I’m allergic season again. If you are either 81 million Americans In the spring of hay fever, various blessings are mixed. The days are longer, sure, but they come with itchy eyes, runny noses, and a never-ending search for antihistamines. Seasonal allergies are like an attack from the outside world on days when pollen counts are highest, but our own body’s immune system is also overworked.
The number of allergy sufferers is also increasing. In 1997, about 0.4 percent of U.S. children were reported to have a peanut allergy. By 2008, this figure was 1.4 percent. In the UK, the number of hospitalizations due to severe food allergies is 1998 and 2018. Also, the prevalence of asthma, which is often caused by allergies, has leveled off in the United States but continues to rise globally with rising prevalence in developing countries. We’re also seeing an increase in unusual allergies, such as alpha-gal syndrome in people who get bitten by solitary star ticks. Strong reactions to red meat.
When you see an increase in allergies, it’s hard to shake off the feeling that something is wrong. Whether it’s the outside world, our bodies, or the complex interaction between the two, something is going wrong. The question is why and what can be done about it.
Let’s start by understanding what an allergy really is.in her book Allergies: How Our Immune Systems Respond to a Changing World, medical anthropologist Teresa McPhail is trying to do just that. One theory is that allergic reactions evolved as a way for the body to eliminate carcinogens and toxins, from insect bites to snake bites. Even centuries ago, an extreme immune response to a potentially fatal snake bite could have been a useful way for the body to respond, one researcher told McPhail. .
As the world changes, our overstretched immune system is starting to look visibly out of touch with the threats we face. It doesn’t make sense that the growing season for crops is getting longer and that people are being exposed to pollen earlier each spring. At the same time, changes in diet and lifestyle are disrupting our microbiome, possibly making our children more susceptible to food allergens. Stress can also affect susceptibility to allergies. Stress hormones have been found to provoke similar responses. in mouse cells as an allergic stressor.
You might think this is a bit inconclusive, but you’d be right. As McPhail found, pinpointing the cause of an increase in allergies is difficult, and even doctors don’t quite agree on what allergies are. teeth Or the best way to diagnose. But McPhail has good reason to delve into these complex issues. In August 1996, her father and his girlfriend were driving down a New Hampshire road on their way to the beach. A bee flew through an open sedan window and stung him on the side of his neck. Soon after, her father died of anaphylactic shock. “You’re here today because you want to know why his father died,” an allergist told McPhail during an interview.