Allergy Awareness Week: what are allergies, and how can I alleviate my symptoms?

In 2024, one in three people in the UK live with an allergy. By 2026, this is projected to increase to one in two.* But, how do allergies work? Why are they on the increase? And what can you do to alleviate allergy symptoms?

Allergies can range from food allergies, to allergic eczema, asthma and hay fever. More children are being born with allergies, and it’s costing the NHS more than £900 million per year to manage.**

In support of  Allergy UK’s Allergy Awareness Week theme #toobigtoignore, we’ve looked into how allergies work, why allergies are on the rise in the UK, and what you can do to relieve your symptoms during day-to-day activities.

 

What is an allergy?

According to Allergy UK, an allergy is the response of the body’s immune system to what is usually considered a harmless substance. Think pollens, certain foods and ingredients. For most people these substances don’t cause any problems. However, for others their immune system recognises them as a ‘threat’. This is when we see symptoms like swelling, inflammation and itching, which usually happen within a few minutes after contact.

 

Why are allergies increasing in the UK?

It isn’t simply the case that we’re becoming more aware of allergies. Over five million people in the UK now require specialist care for severe allergies, and the UK ranks in the top three countries globally for the highest incidence of allergies.

Organisations are researching the reasons why allergies are becoming more prevalent, but at present there is no confirmed reason behind the increase.

There are, however, many theories, with a particular focus on environmental factors such as pollution and air quality, along with gut health, dietary changes and less exposure to bacteria.

 

Relieving symptoms of airborne allergies during day-to-day activities

Whilst many allergies are a life-long chronic condition, there are measures you can take to relieve your symptoms whilst going about daily activities:

 

When exercising outside: Going for a walk or a run outside can be difficult for people that suffer with an allergy such as hay fever. A few tips to help include:

• Checking the Met Office website for the pollen forecast before venturing outside, and scheduling runs for days when the pollen count is set to be lower
• Wearing wraparound sunglasses if your eyes are particularly sensitive
• Making sure to wash your clothes when you return home to remove allergens

When cleaning your home: An unclean environment can aggravate allergies – and cleaning your space with harsh chemicals can also cause issues. Heather Nixon – sustainability, NPD and regulator manager here at Bio-D, suggests:

• Switching to a damp cloth when dusting to stop dust particles from being knocked into the air
• Vacuuming regularly to help reduce the chance of allergy irritations by removing dust particles trapped within the fibres. Those particularly affected by dust particles should opt for a ‘high efficiency particular air’ (or HEPA) vacuum. Washing your vacuum filter regularly is also important, otherwise it can emit dust particles into the area whilst using
• Keeping your home well-ventilated to help dust to escape, whilst also reducing the chance of mould and mildew, which can also irritate allergies. Open windows where you can, keep internal doors open to help air flow freely and make sure to use ventilation fans when installed

Using Allergy UK Allergy Friendly Products: Allergy UK has approved a range of day-to-day products covering a range of day-to-day activities that are unlikely to cause a reaction and are beneficial for allergy sufferers based on expert opinion. This includes a range of products, which you can find listed on the Allergy UK website here.

We’re proud to announce that Allergy UK has recently added an additional two new Bio-D the list, including our Fragrance Free Cleansing Hand Wash, and Fragrance Free Washing Up Liquid!

We’ve also created a new Allergy UK bundle including some of our favourite Allergy UK approved products. Buying the bundle saves you 21% compared to buying each product separately!

 

Shop our Allergy UK bundle here.

 

*Statistics sourced from https://www.allergyuk.org/