As someone who has had a lot of trouble with allergies I decided to look into what it is a ll about, I am better now I am older but as a kid, I suffered!

Allergy is the word used to describe an bad reaction that the body has to a particular substance in the environment. Most substances that cause allergies are not harmful and have no effect on people who are not allergic.

Anything that triggers an allergic reaction is called an allergen. Some of the most common allergens include pollen, house dust mites, mould and pets. Less common allergens include nuts, fruit and latex. An allergy develops when the body’s immune system reacts to an allergen as though it is a threat, like an infection. It produces antibodies to fight off the allergen, in a reaction called the immune response.

The next time a person comes into contact with the allergen, the body "remembers" the previous exposure and produces more of the antibodies. This causes the release of chemicals in the body that lead to an allergic reaction.

Common allergic disorders include asthma, eczema and hay fever. Symptoms can include sneezing, wheezing, coughing and skin rashes
The symptoms will depend on how you came into contact with the allergen. For example, you may experience problems with breathing and wheeze if you breathe in pollen.

We all know that allergies are very common. According to the British Allergy Foundation, one in three people in the UK suffer from an allergy at some time in their lives to something. The numbers are increasing every year and as many as half of those affected are children.

The reason for the rise is allergy sufferers unclear. Some experts believe it is to do with with pollution. Another theory is that allergies are caused by living in a cleaner, germ-free environment, which reduces the number of germs our immune system has to deal with and in so doing makes it less robust. This then can cause it to overreact when it comes into contact with harmless substances and give rise to an allergic reaction.

A lot of experts believe that there is a connection between the food and allergies. There are two things that cause my allergies to skyrocket. One is the onion, and the second one is chocolate. It happens every time.

Some experts say that headaches occur from wheat and chocolate. That is for the regular headaches, while for migraine headaches alcohol beverages, cheese, chocolate, nuts, wheat, milk and eggs can be the cause.

I agree with you that it is possible to successfully identify what triggers your own allergies quite effectively by a process of elimination. There is also the doctor route with all the skin scraping stuff. I have found that allergic as I am to a lot of things, the situation seems to change every now and again and I become allergic to something I was not allergic to before. Anyone els head this?