What are Allergies and what is Allergic Rhinitis?

Allergies or Allergic Rhinitis is a disorder that occurs when your body detects foreign substances called allergens (triggers).Your allergies occur because your body's defense system mistakes harmless allergens (such as pollen, dust, or grass) for harmful antigens (such as bacteria). The symptoms of allergic rhinitis occur when a substance called histamine is released into the blood. The histamine causes the most common symptoms of allergies such as:

• sneezing
• itchy, watery eyes
• runny nose
• itchy throat
• stuffy nose

These symptoms are often called hay fever (although hay fever is neither caused by hay or results in fever).