I am writing in response to the letter entitled "Health disservice" (Letters, July 26).

Its author, Clive Hopper, asked readers to write to their MPs to protest at NICE's (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) decision to temporarily withdraw orthodox drugs for dementia sufferers.

He argued these drugs were clinically beneficial and cost-effective.

But I would like people to write to their MPs to support NICE's decision and, at the same time, remind Tony Blair of his 1997 election promise to set up a Royal Commission to look into the validity of animal-based research.

My mother, who has Alzheimer's Disease, chose not to take orthodox drugs, with the support of family and her GP, because of their side-effects, as well as the lack of evidence that they cure Alzheimer's.

The disadvantages to her outweighed the potential benefits by a wide margin and she was not prepared to be a human guinea-pig.

My mother is doing well with the aid of excellent palliative care and the regular holistic treatment she has been receiving, including kinesiology and acupuncture.

Along with a daily intake of vitamin supplements (which a European Union directive is threatening to outlaw), her quality of life is now enviable.

Human cells, rather than animal ones, should be used for medical research. The Dr Hadwen Trust has helped establish the Human Tissue Bank at Leicester and funded research into Alzheimer's Disease without the need to use animals.

-David Hammond, Hassocks