A patch test is performed if a careful history (based on the site of the lesion) offers a clue to the offending agent. The gauze used in testing (which is soaked in the suspected material) is left on the skin for forty-eight to seventy-two hours. The causes of contact dermatitis include the following materials: Soaps [...]

The number of therapies and treatments which people have tried with little or no result is a major area of concern. Not only does this contribute to the general sense of helplessness and hopelessness, it can also generate anger towards the health professions. In some cases this will prevent people from seeking further help. Before [...]

Doctors with an interest in food intolerance take a different view – that the psychological problems, where they exist, are largely a result of the illness, or of its rejection by the medical profession, or a mixture of the two. But they would agree that anxiety, tension or depression can make the physical symptoms worse. [...]