So what are allergies and why does my body want to react to every particle I inhale. Allergens are a normally unharmful substance that certain unfortunate individuals react to. The body's immune system mistakenly identifies the substances as a dangerous substance and attack the substance with immunoglobin E antibodies. Because of the strong immune system response, your body gets symptoms much like a cold. There are several theories for why allergies are raising in prevalence in the modern day. The top two are the "old friends hypothesis" which states that the indoor life style of modern day society is not conducive to training our immune system to filter out non dangerous allergens and the "hygiene hypothesis" which states that the amount of exposure to infection, cleanliness and habits of a person's family as a child can change their chance of getting allergies (Scholfield, n.d.). You guys can debate what you think is the most likely cause but we know for sure that there is both a genetic and an environmental component. Allergies are highly heritable but we also know the environment has a role to play. There has been conflicting results in studies, so it is difficult to be sure the exact mechanism for how genetics and environment interplay (Murrison, 2019).
Unfortunately, I already have allergies, so what should I do? The best option for me right now is known as exposure therapy. I would be given shots once a week for 3 to 5 years. I can be treated for many of my environmental allergies at once and I would be given just enough allergens to stimulate my immune system but not enough to give me a full blown reaction. These allergy shots have been known to massively reduce reactions to allergens but only after the second year. The cons of this are that I would have to be very committed to getting the allergy shots every week for years and it can cost up to 4000 dollars a year ("Allergy shots", 2022). I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts about this and to see if you think its worth it.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022, January 6). Allergy shots. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/allergy-shots/about/pac-20392876#:~:text=Allergy%20shots%20are%20regular%20injections,that%20trigger%20your%20allergic%20reactions.
Murrison, L. B., Brandt, E. B., Myers, J. B., & Hershey, G. K. K. (2019, April 1). Environmental exposures and mechanisms in allergy and asthma development. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://www.jci.org/articles/view/124612
Scholfield, J. B. L. (n.d.). The rise of allergies: An investigation on why it is occurring and how ... https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-wordpress-0/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2021/05/19123334/Jin-B.-L.-Schofield.pdf
I would be interested in seeing if insurance companies consider this type of treatment to be worth insuring. If they don't insure it, the choice to begin this allergy treatment would depend on how severe your symptoms are, how much they affect your life, and whether or not a daily allergy pill is effective.
ReplyDeleteAs for the potential cause of the increase in allergy rates within recent years, could there be more of an ecological cause? Trees often have male versions of themselves that release pollen and female versions that receive the pollen to make fruit. In cities, the trees that release pollen are planted in disproportionate amounts to the fruit bearing trees, leading to a buildup of pollen in urbanized areas. It would be interesting to see the effects of changing the ratio.
Lara, B., Rojo, J., Fernández-González, F., & Pérez-Badia, R. (2019). Prediction of airborne pollen concentrations for the plane tree as a tool for evaluating allergy risk in urban green areas. Landscape and Urban Planning, 189, 285–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.05.002
I am very sorry that you have to live like this. I know that allergies can be such a pain. I feel there can be a different approach, that does not require shots. I have worked with someone who has had a similar problem. She did a herbal approach and started to receive acupuncture. I wonder if there is an alternative to shots, as they can be painful and who knows what other effects it may leave to your body. I found that acupuncture is a rooted Chinese concept of life. There is an internal source that is thought to stimulate energy and speeding with healing that may include allergy relief.
ReplyDeleteSlomski, Genevieve, PhD, and LeAnna DeAngelo PhD. “Acupuncture.” Magill’s Medical Guide (Online Edition), 2023. EBSCOhost, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=87690428&site=eds-live&scope=site