Balanced Immune Health

The radio story is called Anatomy of an Allergy Attack. It gives a nice overview of how seasonal allergy reactions work. The story nicely describes the immune system’s role in an allergy episode:

“He (a doctor interviewed in the story)  says that an allergic response is sort of a false alarm. Like an army launching an attack against a harmless enemy.  Somehow the immune system has gotten confused – and treats things like pollen, dust, mold or the proteins on the hair of your beloved pet as if they were a dangerous parasite or virus.”

That’s good. The story goes on to describe the hygiene hypothesis:  “The immune systems of non-allergic people detect ragweed and pet hair too- they just don’t sound the alarm.  The number of people with allergies in the United States and Europe has risen over the last several decades. One of the prevailing theories on the cause is that modern western societies are too clean.” Click the “hygiene hypothesis” category tag on the left column of this page.

But then, the story ends with a summary of treatments: OTC products like Claritin, cortosteroids, and homeopathic approaches such as allergy shots.

Too bad it did not discuss ways to balance immune response in the first place:  to retrain immune cells to let pollen pass and not attack it, thereby avoiding all the gunk that comprises allergic reactions.  Oh well, the world will catch on….some day.

Filed under Allergies, Balanced Immune Health, Hygiene Hypothesis, Immune Balance, Immune System, Inflammation, immune