If you want to try one of the many complementary treatments available, tell your doctor and do not stop taking your normal medication. For more information, see our factsheet Complementary Medicine. The National Asthma Campaign's Asthma Helpline receives over 18,000 calls a year. Here is a selection of some of the callers' most frequently asked questions. Both hay fever and perennial rhinitis are allergies.
Allergies tend to run in families.
If one parent is allergic to something, there is a 30 to 50 per cent risk of their child being allergic to something, too. If two parents have allergies, the risk to the child goes up to about 60 or 70 per cent. Curiously, the child doesn't always develop the same allergies as its parents. I have heard that desensitising injections can be very effective in treating hay fever. However, they are used in specialist hospital clinics with patients who have severe allergic reactions to things like bee and wasp stings.