Alternative medicine and treatments are gaining in popularity in Bermuda.

Homeopathic practitioner Suzanne Mayall told : ?I have definitely seen a significant rise in the demand for complementary medicines and also the availability of different therapies on the Island in the past few years.

?People are not just using homeopathy as an alternative to conventional medicine but also using it alongside conventional treatment,? added Ms Mayall.

Homeopathy is a safe and effective system of holistic medicine which stimulates the body?s innate healing capabilities, she added.

Ms Mayall said: ?Used by millions world-wide, homeopathy has been accepted as a safe alternative form of medical treatment by a British Act of Parliament since 1948, and its medicines have been regulated by the American Food and Drug Administration since 1938.

?Your symptoms are viewed as part of your body?s effort to establish balance and are thus the best indicators to the effective pathway to health,? she added.

Ms Mayall cautioned: ?With increased popularity also comes increased risks as the industry grows.?

She urged people to ask practitioners about their qualifications and experience.

Erin Moran, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, agreed that interest in holistic treatments are on the rise in Bermuda.

?We are starting to see that medicines are not the be all and end all. Prescription medications are being overused and then you counteract with taking more medications,? said Ms Moran.

Peggy Berk, a patient of Ms Moran, told : ?I fractured my back and had a lung infection. I found out that I had osteoporosis and emphysema. I was in excruciating pain.

?I am 95 percent pain free now but before seeing Erin I was 95 percent in pain,? she added.

Ms Berk said: ?I have acupuncture every two to three weeks and it makes life quite bearable. Erin helped with my breathing and knots in my muscles, she also told me not to eat dairy (products) because it doesn?t help my lungs.

?A doctor once put me on medication for arthritis in my heel, but it was really just a spur (growth off my bone). This was a big mistake because the swelling didn?t go down for weeks.?

?I am asthmatic and am therefore allergic to many medications, so some doctors prescribed medicines that really messed me up,? she added.

Ms Moran, who has over 500 patients, told : ?People are trying to avoid surgery because it may not fix the problem so they are looking for alternative methods. I would say at least 50 percent of my patients have tried traditional medicine but it did not work for them.?

Ms Moran practises acupuncture, nutrition, therapeutic massage and Chinese herbal medicine.

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