3 Reasons Why You Should Be Allergy Tested*

This post is in conjunction with Klarify but all thoughts are my own.

Did you know that 1 in 4 adults, 1 in 6 teenagers and 1 in 10 children in the UK are affected by one or more allergies?

When I was a little kid I didn’t really suffer from any kind of allergies. I had sensitive skin that would flare up if I exposed it to heavily scented products, but that was it. At thirteen I went on a residential to the Lake Distract and when I came back I was constantly sneezing, my eyes were itching and my skin would often itch. I put up with this for a whole summer until my mother took me to the doctors and I was diagnosed with seasonal allergies, or hayfever. For years I managed this with hayfever tables, but as I entered my 20s I noticed it getting progressively worse. And even on days without a high pollen count I would find my sinuses irritated to the point I couldn’t sleep and often couldn’t open my eyes. It was around this time the doctors suggested I be allergy tested to see just what was causing this kind of reaction. It turned out I was allergic to a lot of pollens but also certain types of dust and mould. Knowing this going forward made it easier to control and to look out for, and since then I’ve never looked back.

Klarify are a company that offer at home allergy testing kits that you can do yourself without being put forward by a Doctor. We all know at this time the NHS is under a lot of pressure with COVID, so being able to explore this as an individual is such a novel way especially in comparison to waiting for my referral a decade ago. Klarify have years of experience with allergies and a great background in science, it’s worth exploring what you could possibly be having a reaction to. The Klarify home allergy kit tests for 294 allergens using sophisticated technology including pollen, pets, mites, moulds, venoms and even foods. This home allergy test couldn’t be either, simply follow the instructions, send it off and within two weeks you’ll receive a comprehensive report of what is triggering you.

If you’re still not convinced, here are three reasons why you should look at being allergy tested;

It Can Be Done at Home

As I mentioned above, Klarify offers a home to lab testing kit which means you can test yourself and then send off for your results. You don’t need to go through your GP which means faster answers. All you need to do is send off a small blood sample (equivalent of 6 drops of blood) in their pre-paid envelope. The lab will test this sample for over 294 allergens and send you your detailed report. Your report will be available to view online so no awkward phone calls or waiting on the post. It honestly couldn’t be simpler.

It Will Help You Identify Your Allergy So You Can Manage It

Knowing first hand how difficult living with an allergy can be, knowing exactly what triggers it and how to best manage it takes a lot of worry out of every day life. When I start to sneeze and have that itchy feeling in my nose, throat and ears, I can check the pollen count or give my home a quick whip around to check for mould to find out what it triggering it. It meant I didn’t have that worry about potentially having COVID, I could pop some tablets and go about my day. I feel in a way that I’m lucky to have pollen and mould allergies which are no life threatening or cause too much discomfort in the way a food allergy could. I know from people close to me that undiagnosed food allergies can really cause upset and I know if it was me, I’d want to know what was causing it.

Ultimately, You’ll Have a More Comfortable Standard of Living

Some allergies can really make you miserable, some allergies can actually make you quite sick. Wouldn’t it be great to know exactly what was affecting you so you could make sure to avoid it? Or ensure you had the correct medication to avoid any great reaction? By being allergy tested this is something that could happen, it would improve your life ten folds and make you feel good on a day to day basis.