From food to skin, allergies are rapidly on the rise, and here is why

The rare allergy to water might seem like plain bad luck but doctors across the board agree that allergies are on the rise

It’s usually towards the end of a consultation, when a doctor pulls out her prescription pad, that I brace myself for a discussion that has become routine. “In my 50 years of practice, I have never come across anyone with a paracetamol allergy. It’s very rare. We give paracetamol even to children!” exclaims my new doctor.
 
Unless there’s a family history involving a specific allergen (substance that causes an allergy), most people discover they have an allergy the hard way. The “safe for children” acetaminophen, commonly known as paracetamol, first caused muscle stiffness when I was about eight. By