Allergies are on the rise, a third of the population believe they suffer from allergies, and while some of these people may be wrong, they all agree that eczema, asthma, hay fever, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. now they are becoming more common. So what happened?

It is often not clear why a person has a tendency to be allergic or intolerant to a variety of substances. Doctors speak of ‘atopic individuals’: atopic means ‘out of place’. For those who don’t know, this sounds like a medical diagnosis, but really all it means is: You are prone to allergies; you may have several different symptoms caused by your allergic reactions; this often runs in families; we don’t know why To describe someone as an atopic person is not to say anything that the person doesn’t know about himself!

genetic predisposition

Allergy problems certainly run in families, so there may be a genetic component, although the exact mechanism is not clearly understood. Some small genetic mutation can cause the immune system to fire more easily, so family members who share this mutation will be prone to allergic reactions, although not necessarily to the same substances, but this does not explain the increased incidence of allergies in recent years.

serious viral infections

A severe viral infection can damage the immune system, making it more likely that the person will develop allergies in the future. Again, although this may explain why someone has allergies, the incidence of virus infections is not increasing.

So we have to look elsewhere to explain the increase, and there are several entirely different possibilities.

parasites

One theory of allergy now being proposed is that a lack of the right enemies (liver flukes, tapeworms, etc.) has led to a dormant immune system finding an inappropriate job in allergic reactions. There are many antibodies produced in the body to protect it against invasion by harmful organisms. IgE antibodies effectively and quickly deal with the extreme danger of infection by large parasites, such as tapeworms. The effect of parasites on health can be devastating, which is why, over the years, people with efficient IgE mechanisms have lived to reproduce and pass on their genes at a higher rate than people with less efficient IgE mechanisms . IgE antibodies are also involved in allergic and hypersensitivity reactions, so people with these inherited efficient IgE mechanisms are more likely to have allergy problems than people who have inherited a less efficient system. This supercharged immune system was a boon to an asthma patient’s distant ancestors who inhabited a world with many life-threatening parasites, but now leads to a “trigger-happy” immune system that is activated inappropriately.

Other doctors (particularly Hulda Clark in ‘Cure For All Diseases’) take the opposite view, viewing many allergy symptoms as a reaction to a parasite infestation.

Excessive Cleaning

The obsession with the danger of ‘germs’ is believed to have led to an increase in allergies. Much of this obsession with cleanliness seems to be driven by the media and advertising. Headlines about ‘killer bugs’ and advertisements claiming that a product kills even more germs have led many people to buy more and more products to kill these dangerous enemies. A view now gaining ground among many researchers and some clinicians is that a certain level of dirtiness is good for us, particularly during infancy and early childhood when the immune system is maturing.

Helper T cells in the immune system recognize foreign antigens and then secrete substances to activate other cells to fight the invader. In pregnancy, helper T cells that attack invaders directly without producing antibodies (Th1 cells) are less active, as they might cause the mother’s system to reject the fetus. This means that helper T cells that are responsible for antibody reactions (Th2 cells) are more prominent. These are the ones that are involved in allergic reactions. The new baby’s immune system has the same stress as the mother’s during pregnancy. Exposure of the very young to some level of ‘dirt’ is thought to be beneficial because it helps rebalance the immune system to emphasize helper T-cells that are not involved in the allergy process.

In an excellent article (‘New Scientist’ July 18, 1998) Garry Hamilton talks about ‘the softer side of germs’. If young people are not exposed to ‘dirt’, the immune system does not go through this rebalancing process and an allergy tendency can result. Linda Gamblin in ‘The Allergy Bible’ cites several medical research projects, which support the idea of ​​allowing children to be exposed to dirt and minor infections to help protect against allergies.

