Finding the spot was never the problem, curing them was. I will always remember my Mum’s attempts at making me feel a lot better after bawling my eyes out as a young 13-year old. My face, shoulders, neck and back were covered in spots. I was so ugly I called myself dirty, greasy, spot-spot. I thought that I would never find a girlfriend and envied those that already had them.

“Don’t worry Lee. It all seems horrific now, but they will disappear in a few years time.”

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Hay fever is a strange old thing. Some people seemingly possess it all of their lives, whilst others contract it very late in their life. I developed the symptoms 12-years ago, after I took the decision to stop smoking. It’s strange that most people who quit smoking actually cease having hay fever symptoms, and yet here I was developing them? I assumed it must have been related to my cleaner airway becoming susceptible to the introduction of pollen; the same pollen that once struggled to get through my clogged airwaves. I didn’t apply too much thought to the matter, and just went through life sneezing and crying anytime the sun came out.

I have just realised that I no longer have hay fever. I can’t tell you the last time I remember having the symptoms, but I can tell you – by my obvious lack of memory – that it was some time ago. Isn’t that strange? Well maybe not as strange as I may think.In the wonderful book Healing Back Pain by John E.Sarno there is a short chapter entitled ‘The Overactive Immune System – Allergy’ where Sarno covers the relationship between TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) and hay fever. In this chapter Sarno pushes forward the notion that it is our repressed emotions that are resulting in the allergy of hay fever.

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Ask anyone to lead you to the one place in the kitchen that contains the items that will make him or her gain weight, and they will be led into a containment housing food. This could be the fridge, the freezer, the larder or simply a cupboard containing bags of crisps. Either way when a person thinks about gaining weight they think about food.

I am on a seafood diet – I see food and I eat it

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When I am not writing on the Needy Helper, I am traveling around the world writing about poker tournaments. As a live reporter I often work between 12-15hrs per day and it plays havoc with my eating habits. My first concern when I am on the tour is to eat as much free food as possible. The live reporting scene is not laden with big fat pay cheques and so you need to work hard to reduce your costs. Free food comes in two forms on the tour. The first time we see it is during breakfast, at the hotel, and the second time is when dinner is served. We often have a gap of 8-10hrs in between breakfast and dinner and both meals are served buffet style.

Remember your stomach can’t count

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Irrespective of what your girlfriend may tell you, people do not go to sleep skinny and then wake up fat. Fattening oneself is a process that takes time. Weight gain is often recognized by the sight of your plumper face in a photograph, or the tight feeling when you try on your favourite pair of jeans. They both have the same thing in common, by this time it is too late, you have already piled on the pounds.

That’s rubbish Lee!

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