TWENTY years ago, if you admitted using alternative health remedies, you would be considered to be more than a bit weird and probably treated with suspicion.

Treatments such as acupuncture or homoeopathy were regarded with disdain by those who favoured conventional Western medicine.

However, in the 21st Century, despite the development of futuristic scanners and life-saving new drugs, business is booming for alternative therapists and healers.

British consumers now spend £130m a year on herbal remedies and alternative treatments, and that figure should rise to £200m by 2008.

One in two has visited an alternative health practitioner, and even more surprisingly, two out of three men have turned to them for help.

Alternative medicine is just as likely to be referred to as complementary medicine these days, as more and more Western doctors acknowledge its benefits.

Many medical schools now offer courses on aspects of complementary medicine, and nurses are also taught certain alternative techniques.

The expansion of Worcester Natural Therapy Centre perfectly reflects the national growth of the industry.

When it was set up in 1982, the centre had just five therapists, working half days.

It was only open one day a week, and was lucky to see more than 10 patients a week.

It now opens five-and-a-half days a week, boasts 15 therapists and greets nearly 200 patients every week.

Furthermore, according to the centre's director, Clare Davies, even some GPs are turning to the centre for treatment.

"At one time, people didn't let on that they were having complementary therapy," she said.

"Now, they are all too willing to shout it from the rooftops."

High street stores such as Boots and The Body Shop have turned treatments such as aromatherapy into big business, and there are more than 5,000 complementary therapy centres in the country.

However, some people are yet to be convinced by such treatments.

"Not all doctors, even today, will recognise the efficacy of it," said Mrs Davies, whose work in natural medicine began with an interest in yoga in 1976.

"Conventional and complementary medicine work very well together.

"Some surgeries are very much for complementary medicine, but you still have the occasional doctor who won't accept it.

"But the reason it has mushroomed is that the results are there to be seen."

Mrs Davies, who now offers a range of therapies including aromatherapy, yoga and reflexology, said some of her patients had been so impressed with the results that they had become therapists themselves.

"It made such a difference to them that that they wanted to be part of the drive into natural medicine," she said.

Her daughter, Michelle, has followed her into the world of complementary medicine.

In the early days, the centre had to spend a great deal of time building bridges as it tried to establish itself in Worcester.

"Now we find that there's no need to do that," said Mrs Davies. "People used to come as a last resort, but now they come at the same time as being treated by a GP."

The centre on The Tything offers more than 20 different types of treatment and therefore treats a huge range of complaints.

However, one type of illness, in particular, is becoming increasingly common - stress.

"I think we are living in such a fast-paced domestic and working environment, and we try to cram so much into our days," said Mrs Davies.

"If our bodies didn't need sleep, the majority of people wouldn't go to bed. We get a lot of people coming with stress-related problems."

So, complementary therapists appear to have finally overcome their doubters after struggling for years to gain credibility.

Although they are no threat to conventional medicine, they are now a well-established alternative - and this means patients have more choice than ever before.