Stretched to what some say is breaking point, the NHS is, as always, a major talking point in the run-up to the General Election.

So what's the alternative?

With increasing strain on already overworked doctors and nurses, some people believe there there may be a way to save the next Government millions of pounds.

Alternative, or traditional medicines as practitioners prefer to call them, have experienced a meteoric rise in popularity during the past ten years.

Treatments such as acupuncture, homoeopathy and aromatherapy are considered new forms of healing, but they have been around for thousands of years.

So why are these methods not embraced by the conventional medical fraternity? How effective are they? How do we measure success rates? Why don't our own GP's, when they can't find a remedy, refer people to alternative therapists?

There are people in Oxfordshire pushing for the incorporation of traditional healing practices into mainstream medicine.

Kim Hutchinson, an energy healer from Thame, wants to inform people of the medical alternatives available.

She says: "What we want to do is inform people that there is a choice of medicine and therapy out there.

"There is a divide between orthodox and traditional medicines because conventional doctors do not know enough about traditional methods and so do not trust them.

"It would make sense in a lot of cases for GP's to refer patients to a traditional therapist when it is obvious that conventional practices are not working. How many times do people continually go back to hospital or their doctor with the same recurring problem? It may be that a traditional method could help them, which would in turn drastically reduce the pressure that is continually building up on the NHS."

The ignorance and mis-information connected with traditional medicines is highlighted by a recent House of Lords report, Mrs Hutchinson says.

The report condemned the ancient medical system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which uses needles and unusual ingredients such as seahorses, as unsafe and ineffective.

Yet previously the Lords advocated the the use of acupuncture and herbal medicine - two main elements of TCM.

Mrs Hutchinson is convinced the pharmaceutical industry plays a large part in denying people access to information about traditional medicine.

She says: "If the public started adopting traditional medicines before calling at their doctors, the drugs companies would lose millions of pounds. They have a vested interest in not allowing the general public access to alternative forms of treatment."

Mrs Hutchinson runs Serendipity a traditional treatment centre that concentrates on the body's energies, bringing into balance the mind, body and soul. All traditional practices rest upon the belief that everyone has an energy flow running through them and Mrs Hutchinson's healing methods attempt to transform negative energy into positive energy to create a cellular healing response.

She says: "Orthodox medicine goes for the symptoms whereas traditional medicines look at the cause. All disease comes from ourselves. It is when our bodies are not at ease, they are literally diseased. If a person can tap into the cause of the disease then it makes sense that we can create positive responses in our bodies."

The problem that traditional medicines encounter is how to measure results. It's easy for people to say they feel better after having needles stuck in their forehead, but to measure results in a scientific way is another matter entirely.

This maybe about to change. A Russian scientist, Dr Olga Galkina, has developed a way to measure the activity of the body through nervous system trace analysis. Measurements of activity are taken before and after treatment to give a reading as to its effect on the body.

Mrs Hutchinson thinks this could be the first step towards scientifically measuring and understanding the energy basis of the human body.

She says: "This means we have a way of finding out the individuals bio-chemical responses and the body's reactions to the stresses of life."

Mrs Hutchinson believes a more informed public would certainly stop various political party leaders using the NHS as a platform for policy, and give doctors and nurses a much needed rest.

*Dr Galkina will present the results of her research at a 'Help Yourself To Healing' Symposium on Saturday, June 9, in the Oxford Union Debating Chamber, St Michael's Street. It costs £32. Call 01844 217772 for more information and bookings.

The event will be introduced by Mrs Hutchinson and she hopes that it will give the public the opportunity the chance to discover the different treatments that are available.