Why Are Allergies Increasing

There is no doubt that allergies are increasing every year, but it also can be the effect of people getting more and more health conscious and presenting to the doctor for even small symptoms.

Scientists don’t know yet why some people are allergic and others don’t. It seems that genetic heritage plays a role in developing allergies, but nothing is certain.

This is established that allergies affect members of the same family, but this had happened all the time, so this cannot be the cause of the increase of allergies we’ve witnessed over the past years.

In their attempt to explain this allergy incidence increase, medical scientists came up with another theory which says that our immune system, due to the fact that it has no more natural enemies like worms or other parasites, tries its powers on common substances, triggering allergic reactions. Our body produces antibodies to fight against natural enemies. Along the centuries of existence, humans with strong immune system survived and passed their genes, detrimental to the ones who had weaker immune system, which were extinguished little by little. Stronger defense mechanisms imply stronger reactions to the environment, so allergic reactions are more likely to occur at more and more people descending from ancestors with strong immune system.

Another issue that was examined, was the exaggerate cleanliness many women are keeping for their children. Some of them are almost obsessed, so the body of their children doesn’t have a chance to form antibodies in early childhood. Those children kept away from dirt and germs are the ones who are most susceptible of developing allergies later in life. Many doctors now advise, based on research that has been done, that a certain level of dirt is actually beneficial for small children. So, maybe mothers shouldn’t be using all those germ-killer products which are heavily advertised nowadays. However, parents shouldn’t neglect the importance of living in a mold-free environment. They can use modern mold detection means, if they suspect something in their basement or in other spaces with high level of humidity in their home.
Another issue is that now we have access to all types of foods all year round. In my childhood, I could only eat bananas during our winter. They were not available in any other season. This made it less probable that children develop allergies to bananas, because the level of exposure was low. The same applies for tomatoes and apples, which are some of the foods with allergenic potential. If you are predisposed to allergy to them, the more you consume those foods, the more your allergy gets serious, so having them available permanently is certainly not beneficial.

Soy allergy is also increasing. Some years ago, very few people ate soy products, as they were not available on such a large scale like they are today.

Technology is also a menace for health. Only think that is you work in a modern office building, where windows cannot open, and air is circulated through an air conditioning system, you are exposed to all allergens like perfumes, dust or mold from the entire building, which are sucked into the ventilation system and circulated into your office.

Pollution is also a major player in allergies development. Cars are already too many, the petrol-based fuels are highly polluting the air in big cities, so we have no chance of breathing fresh air for the most time of our lives.

Allergy is really a problem getting bigger every day.

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