Yesterday’s announcement of Nato troop reinforcements, including the commitment of another 750 from Britain, shows how seriously the situation has deteriorated and how concerned the United Nations and Nato rightly are to prevent the old conflict flaring up again. After the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq and the generic war on terrorism, we find ourselves suddenly face to face again with the far smaller, yet no less vicious, set of hostilities that preceded them all: the war in Kosovo. Yes, it may be more a source of emotional rather than physical comfort, but is this because of a lack of empathy in hospitals? If people are turning to alternative treatments in order to regain control of their bodies and their lives, doctors must understand such fears and find ways – however unconventional – to assuage them.. Patients do not have to see complementary medicines as a straight “cure” to benefit from them.Doctors should also give a little more consideration as to why so many patients, even when their life is under threat, are turning to alternative medicines. But some medical professionals warn complementary medicines might be reacting harmfully with conventional treatments and reducing their effectiveness. If there is evidence that certain alternative medicines have a detrimental effect then people ought to be made aware of the risks.

There is also a clear case for more tests to be carried out on alternative medicines.But the medical profession must be careful not to brand anyone who uses alternative medicines as simply deluded. The people who use these therapies are often well educated and informed; this is not a case of na? people being sold quack cures. Indeed, a patient’s quality of life can be greatly enhanced by alternative techniques such as massage and acupuncture, particularly if their body is riven with the effects of chemotherapy. The medical profession must never force patients to undergo a particular course of treatment.
But when cancer sufferers use more exotic therapies in conjunction with conventional medical techniques difficulties arise.

A survey of women in England with breast cancer has revealed that more than half use alternative therapies together with conventional treatment. The anguish of a cancer diagnosis affects people in different ways. Many follow to the letter their doctor’s recommendations on how best to cope with the disease. Some go to the other extreme, shunning established opinion, and rely instead on herbal cures and alternative remedies. It is clear that, of the two, conventional medicines have a greater likelihood of success, but people have the right to make their own choices. A Libyan terrorist suspect, held for over a year at Belmarsh prison, must now be released.