Well its spring time and allergies are bound to happen. The only allergy I knew when I was growing up was from dust and pollen. Everytime we used to travel from Madras to Bangalore, we would know we were close to Bangalore, when my dad would start sneezing. He would sneeze all the way into Bangalore station and for a little while more. He was allergic to some weed that was very prevalent in Bangalore then. Dust allergy was pretty common too. I have bouts of sneezing when I go back to India.
But today we hear, atleast in the western world, about allergy from peanuts, soy, gluten, eggs, latex gloves, pet dander etc. Some of these allergies are very common and prevalent among the population. Imagine being allergic to gluten, you have to rule out eating bread and most wheat based products, which would make it almost impossible to eat out. You would have to confine yourself to a bubble and life like that would never be easy.
What is an allergy?
It is just the immune system behaving crazily, attacking foreign invaders that normally cause no harm. This over reaction is what causes inflammation, itching, wheezing etc.
How does the allergy unfold?
One day the body is exposed to a protein in something, which seems harmless. For some weird reason the body looks at this protein and sees trouble. There will be no symptoms first, but the body is remembering and planning for the next attack. The first exposure causes the immune system to produce an antibody called IgE. The IgE antibodies attach to certain cells called mast cells, in tissue throughout the body. There they stay, waiting for war. With a second exposure even months later, some allergen binds to IgE on the mast cell. This time the mast cell releases a cascade of irritating chemicals: histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which cause inflammation, work on nerve endings to make you itch, affect blood pressure and muscle contraction and act on glands to cause mucus production and vasodilation, so you clog up.
Reasons for allergies
Diet: Reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables and increases consumptions of processed food means lesser antioxidants, and low intake of some minerals. The use of antibiotics early in life, say for an ear infection, actually kills some good bacteria in the gut, thus making us more susceptible to allergies.
Cortisol: In times of stress the immune system pumps up and is ready to fight infection. Later the pituitary gland produces the hormone cortisol, which acts as anti inflammatory, essentially turning down the immune system so that it doesn't over react. Some people don't produce enough cortisol and hence get allergies.
Hygiene: Yes being a clean freak is not good. By constantly using clorox wipes and anti bacterial cleaning agents we are so minimizing our exposure, we don't give our immune system what it needs. People who live in farms seldom have any allergies. They live among bacteria from animals, dung etc. Children also exposed to bacteria in the soil have no allergies. The soil contains good microbes and animal waste. So please use organic manure in your garden and let you child play in it.
I have seen parents that wipe the cart in a grocery store with antibacterial wipes and then strap their children. Unless your child is immuno compromised, you don't have to do it. I think its good to take kids to the petting zoo. They have fun and a little exposure to goat dung would be good too. When kids travel from US to India, the parents freak out and try to keep the kid in a bubble. Oh please give the child boiled water and all, no one wants typhoid. But a little loose stools is not something to cut-short your trip for. A gut infection like that would boost the immune system.
So eat your veggies and play with farm animals! How fun that would be. That is just my 2 cents worth. I would like you to know that I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. Most of the stuff in this post is what I read in National Geographic Magazine, May 2006 issue.
But today we hear, atleast in the western world, about allergy from peanuts, soy, gluten, eggs, latex gloves, pet dander etc. Some of these allergies are very common and prevalent among the population. Imagine being allergic to gluten, you have to rule out eating bread and most wheat based products, which would make it almost impossible to eat out. You would have to confine yourself to a bubble and life like that would never be easy.
What is an allergy?
It is just the immune system behaving crazily, attacking foreign invaders that normally cause no harm. This over reaction is what causes inflammation, itching, wheezing etc.
How does the allergy unfold?
One day the body is exposed to a protein in something, which seems harmless. For some weird reason the body looks at this protein and sees trouble. There will be no symptoms first, but the body is remembering and planning for the next attack. The first exposure causes the immune system to produce an antibody called IgE. The IgE antibodies attach to certain cells called mast cells, in tissue throughout the body. There they stay, waiting for war. With a second exposure even months later, some allergen binds to IgE on the mast cell. This time the mast cell releases a cascade of irritating chemicals: histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which cause inflammation, work on nerve endings to make you itch, affect blood pressure and muscle contraction and act on glands to cause mucus production and vasodilation, so you clog up.
Reasons for allergies
Diet: Reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables and increases consumptions of processed food means lesser antioxidants, and low intake of some minerals. The use of antibiotics early in life, say for an ear infection, actually kills some good bacteria in the gut, thus making us more susceptible to allergies.
Cortisol: In times of stress the immune system pumps up and is ready to fight infection. Later the pituitary gland produces the hormone cortisol, which acts as anti inflammatory, essentially turning down the immune system so that it doesn't over react. Some people don't produce enough cortisol and hence get allergies.
Hygiene: Yes being a clean freak is not good. By constantly using clorox wipes and anti bacterial cleaning agents we are so minimizing our exposure, we don't give our immune system what it needs. People who live in farms seldom have any allergies. They live among bacteria from animals, dung etc. Children also exposed to bacteria in the soil have no allergies. The soil contains good microbes and animal waste. So please use organic manure in your garden and let you child play in it.
I have seen parents that wipe the cart in a grocery store with antibacterial wipes and then strap their children. Unless your child is immuno compromised, you don't have to do it. I think its good to take kids to the petting zoo. They have fun and a little exposure to goat dung would be good too. When kids travel from US to India, the parents freak out and try to keep the kid in a bubble. Oh please give the child boiled water and all, no one wants typhoid. But a little loose stools is not something to cut-short your trip for. A gut infection like that would boost the immune system.
So eat your veggies and play with farm animals! How fun that would be. That is just my 2 cents worth. I would like you to know that I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. Most of the stuff in this post is what I read in National Geographic Magazine, May 2006 issue.
7 comments:
"He was allergic to some weed that was very prevalent in Bangalore then."
It was parthenium and it travelled from CBE to BLR from what I remember as a teenager :-).
(Here is a link on it from the NIH site).
Yep that is the name. I couldn't remember :-) and thanks for the link!
Hi Sowmya
Nice writeup! I personally am rather allergic to pollen. It makes me sneeze and eventually get a severe cold which then leads me to get a good bout of heavy wheezing!
I should take your advice, at least it will reduce my chances of being infected!
venkat, mine is not medical advice alright. ;-)
as far as i know, allergy is what people claim they are affected by, whenever anyone lights up a cigarette within a 3000 mile radius.
:-) yeah that too. it reminds me of my cousin who wouldn't buy anything from a shop that sold cigarettes. wonder how she is now?
Nice write-up, and amusing!
You are right, living with a wheat allergy is not easy. But living in a bubble is unnecessary! I've been living with allergies for years, and I have learned how to manage my allergies, and manage people who might poison me!
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