Vital: Celebs And Their Weird Remedies

Why Stars Swear By Some Of The Strangest Alternative Therapies

HAVING blood-sucking leeches attached to your body in an attempt to boost your health and well-being is just the latest celebrity craze to hit the headlines.
Actress Demi Moore revealed she recently had 45 leeches gorge themselves on her blood.
The strange "leech therapy" treatment, which she had carried out in Austria, aimed to purify and detoxify her blood by releasing an enzyme as the blood-suckers bite down.
If you think Demi's alternative therapy treatment is a step too far, here are a few more weird remedies celebrities swear by that will either leave you in disbelief or reaching for the sick bag.

CUPPING:
Back in 2004, A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow set tongues wagging when she turned up to a New York film premiere in a low-cut top that revealed circular bruises on her back.
The marks were the aftermath of abeauty treatment called "cupping", which is a type of acupuncture.
Aiming to relieve stress, cupping involves placing heated glass cups on the body as the area is treated.

TRUFFLES AND CAVIAR HAIR TREATMENT:
Ex-Darling Buds of May actress Catherine Zeta-Jones rarely washes her flowing locks using traditional shampoo and conditioner.
Instead, the Welsh stunner splashes out on a expensive treatment consisting of truffles and caviar. She claims the truffle-based shampoo and the fish eggs -which are smeared in to her hair and cost £200 a time - give her tresses an unbeatable shine.
Rumour has it, Beluga caviar is flown in from Iran five days before Zeta-Jones attends her appointment at her beauty salon.

URINE THERAPY
Perhaps the most disgusting in the list, urine therapy involves applying human urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes.
Usually administered by drinking or rubbing into the skin, uropathy, as it is also known, is an ancient treatment believed to be a tonic for anumber of ailments.
Among modern celebrities, British actress Sarah Miles has drunk her own urine for more than 30 years, claiming it immunises against allergies, among other health benefits.
Rehab singer Amy Winehouse is also rumoured to have tested a "urine ointment" -mixed with her own urine - to help clear up her skin problem.

AURICULAR ACUPUNCTURE:
Sticking needles into your ears doesn't seem a very pleasant way to boost well-being but it's a fashionable procedure that has its celebrity fans sporting a tell-tale ear pin.
Cherie Blair was reported to have "ear acupuncture" - an ancient Chinese medicine - to relieve stress, while Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was pictured with a needle in his ear, reportedly to help him to lose weight.
Experts claim the treatment can help everything from addictions to insomnia and joint pain to fertility.

CRYSTAL HEALING:
Princess Diana swore by the healing power of crystals and Cherie Blair always sported a crystal pendant around her neck to ward off harmful rays from computers and mobile phones. Actress Shirley MacLaine and Latino singer Ricky Martin are also reported to have worn one. Experts claim the human conscious and subconscious can benefit from crystals.

ESKIMO DIET:
While fighting breast cancer, singer Sheryl Crow chose to dramatically alter her diet and opted for the Eskimo Diet.
The traditional Eskimo diet consists largely of meat and fish, fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates.
During the strict regime Sheryl ate a lot of fish, particularly salmon. Studies have shown that fish-eaters - such as Eskimos - have lower rates of cancer.

BIO-ENERGY HEALING:
This was the alternative therapy that pop princess Kylie Minogue tried out after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Aussie singer contacted a bio-energy healer before she was about to begin her radiotherapy course. During her sessions, positive energy was beamed into Kylie's body with one hand and negative energy was removed with the other.

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE:
Multi-millionaire Paul McCartney is a fan of this alternative therapy, which teaches the skillful "use of the self" - how we move, how we stay still, how we breathe, how we learn, how we organise our awareness and focus our attention.
The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique claim this "subtle and thoughtful discipline" works by "re-establishing the natural relationship between the head, the neck and the back - the 'core' of the body supporting the strength of the limbs and which provides the structural environment for breathing and internal organs".

KLAMATH LAKE ALGAE:
This blue-green algae is dubbed a "miracle superfood". The slimy substance is a herbal medicine bursting with nutrients and anti-oxidants.
As well as her leech therapy, Demi Moore also indulges in this. She claims that stresses in her life are combated by injesting Klamath Lake algae, which is found in the volcano bed of Lake Klamath, in Oregon, USA. It boosts mental clarity, helps cell regeneration and strengthens the immune system.

BUDDHIST CHANTING:
Olivia Newton-John used buddhist chanting to help her overcome her battle with breast cancer. Rocker Courtney Love and Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Orlando Bloom are also fans. Love claimed chanting helped her with her battle for sobriety.
It's a form of musical verse that exists in just about every part of the Buddhist world. Chanting is the traditional means of preparing the mind for meditation.