Vaccination

Our children are now being vaccinated against an ever-increasing variety of diseases. While some of these are serious, many are minor illnesses that were once considered part of a normal childhood. Many alternative practitioners believe that these childhood illnesses help prime the immune system so that it can better cope with a range of illnesses later in life. This view is not accepted by most of the medical profession and, indeed, would be difficult to prove. However, there is some evidence that vaccination alters the ratio of helper T cells to suppressor T cells. This is likely to have an effect on the susceptibility of the vaccinated child to allergic reactions. It is also known that most vaccines stimulate the branch of the immune system that deals with the most extreme immune reactions against invaders such as parasites (‘New Scientist’, July 18, 1998).

Ubiquitous presence of some foods

Before the advent of freezers and air travel, most people ate local foods that were in season. Now most fruits and vegetables are available year-round, so our systems are exposed to the same foods continuously without a break.

There has been a dramatic increase in people experiencing soy allergies, as soy has become a common ingredient in many processed foods. In Europe and North America, allergy to rice is relatively uncommon, while in Asia, where it is consumed more frequently, it is much more common.

technological developments

Advances that make modern life more comfortable have also led to an increase in allergies. With the advent of air conditioning, central heating, and wall-to-wall carpeting, house dust mites and molds like alternaria have an ideal environment to thrive. Modern offices with sealed windows mean that everyone is exposed to the perfumes that other people wear. The increasing use of plastics, formaldehyde, benzene, etc. they have led us all to be exposed to a staggering array of chemicals.

Pollution by environmental pollutants

Chemicals in diesel fumes are known to damage the outer membranes of pollen. This means that when pollen is inhaled, the pollen proteins are immediately in much closer contact with the delicate membranes of the mouth, nose, and lungs than they would be if the pollen had not been damaged in this way.

Now it has also been suggested that the immune system is reacting to some harmless substances because they have been contaminated by environmental pollution: the immune system does not recognize food, for example, if it has tire rubber molecules attached to it. These molecules sometimes appear similar to enzymes produced by parasites, so the immune system attacks the “parasite.”

Although more and more evidence is accumulating on the role of environmental pollutants, this does not explain why New Zealand, which is relatively free of pollution, has one of the highest incidences of asthma in the world.

Electromagnetic pollution

An increase in electromagnetic pollution has gone hand in hand with the increase in allergies. The scientific jury is still out on the danger of cell phones, power lines, etc., but many people are becoming increasingly concerned about our constant exposure. People who are sensitive to computers, etc. they often also show many typical symptoms of allergy sufferers. In some cases, correction of this sensitivity to electromagnetic sources causes all or most of the adverse reactions to disappear. (I recommend health kinesiology for this).

Stress

The pace of life is accelerating all the time: modern technology gives us more possibilities and many of us want to experience as many as we can. One survey found that half of the 950 20-year-olds interviewed said they would feel like a failure if they didn’t own a home at 26, weren’t married at 27, and weren’t rich or parents at 29. Many of those interviewed said they were willing to sacrifice a healthy diet and lifestyle to achieve this. These expectations and pressures are not conducive to long-term health and can also lead to stress and allergies. Prepackaged and processed foods eaten in front of the TV, excess alcohol, lack of fresh air, and exercise all take their toll.

Sometimes particular traumatic events can explain a particular allergy. One of my clients was allergic to wool and tea. She told me that when she was little she had poured a cup of hot tea on herself. She was wearing a wool sweater at the time, and the tea soaked into the sweater and burned her badly.

Diet

It is now well known that bottle-fed babies are more likely to have allergy problems than breast-fed babies. Sudden or early weaning can also contribute to the problem.

Unfortunately, the modern diet can be high in calories, but there is increasing evidence that it is low in some important nutrients. People eat more pre-processed foods, which can be nutritionally compromised.

The soil is running out of some minerals, because the plants growing in the soil have absorbed them for a long time. If the mineral isn’t in the soil, it can’t be in the plant, so it’s also not available in the food we eat.

There is unlikely to be a simple answer as to why people are allergic, intolerant or sensitive in general or to particular substances. Research is still going on in this fascinating area. Fortunately, with the tools that exist, it is not necessary to know why someone has allergy problems in order to detect and correct them.