Experts speak

An integrated health approach has implications right across the spectrum of health policy - from how to design public parks to the best approaches to use in the treatment of disease.

We have asked a number of people who are experts in their fields to talk to us about their findings.

Creating a National Wellness Service

David Boyle is a fellow at the New Economics Foundation and author of Life Begins at Sixty, a discussion of how the NHS should develop over the next few years.

Here he argues that the NHS has become a 'sickness service'. He explains how he thinks it can transform itself into a wellness service and why this will be vital for its sustainability over the next few years.

The Natural Health Service

Dr William Bird is a champion of harnessing the natural world as a way of healing patients. Here he describes why it might have such a strong effect - and why some parts of the NHS are getting interested in the findings.

Why do patients turn to CAM?

Dr Felicity Bishop has been involved in studies to find out why so many people use complementary medicine and what their motives are. Here she describes the existing evidence and explains why we need further research.

Confronting the allergy epidemic

Professor Stephen Holgate explains that the UK has the highest level of allergy in the world and discusses what we can do about it.

Placebo and the power of belief

Professor Irving Kirsch has recently created a stir in the media with research indicating the effect of modern anti-depressants may be largely down to the placebo effect. Last September he gave a talk on the subject at a joint conference run by FIH, the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of General Practitioners. We reproduce it here.