I was dismayed to come across Lynne McTaggart's letter implying that practitioners of alternative medicine are not fully equipped with back up services during holidays (Viewpoint, WDDTY vol 8 no 11).

I can only tell the readers that my experience has seen quite the opposite: I have been blessed with a wonderful homoeopath with comprehensive support system should we need advice or help while she is away.

This comes in the form of her business card, which is unusually large in order to hold all this information. Indeed, this invaluable card has contact numbers for every day of the week, and also that of her locum. Annabel Kemp, London.......

Or my GP . . .

Recently I was diagnosed with non Hodgkin's lymphoma. As someone who had kept away from orthodox medicine for most of my adult life and had a deep cynicism for all it stood for, I was very frightened.

Despite being a difficult patient I was treated by the majority of doctors and nurses with the greatest of kindness and care. I knew that, being as ill as I was, there wasn't any alternative practitioner who could save me.

After two sessions of chemotherapy, I am now devoted to my own self healing, and again the doctors are supporting me with this and helping to monitor my progress. Annie Karno, London........