Go to Mel Dupres with a health problem and she’ll likely treat it in the way you least expected.

For 18 years she’s helped clients connect the dots to good health; the 43-year-old offers counselling and natural therapies in place of Band-Aid pills and prescriptions.

Her holistic approach has helped people cope with a range of problems including acne, eczema and rashes, back pain and psychological issues.

“People don’t really come to me for their emotional problems, but they realise after working with me there was grief, anger or some problem from their childhood that may have been contributing to their stress and overall health,” she said.

“I’ve heard people say what I do is almost like a mixture between going to a doctor and going to a psychologist.”

Sarah, 34, went to the naturopath in desperation.

She’d suffered for years while doctors prescribed pills and medications for the pain she was experiencing in her knee.

Not only did the pain limit her mobility, it made it difficult for her to get a proper night’s sleep.

Things got even worse after she sprained the ankle on her good leg.

“The sprain meant I had to put more weight on my bad knee,” Sarah said. “At one point I was actually walking with crutches and taking rheumatoid arthritis medication because the doctor said I had some of those symptoms and the medication would help, but the fluid in my knee would just come right back. It was also really strong stuff and didn’t agree with my body. It made me feel sick.”

She signed up for one of Ms Dupres’s yoga classes and eventually shared her problems with her.

“While in Mel’s class I found I couldn’t bend my knees. We got to chatting afterwards and she told me about her homeopathy practice.

“I decided to try it as I’ve always been into natural therapy and alternative approaches to health.”

Ms Dupres was able to link Sarah’s birth control to her rheumatic pain. She gave her some natural remedies to detox her body; three months later, Sarah’s inflammation went down. “When I went to the doctor he agreed with Mel that all the oestrogen in the pill I was using was contributing to the swelling,” she said.

Ms Dupres got interested in naturopathy as a teenager.

“I left Bermuda to do my A-levels in England and originally thought of going to medical school, which was probably something my parents wanted more than I did,” she said.

“When I got out there I started to hear about vegetarianism and acupuncture and then this whole new world opened up to me.

“I went to university at 18 and while studying for my final science exam I remember reading my homeopathy books instead of doing what I was supposed to be. I was so captivated by all of it.”

Ms Dupres also offers meal plans for clients with allergies, arthritis or other ailments.

She believes that nutrition is a building block for good health.

“If you eat fresh, vibrant food that will keep you feeling vibrant as well as providing you with nutrients and energy as well,” she said.

She believes the body is able to heal itself.

“A lot of people want the quick fix and for the symptoms to be gone tomorrow,” she said. “They don’t see it’s taken years to develop these problems so it may take years for it to go away.

“Even for the most simple things people will go to a doctor, instead of resting or eating differently and changing their lifestyle.

“In [Sarah’s] case she was experiencing some emotional upheavals in her life and we talked a lot about these and then looked at what might be causing the pain in her knee.

“Through some research I found there was a connection between the rheumatic pain and birth control so we decided to detox her and after that the pain went away.”

Sarah is now “jogging and doing more active sports” without any knee pain.

“I wasn’t able to do that before. Running, walking and jogging would put a lot of pain on my joints and only made the swelling worse.

“I was limited in what activities I could do, but now I can put pressure on my knee and work out for longer periods of time.”

•E-mail meldupres@yahoo.co.uk.