I first encountered the Burning Zone when I saw it advertised on BRAVO (a cable channel in the UK). The advert told of a series in which a team of scientists went around the globe combating new plague diseases. Being a student of Biomedical Sciences I thought "wow, the perfect programme for me". I wasn't disappointed. Although the show wasn't exactly as I had expected (I'd expected it to be purely scientific), it superceded my expectations.

The first episode I watched was "Touch of the Dead". I loved the blend of the scientific and the mystical trying to cure Cassian of his disease. After I had watched this episode I sat down and thought about what I had seen. In a way this episode showed a more realistic view of health care today than a show like ER or Casualty. We are entering an age where holistic medicine is proving just as popular as conventional medicine. How many of us out there don't like taking medication? How many would rather try a more natural remedy? Even with my medical training I hate to pump my body full of chemicals if I am ill. I also thought about a hospice my mother works at. The patients there are all terminally ill. They have to endure a lot of chemo and radiotherapy but things that seem to help them the most are their aromatherapy sessions or when animals are brought in for them to stroke and cuddle or even when a spiritualist healer visits them.

I believe that medical help is greatly aided by a positive attitude and that really believing you are going to get well and trying to stay cheerful is half the battle. I think the Burning Zone shows us that. It was a series which could give hope and maybe make some of us narrow-minded scientists sit back and think more about the spiritual side that exists in all of us. There is no scientist out there who can explain absolutely everything that occurs around us. We don't have all the answers and those we do have are based on hypothesis. Although I class myself as a scientist and am constantly searching for proof for strange things that occur, I refuse to blinker out those things that I can't explain, I don't think that would be very scientific of me. Most importantly I'm a human being; I'd like to believe that there is someone watching over me. Scientists can be sentimental too!

Finally, I would like to congratulate Coleman Luck and everyone associated with the "original" Burning Zone. It was a truly thought provoking piece of genius and I'm deeply saddened to think that I won't see any more of it.