Australia and NZ have among the highest prevalence of allergies in the developed world. Seasonal allergies are normally triggered by pollen exposure whereas perennial allergies are aggravated by exposure to dust mite, mould spores and indoor pets. Seasonal allergies often occur in spring due to the increased amount of pollen in the air. They can however occur at any time in the year.

Women who take hormone therapy beyond menopause are more prone to kidney disease. Research in Archives of Internal Med (2010; 170:1678-1685 (Malalouf N, et al) analyzed two studies, one in which post menopausal women took oestrogen alone, while the other involved women who took the combined oestrogen and progesterone. Their rates of kidney stones during the next 6–7 years were compared to women who took dummy pills. People on the oestrogen had a 21 per cent increased risk of stones, which was unrelated to whether they took progesterone or not.

Many of you I know have a healthy addiction to my seed mix recipe and have been grinding those seeds away for a many a healthy year! In fact, seed mix has been known to travel the world to maintain daily bowel health! Well done!

Children are particularly vulnerable to mobile phone radiation ... they have thinner skulls than adults, and their brains are still developing; hence radiation penetrates more deeply and is likely to cause more damage. US epidemiologist Dr Deva Davis advises in her book Disconnect that parents ensure their children use their mobile phones with a head set or a speaker phone and that they only use their mobiles in emergencies.