Alternative Health

I suffer from very bad eczema, especially on my face which makes me very self-conscious. I've seen a number of doctors, including dermatologists, who have prescribed varying strengths of steroid creams. Although these work, and quickly, they thin the skin and as soon as I stop using them, the eczema returns. Are there any alternatives that have more long-term benefits?

Heal Eczema is a modest-looking remedy made from pure and organic essential oils, including chamomile and lavender, but don't be fooled by its unflashy packaging. It is one of the best topical eczema remedies I have found in more than eight years of reporting in this field. Apply three times a day, using a cotton bud, to those areas of your face that are affected. It is made by Healing Natural Oils, a small San Diego-based company specialising in skin conditions, including herpes, shingles and warts. These may not be life-threatening but they certainly do affect the quality of your life if you are a sufferer.

While this range is not yet available in the UK, you can order it online from www.amoils.com, where an 11ml bottle (enough for 120 applications) costs $25.95.

Can you recommend a good natural product to quell a mild stomach upset?

Ginger - or gian jiang as it is known in traditional Chinese medicine - is an excellent remedy for mild stomach upset and nausea, and is useful for morning sickness in early pregnancy, sickness caused by chemotherapy as well as travel sickness.

The ginger extracts used in natural remedies are usually taken from the rhizome and root, and the active agents, which include gingerol, gingerdione and shogaol, are reported to have mild antibiotic activity, which will help if the stomach upset is caused by infection. The active ingredient in preventing nausea is 6-gingerol, according to research published in the journal Anaesthesia. You can order Ginger Tincture (£7.95 for 100ml) from Herbs of Grace (01638 712123; www.herbsofgrace.co.uk). Use as directed on the bottle.

I have difficulty getting to sleep and often wake in the wee small hours, then find it hard to drift off again. I don't want to resort to sleeping pills. Can you suggest any natural remedies?

Although common sense might tell you this, it is nevertheless worth noting that studies by the Sleep Research and Treatment Centre at the Department of Psychiatry, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, confirm that the leading cause of insomnia in otherwise healthy adults is an over-active central nervous system, associated with increased levels of stress hormones.

So, again, common sense suggests that taking a remedy that will both calm the nervous system and lower stress hormones should ensure a better night's sleep. As a fellow sufferer, the two remedies I use are Seditol and Sleep Well.

Seditol is a supplement that combines extracts of Magnolia officinalis, which has been shown in independent trials to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, with Ziziphus spinosa, a plant traditionally used for its sedative properties in Chinese medicine. In independent tests of this combination on 50 volunteer insomniacs, three out of four participants reported not only better, more restful sleep but waking in the morning feeling more refreshed.

Sleep Well is a flower essence and so requires a leap of faith since if you had the contents analysed, you would be told it contains nothing but brandy and water. Essences are said to work on an emotional level but I have taken some over the years and been staggered by their physical impact. Sleep Well (£8.65 for 30ml) includes essence of Red Cover for relaxation and Sky Blue Comfrey for peace and you take it each night, an hour before bedtime, alongside your Seditol (£12.95 for 30 capsules; take one each night).

You can obtain both remedies by mail order from Victoria Health (0800 413596; www.victoriahealth.com). But remember that neither will knock you out like a conventional sleeping pill and it may take a week or two for them to kick in.

I've been watching several of the big-name nutritionists on TV and I'm so impressed at the way they've been able to help people that I'm thinking about training as a nutritionist myself. Can you suggest a good course?

Lots of the well-known nutritionists trained at The Insitute of Optimum Nutrition (ION) in London, which runs a three-year Nutritional Therapist's Diploma & Foundation Degree course which will qualify you for clinical practice. Visit www.ion.ac.uk or call 020 8877 9993 for more information.

You might prefer to train as a naturopath, where you would combine nutrition with herbal remedies homeopathy to treat clients. Again, you need to find a good college running accredited courses that will allow you to practise when you graduate. The College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM) runs courses across the country. Visit www.naturopathy-uk.com or call 01342 410505 for more information about open days to give you a taster of the courses available.

· Before following any medical or dietary advice in this column, please consult your GP if you suffer from any health problems. Susan Clark's website is www.whatreallyworks.co.uk