Thursday is now children's day at the Healing Clinic in York's Fulford Cross. Stephen Lewis spoke to two local mums about how complementary medicine helped their children.

Hermione Anderson is sitting happily in her mum's arms, gazing about with big, blue eyes. She's an angelic little girl, ten months old, with skin as soft and pink as a peach. Which is a little miracle in itself. Because a few months ago, her whole body was red and raw from the effect of eczema.

"It looked as though I had poured a kettle full of boiling water all over her," said mum Julie, 32, a nurse at York District Hospital. "She was scratching and upset all the time, and it was affecting her sleep. Now she sleeps right through, no itching or anything."

As a nurse, Julie is a health professional trained in the orthodox medicine that is the backbone of the NHS. But she has no hesitation in putting her daughter's improvement down to the course of acupuncture and homeopathy Hermione had at the Healing Clinic in Fulford Cross.

"As a qualified nurse I was able to recognise early on that Hermione was starting to develop signs of eczema," she said. "I brought her here when she was about six weeks old. I thought if I could catch it earlier it would be easier to control it."

She'd already taken Hermione to see her GP, who had prescribed hydro-cortisone cream, which contains a steroid.

"I'm not too keen on using that," she said. "It only contains about one per cent hydro-cortisone, but that's still one per cent. I thought if there was some other way, it would be much better."

Julie had used Chinese herbs herself before, and when she inquired about complementary therapy for Hermione was referred to acupuncturist June Tranmer at the Healing Clinic. After a few weeks, June referred Hermione on to homeopathist Rowena Field, also based at the clinic.

Homeopathy uses tiny doses of a remedy which actually matches the symptoms being treated. The idea is to stimulate the body's own healing power.

"We had tremendous results," Julie said. "Rowena explained that after a couple of days it would exacerbate the symptoms, but if we could hold out it would get less. I had the steroid cream, which gives almost instant relief, but Rowena said that could stop the remedy working. She said if Hermione was really upset, I could put her on that and we could always find another remedy once it had settled down, because we didn't want her to suffer.

"A couple of times I nearly did that, but thought 'I'll just leave her overnight'. And the next day she was beginning to get better."

Julie believes as well as curing Hermione's eczema, the homeopathy may have helped prevent her developing asthma as well.

"Often eczema goes hand in hand with asthma," she said. "We hope we may have stopped that - though we'll never really know if she was going to develop that or not."

Julie insists it's not as unusual as it seems for a traditionally-trained nurse to turn to complementary medicine.

"It's amazing how many nurses are using it," she said. "I think doctors are beginning to realise there is a case for it."

Felicity Jordan is equally convinced of the benefits for children.

She, like Julia, came along to the Children's Day which is now held at the healing clinic every Thursday to tell the Evening Press how her own children benefited.

Felicity's ten-year-old son Joshua developed meningitis as a baby and it left him, she said, with a reduced immune system. He was constantly on antibiotics and pain-killers.

"Doctors basically said we'd just have to accept it and that hopefully he would grow out of it," she said.

A couple of years ago, out of desperation, she brought Joshua to see Rowena Field. She used both cranio-sacral therapy - a gentle manipulation of the head and base of the spine - and homeopathy.

The result? "Joshua is off antibiotics and his pain is managed. He's not cured, but the improvement is very marked - and it's definitely down to the therapy he received here."

Felicity was so impressed that when her second son Tobias was born by caesarean 15 months ago, she brought him to Rowena immediately after the birth - and again when he developed asthma about nine months later. She says homeopathy has been very effective.

Felicity though, like Julie, doesn't advocate turning your back on the NHS. "You mustn't give up on orthodox medicine," she said. "This is complementary medicine, not alternative medicine. The two go hand in hand."

Complementary therapists have been treating children for years. They say prevention of illness should begin when a patient is young: and they can work together with parents and carers to help their children lead a happy and healthy lifestyle.

But Children's Day at the clinic is a new idea. Therapists, says June Tranmer, who opened the Healing Clinic in 1992, wanted parents to feel there was a day they could bring their children along without worrying how they behaved.

"It means the kids are free to be themselves and the mums can relax more," she said.

"We don't want the children swinging from the ceiling - but we've got a play area, books, puzzles and toys. Also, it makes it easier for people who want to come at other times when they know the children will be somewhere else!"

To make an appointment for children's day contact the clinic on 01904 679868. A range of therapies are available, from acupuncture to homeopathy, reflexology and nutrition. An open day is being held at the Danesmead Business Wing in Fulford Cross, where the clinic is based, on Saturday from 10am-6pm, where you can meet complementary therapists. Jane Schaffer and Ann Sotheran, pottery and stained glass artisans with studios in the business wing, will also be there.

PICTURE: Felicity Jordan takes son Toby for a consultation with June Tranmer at the Healing Clinic in Fulford Cross, York Picture: Paul Baker.