I have just returned from Egypt where I became ill with a abscess. The centre I was treated at for nine days used a more holistic approach, which could very easily have resulted in my death if my partner had not managed to persuade them to issue a “fit to fly certificate”. On arrival in the UK, I was rushed into hospital and will be convalescing for some considerable time after surgery. I am sure alternative medicine might suit some people with minor ailments but not the more major ones. Robin Hart, Sutton Coldfield

I am appalled that such a valuable curative discipline such as homoeopathy is being ridiculed. It does not surprise me though. Doctors are turned out to believe that healthcare is their sole domain. Homoeopathy, when all goes well and if the practitioner is skilled, DOES bring cures to some awful conditions. It is sad that the media only interviews the establishment when it comes to homoeopathy. There should be a debate on both sides. Otherwise a valuable addition to the plight of patients is not reported accurately. Tony Norton, Bedford

As a Western trained practitioner (I am a chartered physiotherapist), I am all too aware of the political drive by the Government and NHS to deliver only therapies that have a so-called evidence base. Unfortunately, the approved research methods only suit Western-style medicine rather than complementary methods such as acupuncture and homeopathy. We will never be able to evidence their effects under a Western model but it doesn’t mean that they don’t work. By all means ban the use of complementary therapies in the NHS. But don't call it the National Health Service, call it the National Illness Service. Without viewing the patient holistically, treating the symptom and not the cause will only lead to escalating costs and dissatisfaction with the service. I just feel sorry for those that can't afford to pay for the complementary therapies privately. What are these doctors so scared of? Helen Preston, Peterborough

As a doctor, I can assure the public that doctors are the most informed about their subject, but the least educated of all graduates. It is all very well holding up alternative medicine to the same standard that we hold allopathic medicine, but in doing so we commit a fatal flaw, namely that we are not assessing alternative medicine within its own context. We are attempting to evaluate it using a system that ignores the fundamental differences between the two forms of healing. As for the concept of "evidence-based medicine", I can assure the public only around 25 per cent of all allopathic modalities of treatment are based on evidence, the rest on personal experience. Thus many doctors are in no position to condemn alternative medicine as being without evidence. Tarek Arab, address withheld

I work as a GP and I have used homeopathy alongside conventional medicine over the past ten years. I have seen many successes for many conditions both as a GP and at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. Why do I have so many patients asking for homeopathic medicines in this hay fever season? Many have reported to me that they have a superior effect over antihistamines and other prescription medicines. My patients are proving that they work over and above any placebo effect. Michael Cannell, St Albans

Homeopathy has a 200-year record of healing the sick, helping people with many and varied conditions. If we listen to the anecdotal evidence that is so often criticised, what we'll find is that almost all of the people treated with homeopathy in the UK will have to pay for it themselves. Homeopathic medicines (which are extremely cheap to produce) save the NHS considerable sums of money in drugs, operations and other procedures that are no longer required as a result of this treatment. In other words, the NHS experiences a net benefit from homeopathy. I believe it is time the NHS made this form of medicine readily available to anyone who wants it. That way we might improve both the health of the nation and the NHS budget deficit. Sue Trotter, Lechlade

Complementary medicines should be available on the NHS. As a pharmacist I am aware that some complementary medication, such as St John's Wort, may interact with more conventional medical treatments. It is therefore key to the holistic care of patients to ensure that complementary medicine is practised by trained individuals. The Government currently does not require many complementary medicine practitioners to be regulated. At least by providing the choice of complementary services via the NHS there is some protection for patient safety. Helen Badham, Sheffield

Many conventional medicines are not proven either. Drugs frequently have side effects which lead to other problems or damage. Finding an alternative and often more effective way could save money. My family has used homeopathy for 25 years and my children have never taken antibiotics as a result. Linda Collier, Ongar, Essex

As a general pediatric consultant I absolutely admit that conventional evidence-based medicine is the hit for conventional illnesses ... but what about those who do not fit into the scheme and suffer just the same? I can personally only speak about homeopathy and acupuncture, but these methods really allow me supplementary diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. But if you do it thoroughly, as a "medicine of the person" you have no single case really comparable to the other: so how can one perform a double blind randomised study? In conventional medicine, if I am watchful enough, I can rely on standards. In homeopathy and acupuncture, just applying recipes can only bring placebo-like results. Combining both is gratifying work. Robert Arlt, Wadern, Germany

Whilst it benefits the pharmaceutical industry and the medical fraternity only to promote so-called “conventional” medicine, weight should be given to other methods of treatment that are recognised as extremely successful in other parts of the world, over vast populations and for many centuries longer than modern day treatments. Let’s face it – the drugs companies provide the testing, and then evaluate and report on their own trials; they educate and give an the medical profession an incentive for using their products and then they decry any treatments that they can’t patent. Be clear – these organisations thrive on the ill-health of the population with huge numbers of drugs given to counteract the side effects of other drugs – and they make enormous profits on each and every one of them, and each and every one of us that uses them. How much does your average GP actually know about alternative therapies? Very little, and that’s because they have very little education given on the subject during their medical training and because there’s no financial incentive for them to do so as part of their CPD plans. Some of the conscientious ones are out there, seeing what else is working and recommending alternative treatments with impunity; the rest are too busy, too disinterested or too financially attached to look any further. If we, as patients, want genuinely unbiased opinions regarding the suitability of our treatment the last person most of us can ask is our GP, let alone a hospital consultant! Christine Wilson, Maidenhead

Of course allopathic doctors, their medicines and the pharmaceutical companies who make them do not want to lose any of their patients who keep them in the money. The Government keeps everybody fearful of the dire consequences of not having the many vaccinations on offer. They are not on offer; you are made to feel a social outcast if you don't insist that your children are immunised. "Alternative" and homoeopathic treatment works, has worked for centuries, and has been proven. Let us all work together to produce a healthier population. We need to make a stand against poor nutrition, and companies who make a profit at our expense, both through our wallets and our bodies. Carole Davies, Dudley

As an doctor with 24 years experience as a NHS GP, I, and a majority of my colleagues find it is perfectly possible to practise holistically considering the patient's psychological, social and spiritual needs alongside his/her medical needs. GP training devotes a huge amount of time to communication skills these days, so the implication that "alternative" practitioners give something extra in this area is, I feel, a false one. It is frustrating to see patients endure long waits for treatment, or unable to obtain newer, more expensive, but proven evidence-based effective treatments because of cash constraints in the NHS. Over the years I have seen or heard of patients being duped by totally ineffective treatments, (homeopathy) harmful treatments, (lead poisoning from herbal medicines) painful bogus treatment, (dental fillings removed to cure motor neurone disease) nutrition deficiency (severe dietary modification for supposed allergies) to name but a few. If a cancer patient derives comfort from an aromatherapy massage, that is good of course, but I am sure that this same patient would prioritise NHS money being spent on evidence-based treatments such as those which have so much improved cancer survival rates over the past 20 years. Jane Philip, Hounslow