The ancient practice of dowsing once located water underground. Now it has more unusual uses.

CONTROLLING THE allergic reactions of pregnant women could help to cut asthmatic attacks and allergies in their children, scientists said yesterday.

HOW WELL do you follow the news? Quite well, you think? Well, here's a small test. All you have to do is study the following six news stories (of which five are made up) and decide, using your skill, memory, luck and sense of smell, which one is true. Are you up for it? Then let's go!

BIG BABIES are more likely than those of normal size to develop asthma and are susceptible to allergies as a child.

Nut allergy scares

`Manufacturers have got scared. It's a panic measure to avoid any sort of compensation claim'

Sir: Forty or so acres of GM oilseed rape are being planted near Berkhamsted. I understand that oilseed rape is an important food source for bees. So will my Hertfordshire honey next year contain GM pollen?

All you need is the air that you breathe - just as long as it's been dehumidified, purified, ionised and filtered first

AN AIRLINE has banned passengers from bringing nuts on to one of its flights to protect a three-year-old boy who could be harmed by peanut dust.

ALL IS not well with the great British balti. Chefs across the "balti belt" have been accused of over-using artificial colourings to spice up the way their dishes look. And they have been warned that they are putting customers at risk of allergic reactions such as rashes, boils, migraine and even asthma.

RELIEF IS on the way for thousands of hay fever sufferers. Scientists are developing a "sneeze-free" flower devoid of pollen. They are also investigating the possibility of producing pasture grasses - the principle source of pollen in the countryside - that fail to flower.

A DOCTOR has been condemned for causing Europe's largest outbreak of hepatitis B at his unhygienic clinic in north London where he practised an obscure form of acupuncture which involved re-injecting people with their own blood.

HAY FEVER sufferers were warned yesterday that they run the risk of developing asthma if they do not get effective treatment for their condition.

A BOY aged five with a severe allergy to nuts is being kept away from school because his parents fear he could die without one-to-one playground supervision.