The dry and warmer weather is causing many people to do some marathon gardening sessions, resulting in some avoidable injuries.

Try to avoid any one activity for more than 20 to 30 minutes. Have two or three jobs on the go at any one time and rotate between them.

Another important job is applying sun cream if you are out in the garden. I am seeing far too much burnt skin on shoulders and necks!

In response to some more readers' questions, here are some answers.

Q. Are there any more natural alternatives to antihistamines?

The pollen count has certainly caused some people to suffer recently. The following suggestions have no concrete research or results for the efficacy that I am aware of, but I have found them both helpful personally.

The first are tissue salts which are available at larger pharmacies and are based on the principles of homeopathy.

They can be taken regularly, are tasteless and are dissolved under the tongue. Secondly, locally produced raw honey is very effective for me for reducing the itchy eyes and runny nose.

It would appear that ingesting the honey made by bees pollinating the very plants that cause the allergy helps to reduce the effect of the allergens and improving the tolerance. From the research I have done, it would appear the mechanism remains unclear. I believe as it can do no harm and it seems to work - that's enough for me!

Q: Could a verruca be the cause of my knee pain?

This is a problem I have seen more than once. When a verruca develops in a weight bearing part of the foot, for example on the heel or on the outside of the foot under the toes it can become very painful on walking. This can result in an altered gait pattern or limp, as the patient tries to avoid putting pressure on it. This can in turn lead to strain through the knee, hip and even pelvis and low back. Verrucas are caused by the papilloma virus that develops into a wart, sometimes in several layers of dermis, usually developing at the site of damaged skin such as a crack. They are not simple to treat unfortunately, so I would advise seeing a chiropodist who can give appropriate treatment. Ironically, this is someone we are mistaken for regularly due to the "chiro" part of our titles. Unfortunately, I know little about in-growing toe nails and how to treat them!

Please keep your questions and suggestions coming in to me at Ilkley Chiropractic Clinic on (01943) 605060 or email me on ilkleychiro@tiscali.co.uk