Alicia Silverstone Fights for Alternative Medicines  3/26/05

Actress Alicia Silverstone is joining Alec Baldwin in a bid to turn more Americans onto alternative medicines.

The health-conscious Clueless star will speak at the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine next month (APR05), where she'll encourage lawmakers and medical experts to be more open to acupuncture and aromatherapy among other things to treat the sick.

Silverstone is convinced she's just the right person to talk about alternatives because her friends often turn to her for advice before consulting a doctor.

She says, "I'd be at the farmer's market and someone would ask me for tips about becoming a vegetarian. If I wasn't an actor I'd be a hub of information for people who need help, whatever it is.

"My favorite idea is to go to a grocery store and be at the front and show people what they should get because I love food and I love the grocery store, so I want to be able to help people find a good alternative choice.

"I've also been helping sick people because a lot of my friends have been coming to me and saying, `My relative has cancer, can you help?'

"I've been guiding them to alternative ways of healing and there's been a lot of progress and it's really rewarding. Just watching people take their lives and take control of their lives and get healthy on their own is the most rewarding experience."