Wouldn't it be good to have a safe, non-drug technique that you could use to minimise allergic reactions? Well, there is one. It was devised by Dr Jimmy Scott, the originator of health kinesiology, a complementary therapy.

It's a simple way to turn off an allergic reaction by tapping acupuncture points. The sooner you start doing this after experiencing symptoms, the more effectively it works. One of the good things about this procedure is that it doesn't matter if you don't know what the offending substance is.

As soon as you start to feel an allergic reaction, even if you don't know what it is causing the problem, tap each of these points for about 20 to 30 seconds:

1. Tap beside the nose at the inner corner of each eye

2. Tap on the eye socket bone just below the centre of the eye

3. Tap either side of the breast bone just below the collar bones

4. Tap the sides of the torso, straight down from the armpit and level with the nipple

5. Tap near the lateral corner of the little toe nail at the base of the nail (on the outside of the feet)

6. Tap the centre of the balls of the feet

7. Tap near the lateral corner of the second toe nail (the second toe nail is the one next to the big toe, tap on the side furthest away from the big toe)

8. Tap near the medial corner of the big toe nail (that's the side nearest the other foot)

You can tap in any order, and you can tap as many points as you wish at the same time. Other people can help you tap too. The sooner you start the tapping the fewer symptoms you will get. Have a few practices before you really need it.

If you're in a public place it may be difficult to tap your feet, so just concentrate on tapping the first four lots on the upper part of the body. I once did this when my sons were young and I attended a play by a theatre company. The theatre company used some coloured smoke, and even though I was sitting well back I started to have an allergic reaction to it - coughing. I knew my sons would die of embarrassment if I got up and had to push past everyone in the row - as luck would have it I was sitting in the middle of a row. So I decided to tap surreptitiously - my children would have died of embarrassment even more if people had noticed their mother tapping her face furiously! Within a few seconds my symptoms started to abate. I was surprised at how effective it was in this far from ideal situation when I couldn't do my normal vigorous and determined tapping.

This will not fix your allergies, but it will relieve the symptoms caused by the current exposure. To deal with the underlying process I suggest you contact a health kinesiologist. I'll be explaining more about what's involved in that form of treatment in the next newsletter, but if you want to contact one now, phone 08707 655980 or go to www.hk4health.co.uk