Forty years ago complementary therapies were dismissed as fringe medicine and most people put their faith in doctors, who had time to talk to their patients. Now conventional medicine seems so rushed and increasing numbers of people are turning to complementary medicine. Your doctor can supply you with any number of pills, creams, lotions and inhalers to keep your symptoms at bay and most of them do what they say they will do.

Itchy skin settles, blocked airways relax, sneezing stops and eyes clear. Sometimes this medication can save your life. So why are more and more people turning to complementary medicine and using it alongside or even instead of orthodox treatment? Is it really a good way of dealing with serious conditions like asthma and severe eczema? Doctors may be able to scan and x-ray part of your body and even manipulate your genes, but some doctors have become removed and remote.

Many people feel that their doctor is interested only in their lungs or their skin. One of the attractions of complementary medicine is that the therapies are holistic. A therapist treats the whole person, mind and spirit as well as body. They believe there is a close relationship between your bodies, your emotions and your spirit or soul, and that your body’s energy should flow freely between all three.

Such practitioners believe you become ill when your energy is sluggish or blocked and they will work on your body to free up that energy and restore health. One study showed that amino did not ease breathing or speed recovery from an acute asthma attack. Side effects may include headache, nausea and vomiting.