Watch: don’t take allergies seriously? Think again
Allergies affect one in four of the population at some point in their lives, and can be debilitating at worst. Despite this, almost half of allergy sufferers feel that their condition is not taken seriously by their peers, with over a quarter having been called a hypochondriac, and a fifth having been accused of seeking attention.
That’s why, ahead of Allergy Awareness Week, leading national charity Allergy UK have produced the following video (below) to help change perceptions and raise awareness of the problems faced by allergy sufferers. Watching the different case studies speaking about how their allergies have affected their lives, preventing them from everyday activities like driving and exercising, will challenge anyone to trivialise the impact that these allergies can have.
READ MORE: 10 tips to beat spring allergies
Allergy UK have also advised the following three steps for sufferers who don’t feel their condition is being given the understanding it deserves:
1 Don’t get embarrassed to tell friends and family about your allergy. People can be scared of things they don’t understand. Explain how allergy affects you and what you need to stay safe. You will be raising awareness and understanding of allergic disease.
2 For those with food allergies, challenge your friends and family to eat ‘free from’ for a week to help them understand some of the difficulties you or your child faces on a daily basis with simple tasks such as grocery shopping.
3 Speak to other people with allergy. Having an allergy or having a child with an allergy can be quite scary and you may feel like you are on your own. There is lots of support available. Speak to the Allergy UK helpline, they can put you in touch with a buddy or give you some excellent advice on managing your condition.
To learn more, watch the video here:
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