Abstract

Unique ready reference for all complementary medicine, massage

therapy and manual therapy practitioners and

students alerting them to ‘red flag’ symptoms

which should be referred for Western medical

investigation or emergency medical treatment.

When can a patient be safely reassured and when

do they need further investigation or treatment?

‘Red flags’ are clinical signs that suggest a patient

needs prompt investigation and treatment for

a potentially dangerous situation. Therapists

increasingly find themselves working alongside

conventionally trained doctors and nurses and it is

vital for them to understand conventional medical

diagnoses, symptoms and treatments and, crucially,

to recognise warning signs of serious disease. This

is essential in order to be a safe practitioner.

Clare Stephenson’s The Complementary Therapist’s

Guide to Red Flags and Referrals meets this need by

providing an easily accessible reference to ‘red flag’

symptoms, designed especially for therapists. It offers

guidance on how best to respond to those symptoms

and signs of disease which can be readily discerned

through routine history taking and basic examination

of the body. The guidance is in language which is

accessible to therapists, and clear advice is offered

on when to refer patients to conventional medicine

practitioners and how to communicate with doctors

when making a referral.

Clinical syndromes which merit rapid response are

summarised for ease of reference.