and effective way to treat or manage a variety of health conditions," says Health Minister George Abbott. "(Its) inclusion as a supplementary MSP benefit will ensure that more British Columbians have the ability to explore treatment options that they might otherwise be unable to access."

The move is "great news for the health of British Columbians," agrees Dr. Havey Hu, president of the B.C. Qualified Acupuncturists and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association. "Acupuncture has been used as an effective therapy for thousands of years. We hope this will help to increase knowledge and understanding of (its) benefits."

The therapy, which involves inserting thin sterilized needles under a patient's skin to stimulate acupuncture points, has shown promising results for treatment of nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy and during pregnancy, as well as for migraine headaches, chronic lower back pain and pain from osteoarthritis of the knee and hip.

Premium assistance benefits are available to eligible B.C. residents with a family income of $28,000 or less. MSP reimburses these recipients $23 for each supplementary benefit visit to a maximum of 10 visits per calendar year. Patients are covered for treatments for conditions diagnosed by registered Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture practitioners.