More of us may be turning to complementary therapies to help our illnesses and ailments but recent research has challenged the effectiveness of homeopathy.

A study published in the medical journal The Lancet found there is no convincing evidence that homeopathic remedies are any better than dummy drugs known as placebos.

The research was carried out by scientists at Switzerland's University of Berne who compared trials of homeopathy with trials of conventional medicine.

They included trials for the treatment of asthma and allergies, and the study is sure to interest those people who swear by homeopathy and those who may be considering it.

So is it a valuable and beneficial therapy?

We asked a homeopath, a patient, a doctor and a pharmacist what they think about homeopathy and its value in treating health problems.

The homeopath Rowena Marshall is a homeopath at Natural Solutions, Brick Lane, Henfield.

She says: "Because of the good results I consistently get with patients, homeopathy obviously does work. If you were able to consult a number of people who had homeopathic treatments they would say it was effective.

"I recently treated someone who has had asthma since she was a child. She is now in her late 20s. After six months of homeopathic treatment she no longer has to take her inhaler.

"There are many more people learning to be homeopaths. Most people go into training as a result of having successful treatment. Homeopathic remedies are not toxic. They are completely safe and there are no side-effects.

"Apart from treating a person's symptoms you are also treating their immune system. People become more resistant to coughs and colds in winter as well as being treated for whatever they came in for."

The patient Kate Brickwell, 38, of Heathend, has been taking her four-year-old daughter, Rose, to see a homeopath for 18 months.

Rose started suffering stomach problems when she was three weeks old. She would wake four to seven times every night and had a poor immune system which meant she easily picked up illnesses.

Kate says: "I took her to see the homeopath and within a week she was a completely different child. It was so shocking how much it helped in a very short space of time. I didn't expect that at all.

"In the first month she was healthy and had energy and she got to go to playschool every day.

"Just seeing the homeopath and having the little pills completely changed her health and my life."

The GP Dr Xavier Nalletamby is a GP at St Peter's Medical Centre, Oxford Street, Brighton. He says: "I think homeopathy has a place in the treatment of chronic illnesses and long-term conditions and reports from patients can be positive, but not always.

"It does not work for symptom control, for example, headaches, aches and pains, but it works for some people where they are worried about general health, state of immunity, energy and that sort of thing.

"Particularly for children, who have long-term things such as recurrent ear infections, recurrent colds and general susceptibility to minor infections, it can be helpful.

"I've seen it help with eczema and other skin conditions.

"To sum up, I do not feel negative about homeopathy. I feel it has a place. I think some of it may be placebo but I think some of what I do has placebo effects too.

"I think it forms part of the way we manage ill health and is an important part."

The pharmacist Kauser Essaji, is a pharmacist at O'Flinn Pharmacy, Islingword Road, Brighton, and spokeswoman for the Brighton and Hove branch of the Pharmaceutical Society.

She says: "I think homeopathic medicines do have a place in treating minor ailments, such as coughs and colds, and it's particularly good for things like bruises.

"Also, it is very good for pregnant women and children. It's safe.

"I speak to GPs who practice homeopathy and they have actually seen improvement even before the child leaves the surgery.

"The child comes in red hot and they give them something and before the child leaves they are already feeling so much better."