why are allergies more common?

Marion

Tue, Sep 02 2008, 7:30 am

2 things:

1. I don't think the allergies themselves are necessarily more common, I think there's more awareness and accomodation.

2. A huge cause of the increase in environmental allergies is the sterility in which we live. All those anti-bacterial everythings, and we don't expose ourselves to certain things, that we don't develop an appropriate biological response to them. Then we when DO come in contact with them, our bodies don't know what to do with them, and treat them as dangerous.

sarahmalka

Tue, Sep 02 2008, 7:46 am

Yes, Marion's right on about the sterility issue. I think it's called the Hygiene theory but I may be wrong. There's an arm of our immune system called IgE (immunoglobulin E) that normally fights off things like parasites. Those of us in the developed world do not come into contact with parasites to the degree that we evolved to, so IgE overreacts to other things in the environment. IgE is what mediates these anaphylactic responses (like, hives, wheezing, throat closing up) that we are seeing more commonly. In the non-developed world, they don't have as many allergies and they still have to contend with parasites.

Helani

Tue, Sep 02 2008, 11:48 am

Also, people in the past who had allergies severe enough to drop dead didn't live long enough to reproduce. Now with medication even people with very severe allergies have kids and pass on allergies. And there are different allergens also, from chemicals around us. I do believe in hygiene hypothesis as well.

manhattanmom

Tue, Sep 02 2008, 12:08 pm

Marion wrote:

I agree with #2 but NOT with #1. I believe that if 30 years ago people died from smelling peanuts there would have been an awareness and accommodation.

Marion

Tue, Sep 02 2008, 3:27 pm

manhattanmom wrote:

Marion wrote:

I agree with #2 but NOT with #1. I believe that if 30 years ago people died from smelling peanuts there would have been an awareness and accommodation.

Trust me, there's more awareness. 25 years ago we just thought peanuts made me sick. We KNEW I had reactions (hives) to chocolate, citrus, strawberries, and tomatoes, but peanuts just made me barf and gave me headaches (no hives). So I just never at them (or peanut butter), because I didn't like it all that much anyway. It never crossed my parents' minds to get me formally allergy tested. I went and got tested myself at 19 after I'd had a close call one Friday night that saw me almost not make it home from a Shabbat dinner at shul. If I were to take my son to the pediatrician today with the same symptoms I had as a kid, the pediatrician would suggest taking my son to an allergist for testing.

allgood

Tue, Sep 02 2008, 5:11 pm

Being that my husband and I both didn't have allergies and my kids all have allergies I'll say this isn't all do with medication being available and therefore ppl living long enough to pass on the gene.

I've heard people say it's because of all the junk that we eat nowadays. Everything is more processed and it somehow affects our system. Go figure. I don't think there's any definite answer around on this question just loads of stimulations.

ShakleeMom

Tue, Sep 02 2008, 5:23 pm

Environmental toxins are a major contributor. Years ago, people lived on the farms, country, etc. and kids ran barefoot all day in the fresh breeze. Today, you can choke on the smog. Enter the overly sterile house, scrubbed with bleach, Easy Off, and St. Morritz and goodness knows what else. If these toxins say poisonous, or call poison control, why would you clean your home with it?

Real Dirt On Clean - 81,000 CHEMICALS REGISTERED WITH THE EPA IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, and fewer than 20% have been tested for toxicity!

FACT: 90% of all poison exposures occur at home

FACT: 218,316 reported poison exposures in 2005 were from household cleaning products

FACT: 90% of our time is spent indoors. EPA reports that air pollution is up to five times higher inside than outside

FACT: Indoor pollutants come from all sorts of chemicals we use to make our lives easier every day—paints, carpets, furniture, household cleaners, personal care, among others

FACT: EPA studies indicate that elevated concentration of household chemicals persist in the air. Longterm exposure to chemicals inside our homes may be harmful to us and our families

FACT: Some 20 million Americans have asthma
FACT: An average of one out of every 13 school-aged children has asthma

FACT: Asthma rates in children under age five have increased more than 160% from 1980-1994

FACT: Common household cleaners and appliances give off fumes, which can potentially increase the risk of children developing asthma
________________________________________
"We are conducting a vast toxologic experiment in our society, in which our children and our children’s children are the experimental subject” Dr. Herbert Needleman - Pediatrition and Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center