Advertisements claiming acupuncture and craniosacral therapists are treating long-term coronavirus infections have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority. At the same time, an Instagram post claiming that acupuncture and vitamin B12 treatments could “bite away the fatigue, brain fog, and gut issues” caused by the disease was also banned.
by Russell Hope, news reporter
Wednesday 30 August 2023 03:18, United Kingdom
Advertisements for acupuncture and craniosacral therapy have been banned for making misleading claims about treatments for long-term coronavirus infections.
Craniosacral therapist Joe Llewellyn’s paid Facebook ads and Instagram posts included claims that craniosacral therapists perform long-term treatments COVID.
Meanwhile, an Instagram post from Peachy Acupuncture said that acupuncture and vitamin B12 administration can “bite away the fatigue, brain fog, and gut issues” caused by the disease.
Facebook ads and the website for Serenity Acupuncture in Budd also say acupuncture may be used to treat long-term coronavirus symptoms.
The Craniosacral Therapy Association (CSTA) describes the therapy as a “gentle but powerful” treatment in which the practitioner places a gentle hand on the patient and “uses it to listen.”
CSTA said on its website that the sessions leave patients feeling “calmer, energized, clear-headed, and have an increased sense of well-being.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated the ad as part of its wider work on long-term coronavirus treatments.
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The watchdog said craniosacral therapy is being used to treat long-term coronavirus infections because it believed anyone who saw the ad might believe the therapy was “an effective treatment.” He called for “robust scientific evidence” that it can be done.
Joe Llewellyn removed the ad after being contacted by the ASA and admitted he had “underestimated the level of evidence required” to make the claims in the ad and post.
In the absence of such evidence, the ASA said it “concluded that the advertisement was misleading and therefore in breach of the Code”.
Long coronavirus ‘ruined my life’
The ASA said Peachy Acupuncture also failed to meet the standard of evidence “required for the type of claims being made”.
The company said it was careful not to make claims that it could treat long-term coronavirus infections, adding there was “significant evidence” that acupuncture could help alleviate symptoms.
However, the ASA acknowledged that Serenity Acupuncture did not have enough data to know whether acupuncture was an effective treatment for long-term coronavirus infections Link to resource by the British Acupuncture Council He said he provided it.
“In any event, we did not consider this to be sufficient evidence to substantiate the efficacy claim that acupuncture can treat long-term coronavirus infections,” the ASA said.
Symptoms of long-term coronavirus are wide and variable and can include “shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, brain fog, anxiety and stress”, according to the NHS.
According to the Office for National Statistics, around 1.9 million people, or almost 3% of the UK population, have “self-reported long-term coronavirus symptoms” that lasted more than four weeks after first contracting coronavirus in March this year. It is said that he was
