Joel's Story : When our son Joel was 14, he started to suffer with hay fever in Spring, just as the oilseed rape with its stinking smell of sneezes, opened its oppressive yellow flowers, a few yards from our home. This was not a problem, apart from the acrid smell of rape infiltrating the house. I am a Health Kinesiologist and one of the many corrections we do is to identify and eliminate allergies.. I did an allergy correction for Joel and he survived the next 3 years without distressing symptoms.

Last June he came back from University for the weekend. It was then the rapeseed struck! A new, particularly vicious yellow monster lay in wait. Joel might have been better off in the fumes of Nottingham: he became sensitised to the nasty crop, planted, once again just over the road from our home. Back at University for his exams, eyes and nose streaming, Joel got through a box of tissues and ran out of time to finish the paper. He passed his re-sit in the Summer holidays, but an angry red cyst just under each eye remained, and after 21 days on ineffectual antibiotics, he had both cysts cut out. This year we were lucky. It was dull and rainy and the rape at the bottom of our garden hadn't flowered fully. I had time to collect various pollens in my pollen jar, including rape, to use for an allergy correction before Joel went back for the Summer Term. It worked! As we drove him back in the sunshine, surrounded by the smelly yellow fields, Joel didn't sneeze at all!

Is it dangerous? : You may have noticed, driving past a field of rape that you start to sneeze. And to do that, you have to shut your eyes! And your body recoils violently, and there is no convenient layby to recover from your sneezing fit. And that could be dangerous. Rape must be a highly lucrative crop, for it is allowed to dominate the rural landscape and to cause, year on year, whole Summers of Yellow Misery.

Rapeseed oil has long been used for industrial purposes. It was not originally intended for human or animal consumption., possibly because rape seed oil or 'Canola' rapidly becomes rancid and toxic. It has been suggested that there may be health implications for humans and animals. The BCMA strongly advises consumers to check the labels on processed food. Look out for rapeseed cooking oils and margarines. I have found it in bread and a disgusting ready made salad. It's a Fat Chance, but I would like a ban on oilseed rape of more than 5 miles from domestic habitation, to avoid ingesting rapeseed in any form - nil by nose, nil by mouth. They did it in Germany. Better still I'd like to see crops that benefit us and the environment!

Allergies : Tracking down the Culprits as well as oilseed rape, common allergens include: tree and grass pollens, animal dander, household dust, dust mites, insect bites, airborne pollutants in towns, agrochemical sprays, dairy foods, wheat, shellfish, peanuts, strawberries, tea, coffee, alcohol, artificial colourings, food additives, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, chemicals in personal and household products, some metals like nickle in jewellery and electric kettles, moulds, cosmetics, perfumes, cigarette smoke, antibiotics.

Besides sneezing, inflamed eyes, dry skin, rashes, dermatitis, asthma and eczema, there may be hidden allergies which are harder to attribute to a specific substance. Some people experiencing depression feel better when their allergies are neutralised. When allergies are eliminated, the behaviour and concentration of children with ADHD often improves.