Written question asked by George Howarth (Labour) on Tuesday, 17 April 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 April 2012. It was answered by Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 24 April 2012 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department considers the Perrin Technique to be an efficacious treatment for the symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis; and whether it is available as an NHS treatment.

Answer: Decisions on the commissioning of complementary and alternative therapies and treatments on the national health service are a matter for the NHS locally. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline suggests there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that complementary therapies are effective treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) so do not recommend their use. However, the guideline acknowledges that some people with CFS/ME choose to use complementary therapies for symptom control and find them helpful.It is the responsibility of individual clinicians to decide whether a particular treatment option is appropriate for an individual patient, in discussion with the patient and based on the available evidence.

Secondary information