Hayfever

True fact - I used to have terrible hayfever as a child but it was cured by osteopathy. I know it sounds incredible, in fact I can barely believe it myself, but its true.

Osteopathy, for the uninitiated, is one of those alternative therapies like homoeopathy and reflexology which likes to pretend it is scientifically based but is actually a load of mumbo jumbo. It works on the theory that mechanical faults in the skeleton can cause problems in other areas of the body. My mum swears by it - I'm less convinced but I have to admit that in my case it worked. I was five or six, and I was accompanying my mum to the surgery. The doctor, Stuart Korth, offered to try out a theory he had about hayfever for free. So I got to climb onto the couch with the nose shape cut out in it (funny how the little details stick in your mind) and he massaged my back for a few minutes. And that was it. I didn't understand what was going on, I thought I was just getting a go at what my mum was having done. But I haven't had hayfever since.

My brain tells me Osteopathy should be utter rubbish. My nose knows better. And I don't think we're looking at a placebo effect here, that would assume I knew what was happening in the first place. I truly can't explain this...