In my days as a research scientist, I used to think that the way to broaden medical treatment methods was to do rigorous research and prove that a certain treatment or regime has a therapeutic effect upon a disease.

There are a staggering array of therapies under the wide umbrella of complementary medicine and it is difficult, if not impossible for any one person to know, understand, or even relate to all of them. In recent issues of Positive Health, we have published the successful treatment of eczema in children by homoeopathy (page 11, Issue 12, May/June 1996), by the movement of electromagnetic assemblage points (page 11, Issue 15, Oct/Nov 1996), with flower essences (page 25, this issue) and by allergy testing (page 51, this issue). Published research has also evaluated the effectiveness of treatment for atopic dermatitis in adults by psychological techniques including relaxation, autogenic training and stress management (page 36, Issue 10, Feb/March 1996) and in children and adults using hypnotherapy (page 44, Issue 8, Oct/Nov 1995).