Caroline Grime has no memory of a life without eczema. According to her mother, the chronic condition started when Grime was 2. The accounting officer from Manchester, now 28, was always self-conscious about the inflamed, broken skin on her arms and legs, on her torso and around her neck and hairline.

Then there was the constant, maddening itch. “Eventually, I became used to always scratching and my sleep being interrupted,” she says. “I went to my doctor on numerous occasions. But in my mid-20s, my eczema became worse than ever. I scratched so much that my arms and legs bled and I developed an infection, for which I had to take antibiotics and days off work.”

The National Eczema Society claims that one in 12 adults in the UK suffers from eczema, a form of dermatitis that affects the upper layers of the skin. In atopic eczema, the skin develops a hypersensitive reaction to allergens, either airborne or consumed; the disorder is thought to run in families and is linked to other atopic (that is, allergic) conditions such as hay fever and asthma.

Although no one else in her family has eczema, Grime also suffers from both hayfever and asthma. Over the years, she was often prescribed the steroid cream Betnovate; although it helped to reduce the inflammation, it did not clear up the eczema. It was only after Grime suffered her worst flare-up three years ago that she decided to look elsewhere for a remedy. “A friend had had success with homoeopathy and she suggested Annie Hirsch’s clinic.”

Homoeopaths treat like with like. An illness, then, is treated with an ultra-diluted dose of a natural substance that will, in a healthy person, cause that illness to arise. Homoeopaths claim such medicines can stimulate the body’s own healing power. Most scientists, however, are sceptical about the effectiveness of homoeopathic remedies, and many say they work no better than placebos.

Although Grime was aware of the scientific criticisms, it didn’t deter her. She arrived at Hirsch’s clinic in Manchester in April 2004, she says, with an open mind. And she admits: “I was desperate to find an effective treatment.”

That first appointment, says Hirsch, who graduated from the North West College of Homoeopathy in 1998, took the form of an extended medical history, alongside more searching questions. Was Grime a morning or evening person? Could she explain a little about her childhood? “That’s a typical initial consultation,” explains Hirsch. “It’s crucial to the homoeopathic insistence on treating the whole person.

“First, Grime has an allergic nature, and she was also sensitive to cold. And averse to onions. Clearly she is a sensitive person. All this helps to lead a homoeopath to certain remedies; we want a perfect match.”

No physical examination was necessary, says Hirsch, in this clear-cut case of eczema. Based on a detailed profile, Hirsch prescribed a remedy called Carcinosin, made from breast cancer discharge. As with the subsequent medicines, Hirsch would prescribe, Grime was to mix two drops of the Carcinosin remedy in water and then take a teaspoonful, once every one to three days as required.

After four monthly appointments, Grime had not shown sustained improvement, so Hirsch decided to change her prescription. Her second remedy, Carbo Vegetalis, made from vegetable charcoal, achieved better results. But in January last year after another flare-up, Hirsch prescribed Arsenicum Album, made from arsenic. At last, it seemed, she had hit on the right match.

“A series of remedies is not uncommon,” says Hirsch. “Each new prescription takes into account the changes brought about by the last.” Grimes recalls: “There was an initial period when my eczema worsened after I first started taking the Arsenicum. But Annie had already explained that this would be likely to happen. It was tough but, unlike a GP, Annie provided so much emotional support in our face-to-face sessions. And I spoke to her on the phone in between sessions when I needed to.”

Grime’s faith paid off. Early in 2005, almost a year after her first visit, she noticed that her eczema was slowly improving. “By summer there was a dramatic difference in my skin quality; the kind I never used to see. I felt the homoeopathy was really working.”

After a review in March this year with Hirsch, Grime switched to a new prescription, China, made from Peruvian bark. The switch was partly prompted by a desire to ameliorate Grime’s summer hay fever; this year it is much improved and the eczema benefits have continued. “My skin is better than it has ever been before,” says Grime. “I hardly ever use my steroid cream; I used to think I’d be dependent on it for life. Finally I have smooth skin and it’s so liberating. Last summer I was able to wear a skirt without worrying about what my legs looked like. The treatment has changed my life.”