Sponsored by
Is it a better alternative?
A HOMEOPATHIST from Sheffield has welcomed a study to compare traditional and homeopathic ways of treating children with severe asthma.
Researchers in Bristol are recruiting 80 children aged seven to 16 with severe asthma for their research.
The trial will compare results in children receiving standard asthma medication to those having a mixture of conventional and homeopathic treatments.
Gurmej Virk, a homeopathist at the Wellforce Clinic, Broomhall, said: "It is a good idea. I think that homeopathy has been under-appreciated but it is gaining recognition, even though this is very slow."
Mr Virk has treated patients with asthma and says the approach is about understanding the individual's condition, how it affects them and how it makes them feel.
By getting to the root of what he calls the person's "core disturbance" he is able to select from natural remedies to provide a treatment to tackle particular problems.
He says homeopathy differs from conventional medication as it treats the underlying cause.
The 12-month study will involve children at two Bristol hospitals.
Consultant homeopathic physician Dr Elizabeth Thompson said: "A recent review of homeopathy for asthma suggested available evidence was inconclusive and that more trials needed to be done.
"The diagnosis of asthma in children has increased over the past 10 years and constitutes a significant burden to children, their families and the NHS.
"Homeopathy offers a non-drug approach in asthma, which is one of the 10 most common reasons for referral to Bristol Homeopathic Hospital."
She added: "It is complicated. We take into account things like their symptoms, whether they have worries at school, any other anxieties.
"We build up a whole profile of the individual, then match a course of treatment to them as an individual. For example, phosphorous might be good for a child who is sociable but becomes anxious when alone."
Research published last year in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed 70 per cent of people with chronic illness reported improvements after homeopathic treatment.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
