Q. What are allergies and what causes allergies?

A. When your body comes in contact with certain substances, or allergens, your immune system may overreact and cause you to have a reaction, like sneezing or itchy eyes, nose and throat. Allergens include dust mites, pet dander, mold spores and pollen.

Q. When and where do allergies strike?

A. Your allergies can affect you anytime, anywhere. More information is available on seasonal allergies and indoor/outdoor allergies.

Q. What can you do to alleviate allergy symptoms?

A. You can do many things to prevent and treat your allergy symptoms. For some tips see the prevention and treatment sections.

Q. What are your treatment options?

A. You can visit your grocery stores, pharmacies or retail store to find over-the-counter allergy medication including new non-drowsy, 24-hour formulas that were previously available only by prescription. If you don’t get relief, talk to your health care provider about prescription options.

Q. How do you know if you have allergies or a cold?

A. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish allergy and cold symptoms because they can be similar. If you have symptoms for longer than a week, you may be experiencing allergies, not the common cold. If you have a fever or muscle aches, you probably have a common cold or flu, not allergies.

Visit the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's site, www.aafa.org, for more information on allergies.