Echinacea: for its anti-viral properties and support of the immune system.

Ginkgo Biloba: to improve circulation to the brain; can also help with dizziness.

St Johns Wort: for support of the nervous system; also to aid the restoration normal sleeping patterns.

Feverfew: to alleviate and control migraine-type headaches.

b) Homoeopathy - homoeopathy follows the principle that "like cures like". A homoeopathic remedy is a specially diluted preparation of a substance which, when taken undiluted by a healthy person, produces symptoms similar to those of the patient. The greater the dilution of the medicine, the more powerful it becomes. The curative effect comes from stimulation of the body to get rid of what is causing the symptoms. Homoeopathy sees symptoms as the body's reaction against the illness as it attempts to overcome it, and therefore seeks to stimulate and not suppress this reaction.

Like herbal medicine, some homoeopathic remedies are available in health food shops and chemists, but with an illness like M.E. it is worth seeing a fully trained medical homoeopathist.  A medical history is taken, along with details of personality, in order to build up a full picture of the problem.  Remedies are prescribed to fit both the symptoms and the person - so different people with the same illness may all be prescribed different medication.

There are no side-effects from homoeopathy (although an  aggravation of symptoms can occur at first), and it is safe for children to use. 

I have mentioned herbal medicine and homoeopathy because I believe that they are complementary to orthodox medicine.  Both forms of treatment have been subjected to various scientific trials showing their effectiveness in treating a variety of conditions.

There are also numerous types of "alternative" therapies which many people have found to be beneficial e.g. acupuncture, yoga, reiki, shiatsu.  However, just about all of the "alternative" treatments seem to have a link with false religion and/or the New Age movement, and should therefore be avoided by Christians (cf Ephesians 5v11: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.").  Care is even needed when considering herbal or homoeopathic medicine, to make sure that the practitioner is properly medically qualified - as even these forms of treatment have been "hijacked" by some and incorporated into the alternative/New Age sphere.

It should also be noted that some alternative treatments involve an altered level of consciousness (e.g. hypnotherapy, Transcendental Meditation) - and this is something clearly forbidden in Scripture, where we are told to remain rational, alert, and in control of our minds e.g. 2 Timothy 1v7: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind"; 2 Peter 1v5-6: "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness."

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