Survey shows people are turning to natural remedies

According to a survey carried out by honey makers, Rowse, 61 per cent of British people questioned said they'd prefer to use natural products for common ailments than prescription drugs. For instance 72 per cent of them said that they would use honey and lemon to ease cold symptoms, 58 per cent chose garlic for lowering blood pressure and boosting the immune system and just under half chose to drink pomegranate juice for a healthy heart.

Even I consider that these are very high figures. Apparently over 2,000 adults were questioned in the YouGov survey. It seems that despite massive profits of pharmaceutical companies and doctors' seeming willingness to keep prescribing drugs for everything, the public is voting with its feet.

Many people feel that it's enough being bombarded with environmental pollution and pesticides on our food, without having to take chemical drugs as well.

All that's going on is that people are realising that there are simple remedies for many common ailments, such as honey and lemon for colds, manuka honey for digestive problems and ulcers, and St John's Wort for depression. And if you've got the ingredients in the house then it seems cheaper and simpler than going to the doctor for a prescription.

So while on the one hand complementary medicine is being squeezed by some medical professionals, on the other it is becoming increasingly popular. It is even widely used in the NHS. Every other year the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health runs an award for the best example of integrated health in the NHS.

The excellent examples of integrated approaches to healthcare include the 2007 winner, Midlothian Sure Start, where support for families with young children included lessons on cooking healthy food. Among those chosen last year and previously have been mental health services using complementary therapies including aromatherapy, and an addiction clinic that used acupuncture and hypnotherapy to rid people of their habits.

This is not whacky medicine, but caring and supportive healthcare going on all over the country. Visit Frances Ive's website: www.healthysoul.co.uk

Stop beating up complementary medicine

Perhaps it's too strong to call it a war, but there is definitely a lot of battering of complementary medicine going on. There is a group of doctors and professors (some of whom have retired) who really have it in for homeopathy. They have written to the Chief Executive of the NHS complaining that homeopathy should not be available on the NHS at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital and the four other homeopathic hospitals around the country.

They also wrote to Primary Care Trusts who in many cases have withdrawn their funding so that patients who were getting the benefits of complementary medicine on the NHS have had their treatments stopped.

1. They make the point that the NHS cannot afford these treatments, but homeopathy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and other therapies actually save money by preventing chronic illness.
2. The cost of running these hospitals is tiny (£6 million a year) compared with the entire budget for the NHS (£100 billion).
3. The homeopathic hospitals specialise in other therapies too, not just homeopathy - nutrition, herbal medicine, reflexology, acupuncture etc.
4. The doctors say that homeopathy doesn't work - try telling that to the thousands of people who use it and have great benefits.
5. Because a treatment is not scientifically proven doesn't mean it doesn't work. Homeopathy works for animals and they can't tell you how they feel or recognise a placebo.
6. The public want freedom of choice and do not always want to be matched up to drugs on a doctor's computer program.

Read more about complementary therapies, nutrition and preventative health on Frances Ive's website: www.healthysoul.co.uk