Alternative Therapies

BBC Two announces new series on Alternative Therapies

Professor Kathy Sykes sets off on a personal and scientific journey to explore three popular, and fast-growing, alternative therapies: meditation, hypnotherapy, and reflexology.

Alternative Therapies (working title), a new three-part documentary series, is scheduled for transmission on BBC Two this winter.

People try these therapies for a wide array of conditions and some claims are impressive. For instance, it's claimed that meditation can help heart disease, reflexology can help people get pregnant and hypnotherapy can help people withstand intense pain. But where do these therapies come from, why are people turning to them and can science tell us if and how they "work"?

In search of answers Kathy travels to Nepal, Italy and across the length and breadth of Britain and the USA. She uncovers historical origins full of allure and mysticism. She tries each therapy for herself and shares her honest reactions.