Whether it’s down to air pollution, the weather, or foreign travel, there is one thing for sure: allergies are on the rise. In fact, according to Allergy UK, the number of allergy sufferers in the UK increases by five per cent each year.

With this in mind, we decided that Allergy Awareness Week (20 – 26 April) was the perfect time to explain what allergies are and how to get tested for them.

The aim of Allergy Awareness Week, run by Allergy UK, is to raise awareness and highlight the issues faced by those with allergies. This is more important than ever, especially considering new research by the charity found that 68% of UK adults would have no idea what to do if they saw someone suffering an allergic reaction.

What are allergies?

Simply put, an allergy is an adverse reaction that the body has to a particular food or substance.

Allergic reactions, which include sneezing, itchy eyes and rashes, are caused by substances called allergens. Some of the most common allergens include:

• dust
• pollen (which causes hay fever)
• food allergies (including fish, shellfish and nuts)
• bee and wasp stings

However, not all allergies are common. In fact, some are particularly unusual, including allergies to water, coins, chocolate and even the cold – which would be extremely difficult to live with in Scotland.

Allergy testing at YourGP

If you think you are suffering from an allergy, YourGP provides a comprehensive allergy testing service at our private health practice in Edinburgh to help you get to the root cause.

Tests are available for over 500 substances, ranging from wheat to blomia tropicalis (a tropical mite).

In addition to the wide range of individual tests on offer, we also provide tests for groups of the more common allergens.

We also provide tests for items that most commonly cause eczema or rhinitis, along with tests for certain allergy-causing products that specifically affect people from the UK, Mediterranean and Middle East.

#LivingInFear

As part of this year’s Allergy Awareness Week, Allergy UK is focusing on the impact that severe allergies are having on sufferers’ lives.

Allergy UK has found that nearly half of the nation’s severe allergy sufferers live in daily fear of suffering a deadly allergic reaction, also known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock.

To show your support for allergy sufferers and help highlight the issues faced by those with allergies, you can take part in Allergy UK’s #LivingInFear social media campaign.

To do so, all you have to do is share a photo of yourself on social media holding up a piece of paper with your biggest fear written on it, alongside the hashtag #LivingInFear.

To see our staff sharing their biggest fears as part of Allergy UK’s #LivingInFear campaign, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

If you want to find out more about allergies, or want to get tested for an allergy, use our online booking form to book a consultation, call us on 0131 225 5656 or email our reception team at reception@your.gp.