Astrology

I find a glass or two of wine helps in all sorts of situations- I suppose it's my first line alternative therapy! And as absent says, lots of things resolve themselves spontaneously ( with dogs and horses as well) and are erroneously linked to an alternative therapy. As for aromatherapy, I put badedas in my bath - I find that the very act of a long bath, bubbles and its perfume, altogether, help me relax, unwind and feel better. As for Reiki, as I said, I had no idea what it was supposed to do - so it relieves pain? What sort of pain in what sort of circumstances? There is no evidence I am aware of. With acupuncture, there has been a great deal of research and yes, it does work for some types of pain. So the placebo effect and the fact that many health problems resolve themselves without treatment explain rationally why some people think an alternative treatment has worked. Why does this matter? Because some people may delay getting treatment for symtoms that are serious and also because most alternative therapies are unregulated and can, and do, make misleading claims as to their effectiveness.

I think that alternative therapies definitely have a place on the NHS. There is a trend for the NHS to become impersonal and not to be treating the whole person.

When my DH was dying in hospital I had to keep reminding the staff that he had once been a dynamic man with a fine mind and a huge amount of life experience. They were treating him as a body and not as an individual.

I have taken a Reiki Course in healing and while my husband was in the hospital I gave him some healing where the cancer was in his esophagus. He relaxed visibly and said "this cancer is too strong for it" but he acknowledged that something good was happening and it gave him some relief, mentally and physically.

Homeopathy has had a bad press but it means that a patient can sit and talk to a professional without feeling time pressured. The human mind is complex and I believe that each person has a soul, in there somewhere. Call me a bit daft if you like but I would like to see a sign over each patients' bed giving listing their hobbies, star sign,spiritual orientation etc., and not just their name.

Apart from anything else it would give the staff and visitors something to talk about with the patient.

When my DH was in hospital his bed number was 13. I kept on and on to have this removed because in our culture 13 is an unlucky number. I couldn't believe that the staff treated me as a nusiance over this but eventually someone listened, probably one of the wonderful foreign nursing auxiliaries) because I eventually found the sign on the floor half under the bed.

I would love to see hospitals where healers went about offering help where asked for and lots more priests, vicars, nuns etc., giving solace and comfort.

Agree Absent that many infections etc clear up of their own accord.

That's the word I was struggling for Ruby - acupuncture (had a very exciting but tiring day yesterday so brain a bit overworked) . Have used it successfully with horses in the past using a reputable practioner. Also a dentist friend of mine has used hypnotherapy successfully on patients with needle phobia.

I'm surprised by those who haven't heard of the pain relieving power of Reiki.

Lots of infections, illnesses and conditions clear up of their own accord after a period of time. If you have placed your faith in what is supposed to be "water with a memory", homeopathy could very easily convince you that it worked. And Reiki?

Anya Acupuncture.

I've used aromatherapy in the past with good effect. Clary Sage on a burner or sprinkled in a bath can lift the spirit when feeling down.

It worked for my dog as well durhamjen. Difficult to see how that could be explained by the placebo effect.

Homeopathy worked for me.

I've heard of Reiki but don't know anything about it. What does it work for?

Reiki. Yes, it does work.

Annie some alternative therapies do work. There's that one with needles, which has been shown to ease pain and I gave personal experience of Reike when I injured my knee. I believe I needed my Chakras balancing.

No Annie, it cannot and does not work for some people - or any people. There is not a shred of evidence. What may work is the placebo effect but this has inherent dangers in the medicalisation of all problems and the belief that there is a pill for every ill.

Anniebach - my description of 'water dripped onto sugar pills' is an accurate one - by the time the homeopathic dilution levels are reached there isn't a single atom of any substance other than the water in the dose. The only thing that can be achieved with such a 'remedy' is placebo effect, pure and simple.

I had some teeth extracted in the London Homeopathic Hospital many years ago - but the treatment I received was purely conventional medicine. Oh, there was a corridor lined with dusty books and a bust of the German Samuel Christian Friedrich Hahnemann (1755-1843) who came up with the notion - it was at least less harmful than the bloodletting which was standard treatment in the early 19th Century - but that was all the homeopathy I encountered there!

.i disagree feetlebaum, one either believes in a thing , does not believe or is unsure . I believe homeopathy can work for some ailments, you do not , I assume by your opinion of water dripped onto sugar pills you are not undecided or unsure

I think he has a point. It would save the NHS a fortune. All the gullible people would look up their horoscopes and see that they will be well tomorrow, so not go and clog up the Dr's surgeries.

A side effect of this would be that the national IQ of future generations would also be raised by several percent.

[ducks]

Someone pointed me to an article about this in The Telegraph this morning.

I'm quite receptive of learning new things, and today I learned that Russell Grant, or some of his associates, must advertise in the Telegraph.

@POGS - Homoeopathy is easy: some water dripped onto sugar pills, and flogged to the gullible... It's the old 'like cures like' nonsense, that had people putting their heads down the privy to ward off the plague...

No Anniebach, an atheist person doesn't BELIEVE there is no god - he or she is indifferent to that particular unsupported notion, as to many others. Belief plays no part in it.

It's not a wind up.

For those that believe Eton boys are intellectually superior and more suited to high office than the rest of the population, this man must surely throw doubt on that.

He is a fervent supporter of astrology, homeopathy and traditional Chinese medicine, believing that all should be available on the NHS. benefits.

He has apparently stated that "blood does not clot under a full moon" and that malaria, HIV, TB and many other serious illnesses are suitable for homeopathic treatment.

He says that astrology is part of the tradition of medicine - well so are a lot of things (like taking ground rhino horn to cure impotence) but that doesn't mean they work.

He has apparently complained that the BBC "seeks to promote a science perspective". Well, shame on the BBC!

Tredinnick is also an advocate of homeopathy and chiropractice as well. What's really frightening is that is on the Health Select Committee, the Science and Technology Select Committee, and is Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Integrated Healthcare.

It's a disgrace that about £4m a year is wasted in this way. There is not one shred of evidence that it works any better than placebo. NHS Choices now uses 'treatment ' to describe it. Before the recent revision the entry had been more favourable after an intervention by Charles but finally it was altered to reflect scientific reality.

Elegran

I know very little about homeopathy but there are NHS hospitals and some GP's practices where it is being used.

I had a friend who believed in homeopathy and she always looks healthy, she never pushed her belief onto us and I never asked!

annsixty, no I didn't mean he was in anyway right to suggest something so stupid , I was referring to the many who do believe in astrology and am uncomfortable when they are scoffed at. I do not bother even to read horoscopes

Russell Grant to diagnose your ailments, anyone?

But even if the NHS had plenty of money, who would want this dangerous nonsense peddling?