Are we all allergic?

It is in childhood (and possibly during fetal development) that our first contact with allergens occurs. That is why it is very common to talk about childhood allergies and less often about those that begin in adulthood. Today, however, allergists are encountering such cases more and more often: “Six months ago, I suddenly woke up with an allergy to a cat”; “I have been sunbathing in the Crimea for 15 years without any problems, and now I am allergic to the sun”; “A few years ago I had my first bout of shrimp allergy – now I have to give up seafood.” Perhaps all of us, without knowing it, are potential allergies?

dormant reactions

“Yes, symptoms can appear at any age,” says allergist Patrick Rufin. “But you don’t become allergic overnight. Before that, you need to meet with the allergen, be sensitive to it, that is, produce and accumulate in the memory of the body an immune response that will make itself felt at the next meeting.

Between the first encounter and the manifestation of the symptom (rhinitis, asthma, eczema), the body is in a “dormant” state of so-called latent sensitivity, which can last for several years. We can say that an allergic reaction lurks in our body until something triggers its mechanism.

In everyday life, we are increasingly confronted with increased concentrations of allergens. In recent years, warmer winters have favored earlier seasonal pollination of plants. Pollen that causes severe allergies (for example, birch, cypress) is distributed in unusually powerful concentrations. As a result, allergies have manifested themselves not only in those who have experienced its symptoms since childhood, but also – for the first time – in many adults.

After a case of allergy to birch pollen, the body can “discover” in itself an allergy to hazelnuts, apples, cherries, peaches, carrots, potatoes, celery. The scale of the problem is such that the phenomenon has led to the creation of a special WHO program.

As far as our immune defenses are weakened, allergies are also intensified. A variety of reasons for which protection is reduced make us more vulnerable: for example, the flu, which requires the creation of an army of antibodies to fight the virus, pregnancy, which mobilizes all mechanisms to protect the child, severe stress, which can significantly reduce immunity.

Of course, the predisposition to the disease is also important. According to the World Allergy Organization, the risk of developing an allergy in a child whose parent is exposed to it is 30% higher than in other children. This figure rises to 60% in the case of double heredity – from the father and mother.

Deep down

But what to say, for example, about an attack of allergic rhinitis, which can happen both from cat hair or the smell of perfume, and … from a stressful situation? Or about the asthmatic who feels the approach of an attack at the sight of a bouquet of dandelions in the photo? An asthma attack—and 75% of asthmatics are also allergic—often brings with it feelings of anxiety, which itself makes the next attack more likely. What about those who suffer from eczema and are regularly spotted before exams?

In any case, allergy symptoms are signals that it is time for a person to listen to himself. “The psyche and physiology are inseparable, especially when it comes to allergies that manifest themselves in adulthood,” says Professor Raisa Dairova, who studies the psycho-emotional causes of this disease. – If there is a psychological reason that could lead to allergic reactions, then most likely it arose in childhood. A small child cannot express his suffering in words and fantasies, and he turns to the “language” of the body, for example, reacting to anxiety with skin rashes.

An adult can “inherit” this mechanism – and allergies can become his “specific” reaction to stress.

Will it be asthma, rhinitis or dermatosis – depends on the allergens that enter the body. If we are talking about food or cosmetics, then, most likely, an allergy will manifest itself in the form of rashes. Bronchial asthma is inflammation in the airways, on the mucous membrane.

“Any symptom is not accidental,” insists Raisa Dairova. “He always harbors some kind of internal conflict. My research has shown that one of the reasons is separation processes, that is, separation from what a person was closely connected with (separation from a loved one or moving from one house to another).

In the surrounding world

Other causes that allergists often talk about are so-called aggravating factors, or an unfavorable environment. Exactly “aggravating” and not causing allergies, since (with the exception of cigarette smoke) there is no evidence yet that a polluted atmosphere would cause allergies.

What patients and doctors alike believe is that the allergenic potential of tree pollen increases with the degree of environmental pollution. Industrial pollution changes the composition of pollen, increasing both the concentration of allergens and the rate of their spread in the air.

“However, the psychological atmosphere that surrounds us is also important,” Raisa Dairova is sure. – If a person cannot “breathe freely”, everything “causes irritation”, this can also become an aggravating factor for the manifestation of allergies. Under conditions of constant psychological stress, the chances of getting sick with it in any, even healthy, person increase.”

Within four walls

Our house is also a source of allergens. The atmosphere in the premises is sometimes more harmful than the air of the metropolis: the buildings no longer breathe. It used to take about half an hour to ventilate a house. In a typical modern house with thermal insulation, it takes 20 times more time to ventilate.

The results of a study by pharmacologist Isabel Moma show that in 40% of families with a child with respiratory problems, the nursery was redone less than a year before the child was born, which led to an increase in air pollutants.

New materials used in furniture and home accessories release irritating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at concentrations several times higher than those already in the air.

“House dust contains a mite so small that it can only be seen with a microscope,” adds Raisa Dairova. “It is also considered an allergen.” In the office, the situation is no better: copiers and printers become a trap for ozone, whose molecules play into the hands of allergens. This equipment must be installed in a regularly ventilated area.

treat allergies

Having found allergy symptoms – sneezing, coughing, runny nose, asthma attacks, rash – you need to contact a specialist: it is necessary to identify the allergen, which is not easy even with the help of special tests. The patient himself should try to understand what could cause such a reaction: new products, washing powder, animals.

In addition to avoiding contact with the allergen, the most common treatment (symptoms of the disease) is the use of antihistamines. There are also alternative approaches: homeopathy, acupuncture, relaxation. Psychotherapy makes attacks more rare and reduces their intensity, and along with treatment by an allergist (not only symptomatic), over time, complete elimination of allergies occurs.