Placebos

A placebo is a dummy treatment, a tablet, injection or some other formulation that contains no medicine. It can be a sugar pill masquerading as a painkiller, a moisturizing cream pretending to cure wrinkles or a wristband designed to improve balance. They share one thing in common - they should be useless. But they aren't. A placebo can often relieve pain and improve mood, they are able to treat arthritis and insomnia, offer relief from anxiety and depression, and sometimes even improve fertility.

No-one knows exactly why they sometimes work as well as real ones. It probably has something to do with what we want to believe: sham treatments work best when we pay a lot of money for them or consult an 'expert' to receive it. Interestingly, the type of tablet can make a difference: big, colourful pills always work better than small, plain ones. But there's more: yellow pills are best for treating depression, blue pills are good for insomnia and white tablets ease indigestion. Placebo injections are better than empty capsules for pain and a big 'healing' machine that goes 'ping!' works better than the lot.

There must be more than simple self-belief. Seeing a doctor or therapist is healing in its own right. That relationship and decision to take action can lower anxiety levels and reduce stress hormones. But they should never be used as a replacement for prescribed medicines.

Placebos only seem to be effective in about 4 out of 10 people - and we can't tell in advance who those will be. Finally, the placebo effect can also work even when people are told they are placebos. For example, when doctors prescribed sugar pills for patients with irritable bowel syndrome, fully explaining that they weren't real medicines and giving out the pills in a jar labelled 'placebo' - most patients had significant relief from their symptoms.

Dr Stuart Farrimond, Wiltshire Times 13 June 2014

French Beans

Sow: Not frost hardy and need 12 degrees C to germinate. Sow in March in pots inside (4 weeks before safe to sow outside) or April/May direct in soil. Make a second sowing 6 to 9 weeks later.

Aspect: Light but rich soil in sunny, sheltered spot.

Care: Dwarf varieties may still need some support. Climbers need 4ft to 5ft of support but are not as vigorous as runner beans.

Water: When flowing starts if weather is dry.

Harvest: As soon as ready, even if there are only a few beans, otherwise flowering will stop. Leave roots i soil when clearing this crop, in order to gain nitrogen.

Don't grow by: Tomatoes, peppers, onions, brassicas and beetroot.

Energy Drinks

The use of energy drinks has reached endemic levels in children, and health professionals are concerned. So what's in these drinks? Firstly they are sweet - about 14 sugar lumps per serving, so just empty calories. A pleasant tangy aftertaste comes from acid added by manufacturers; the acidity level can be anything from sourer than a grapefruit (pH 2.7) to battery acid (pH 1.5). Drink enough of this every day and not only will your dentist be worried, but evidence shows that bones will gradually weaken, putting drinkers at risk of osteoporosis.

While these factors can be true of other fizzy drinks, energy drinks have a high caffeine content as well. A single can of energy drink can contain the same caffeine as three cups of instant coffee. While this may not affect an adult much, it is too much for a child all in one go. Youngsters will more readily experience caffeine's side effects: shakes, agitation, palpitations, indigestion, inability to sleep and aggression. Caffeine also changes the shape of brain cells - making them more spiky. The long-term impact on a child's brain is completely unknown.

There are other things in an energy drink, usually with impressive sounding names, but current research shows that most of these ingredients do absolutely nothing other than sound impressive.

Dr Stuart Farrimond, Wiltshire Times 23 May 2014

Runner Beans

Sow: In April in pots - 2 seeds to a pot, if both germinate, don't separate but plant together. In May direct in the soil. In mid-summer for an autumn crop.

Aspect: Sunny and sheltered from strong winds. Will grow in partial shade. Soil needs plenty of organic matter and kept moist.

Care: Shoots twine anti-clockwise. Needs 5ft to 6ft supports (try using an old wooden-framed sun parasol 'skeleton' as a support). Pinch out tips when they reach the top of the support. Better to stop tall varieties or pinch out tips and grow as dwarf bushes than sowing dwarf varieties.

Water: Thirsty plants, so water regularly in dry weather, giving a generous soaking once a week.

Harvest: Pick when 6" to 7" long and pick regularly to maintain cropping. If going away, pick every bean (even the smallest) and flower to ensure continuing crop when you return.

Don't grow by: Tomatoes, peppers, onions, brassicas and beetroot.

Make-up for Sensitive Skins

For those people whose skins reacts to ingredients in major cosmetic brands, there are some alternatives around.

• Clinique and Boots No 7 range both offer hypoallergenic products.
• Mineral make-up: virtually no allergy risk, anti-inflammatory for sensitive skin, and natural sunscreen. Brands: LilyLoLo, Jane Iredale, Purity Cosmetics.
• Green People lipstick.

Other tips are:

• Cold milk is an effective make-up remover.

Various sources