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• First time sufferers
• Part of modern-day life
• All-day sufferers
• Action on the home front
• Children's allergies
• Treating a child's hay fever
• Allergies on the increase
• Hay fever and concentration

Remember, if you are unsure about your diagnosis, or which treatment to use, consult a doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Advice and Treatment

Part of modern-day life

Come the summer, many people will start to suffer from allergies like hay fever for the very first time.

But if you've just discovered you have an allergy, rest assured, you're not alone. A whopping 20 million Britons1 (that's a 1/3 of us) suffer. Hardly surprising when we're bombarded with about 200 man-made chemicals a day, on top of all the natural stuff like fluff and fur. Having sensitive immune systems was handy when we lived in caves, when the world was full of infectious threats. Nowadays our immune systems have less to do, so they may be setting their sights on more harmless targets. It's a bit like how our bodies were perfectly designed for lots of active hunter/gathering in our cave man days. Now the modern world doesn't need us to be so active, our bodies are busy growing unwanted love handles.

How can I get an allergy out of the blue?

New allergies pop up all the time, often in the most bizarre situations. A dog trainer can become allergic to dogs. A baker can become allergic to flour. But such allergies aren't "suddenly out of the blue". In fact, you're more likely to develop an allergy if you have lots and lots of contact with the cause. So if something starts to give you a persistent problem, take note. It could be the warning sign of an allergy getting ready to strike. Find out what to do if you think it's an allergy.

Call the shots: Fortunately, as allergies in the modern world develop, so too does the arsenal of allergy treatments. Don't let your allergy control you. Learn to control your allergy. If your allergen can't be avoided antihistamines are great rescue remedies so make sure you're prepared before you enter the danger zone. You could try BENADRYL® Allergy Relief, the fastest way to treat all your hay fever symptoms. It contains acrivastine, so it starts to work in 15 minutes and lasts for up to 8 hours.