Avoiding allergens that trigger your allergic reaction will help to reduce or stop symptoms.

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, where pollen and spores are the trigger, you should try to:

• stay indoors when the pollen count is high
• take steps to prevent pollen from getting into the house
• keep yourself and your clothes as free from the allergen as possible
  
  For example, avoid drying your clothes outside during high pollen times, especially early morning and early evening , or avoid having flowers with so-called ‘hairy stems’ in the house, such as geraniums or clematis.

Those with allergies need to avoid triggers as much as possible by:

• staying away from furred and feathered pets
• keeping the house free from dust mites, mould and spores and avoiding air pollution.
  
  For example, you can reduce the risk of dust mites by using an anti-allergy mattress cover, bed cover and pillows, and by avoiding padded headboards where dust mites can breed. The warmth of central heating also provides an ideal environment for dust mites.

In some cases, you may not even have identified exactly what causes your allergic reaction. It may be helpful to make a note of what the symptons are and when they occur before discussing it with your doctor.

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For people suffering from asthma, seasonal allergies can aggravate the condition

• 79% felt seasonal allergies made their asthma symptoms worse
• 43% avoided outside activity during allergy season

Source: One Airway Survey, Harris Interactive.