The Allergies that we suffer are the result of an over-reaction of our body towards the environment. There are many different factors as to why someone would have an allergy, from a persons domestic arrangements to hereditary situations. This article looks at a few of the more commmon causes.
Overall there is a distinction between different types of allergies and they can be loosely catorgerised even if all this is a little artificial …
The air
These are the substances that are suspended in the air such as mites or pollen. The frequency of sensitized individuals has increased dramatically in recent years. Factors that are responsible for this higher prevalence are still only hypothesis but include:
More isolated habitats
Cocooning with wall to wall carpeting and double glazing etc. …
Lower volumes of air within rooms to reduce heating costs (which causes a higher concentration of allergen per m3)
The increase in the number of domestic animals in habitats has risen considerably over the last twenty years. They are certainly a source of much joy but they also increase the number of allergens with which our body is in contact (animal hair is the main culprit but also increasing is the number of mites in the home).
outdoor pollution is NOT responsible for the increased prevalence of allergies. This is certainly a trigger for the attacks but no study has ever formally to date highlighted a correlation between pollution and allergies.
Food
In fact these allergens we are talking about above are brought into contact with bodies weakened by food sensitization. Food manufacturing has also crafted the path of allergies in society. We are our own worst enemy in a lot of ways as when we find a new “criminal” substance such as nuts or egg and we find that people are allergic to them, we tend to slowly eliminate them from our everyday diets. this again causes low immunity to these substances and may be passed on through generations, each subsequent one being less immune than the previous.
The problem of antibiotic therapy and / or vaccination
A Lancet study has revealed more allergies among vaccinees than the unimmunized. This has led to the criminalization of vaccinations in the world of allergies. In fact, there are two different populations: unvaccinated people are generally activists of not perscribing antibiotics and medicines. These populations are therefore carrying minor bacterial infections and therefore suffer with less allergies due to a higher immune system tolerance. This is obviously not without risk because a bacterial infection can end badly if not treated in time. There is not to my knowledge reliable figures comparing the mortality and morbidity of these two populations but I for one continue to vaccinate my children and give them, if necessary, antibiotics.
Living conditions and bacteria.
Perhaps we should look at the way previous generations lived, thier cleanliness was way poorer than ours today. we tend to use disinfectant to mop down everything, wash our hands at every opportunity and generally rid our lives of all bacteria. 50 years ago this was not the case and allergies were less prevalent as a result.
Allergies are a result of a number of different factors and the more our environment becomes contrived to make our lives “cleaner” the more bacteria becomes a problem, maybe we should try and live a little differently, introduce a bit of dirt into our lives, go buy a dog etc and just not worry about it too much
Tags: Allergies