British Columbia will become on Tuesday the first Canadian province to offer acupuncture treatments as a supplementary benefit to low-income recipients of premium assistance under B.C.'s Medical Services Plan.

"Acupuncture is recognized worldwide as a safe and effective way to treat or manage a variety of health conditions," said B.C. Health Minister George Abbott.

He said the inclusion of acupuncture 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.

One of the world's oldest healing practices, acupuncture treatments aim to restore and maintain health through the insertion of thin sterilized needles under a patient's skin.

It looks to stimulate or sedate certain points of the body, thereby treating ailments such as nausea or back pain.

Vancouver-based naturopathic physician Dr. Pushpa Chandra welcomed the move and said acupuncture has become mainstream in Canada.

"A lot of studies have concluded that it works better than conventional treatments in some cases."

In B.C., premium assistance benefits are available to eligible residents with a combined family income of $28,000 or less.

MSP reimburses premium assistance recipients $23 for each supplementary benefit visit, to a combined maximum of 10 visits in each calendar year.

Dr. Harvey Hu, president of the Qualified Acupuncturists and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association, said he hopes the move will increase understanding of the benefits of acupuncture.

There are about 1,200 acupuncture practitioners registered in the province.

With files from the Canadian Press