The international research databases, clinicians' notes, health books and magazines abound with the excellent therapeutic progress being made with complementary therapies. To read how antioxidant vitamins are now being incorporated into the medical treatment for heart disease, cancer and pancreatitis (see pages 40-45), gives one the impression that all is hunky-dory with complementary medicine.

The reality is that such complementary approaches are rarely mentioned in newspaper articles, radio and television programmes, and when they are, it is frequently in a derisory fashion. I often wonder whether many physicians, medical organisations, pharmaceutical companies or food regulatory bodies ever read the clear, stark results emerging from this literature. For example, that merely five dietary factors - low vitamin C and beta-carotene, high red meat, fat seasoning and daily meal frequency - may account for two-thirds of all colorectal cancers in Italy. Or that having a diet high in fruits and vegetables may reduce by 50% the risk of premenopausal breast cancer in women from New York State. Eating fruits and vegetables does not make money for the food industry, but it would save enormous amounts of money for an overstretched healthcare system by helping to prevent serious illness, suffering and death.

What is really going to change the nature of mainstream medicine, which is gradually incorporating much of complementary medicine into its practices, is a change of intent and will and the ability to exert financial clout over research priorities.What is needed now to transform our healthcare system into one in which priority is placed upon remaining healthy, is serious and well-funded research and expansion of clinical practices of nutritional regimes, Chinese, homoeopathic, meditation, healing techniques and bodywork therapies.We already have the means of operating a wholistic best-practice healthcare system - pity it's still a secret to the majority of physicians.