Q: For the past two weeks I am not keeping well. I have cough & cold. I consulted a doctor nearby my house and he has given me some tablets and syrup. And his conclusion was it is due to some allergy. Two years back I have some problem similar to this, when I was in Mumbai. There Doctor prescibed a medicine named Ketasma and asked me to continue for 6 Months. The moment I reached Delhi, I was quite normal. There after I didn't have that medicine at all. Now I am suspecting the same. Is it due to some alergy ? What should I do ? Should I tell anything apart from this ? If so, please suggest me or ask questions, so that I can tell more about and will be highly appeciated.

A:Cough and cold symptoms which consistently recur in particular environments may be due to allergies to such things as local pollens, mould spores or, if the problem is more apparent indoors, to house dust mites or pet animals or birds. Skin prick tests or blood tests (IgE RASTs) maay help to identify the allergen. Most people with a familliar tendency to develop this type of allergy start getting symptoms in the first two or three decades of life.