WE'VE all suffered from the dread winter snuffles, and most of us have tried traditional medicines such as pills or cold remedies.

But there is an alternative approach, according to Helen Judd and Annie Hutchison.

The pair run the Swindon Homeopathic Centre in Bath Road and say that compli-mentary medicine, such as plant and mineral extracts, can be used to treat the symptoms.

Annie said: "At this time of year people visit their doctor or the chemist with the same old symptoms and leave with a suitcase full of drugs.

"Often they are just a temporary relief and might have nasty side effects."

She explained that homeopathy works by attempting to heal the body as a whole, mentally, physically and emotionally.

"A person can fall out of sync with their health and the body becomes in-balanced.

"This will then man-ifest itself in physical symptoms."

Helen said that by treating the cause of the in-balance, which might be stress or anxiety, the physical symptoms often disappear.

Homeopathic medicine itself takes the form of small white tablets, which have been brushed with diluted natural substances of varying strength to suit the particular ailment.

The tablets are dissolved under the patients tongue as directed by the homeopath.

Homeopathy can also be used to boost the immune system to fight of colds and flu before they appear.

The remedies are also said to cure depression and anxiety which might occur in the run up to Christmas.

Annie and Helen decided to launch the Swindon centre after meeting at The College of Contemporary Homeopathy in Taunton, Somerset.

Both had turned to homeopathy when members of their families fell ill and were not responding to conventional medicine.

Annie's husband Raymond had been suffering with lymphoma for months before, in desperation she turned to a homeopath.

Raymond was prescribed bella donna and Annie said his symptoms improved immediately.

Helen's three month-old daughter Frey was struggling to shake off a nasty cough when Helen turned to homeopathy.

She said Freya was prescribed bryona and by the following day her cough was gone.

She said: "We would never advise somebody to stop taking conventional medicine but the point is that homeopathy does offer a natural alternative."

For more information or to book an appointment call 644056 or visit the centre at 41 Bath Road.