Westchester NY Moms
  • About Us
  • Calendar
  • Blog
    • Blog Topics
  • Things To Do
    • Indoor Fun
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Camp
  • Love Local
    • Be Prepared
    • Give Back
    • The Towns of Westchester
  • Resources
    • Education
    • Parenting
    • Music
    • Fitness & Health
    • Shopping
    • Beauty & Fashion
  • Contact Us

Blog

Why Are Allergies On The Rise?

5/13/2019

 
Picture
​Almost everyone has a family member, friend, or coworker whose allergies have kicked in. Some say they never had allergies before or can‘t recall the last time it affected them. Nowadays, it seems rather common than previous years, which has everyone asking “why allergies are on the rise?”
 
The symptoms aren’t simple sneezes and runny noses anymore. Today’s allergies come with rashes, hives, cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, swollen tongue and throat, tight chest, and passing out. If today’s allergy sufferers don’t have an EpiPen or can’t call an ambulance, serious complications could result.
 
Science and the medical industry are finding new reasons every day why allergies are rising. The fact is that allergies have become more common since the mid-20th century. Preservatives, pre-packaged foods, climate changes, massive storms, and just about everything synthetic have combined to change the atmosphere in which we live.
 
Changing Lifestyles
Before city and suburban living became the norm, people lived on farms and in the country. From childhood, they breathed nature in all her facets. The immune system recognized potential allergens and would defend against them. Playing outside in early childhood refined the immune system.
 
With the increase in technology, people turned in their relationship with the outside for what one would a homebody lifestyle. They sat in front of TVs, played video games, texted, and talked on Skype. Central air conditioners replaced fresh air, and well water morphed into city water. Though these are changes that were imminent, they affect all of us.
 
Climatic Changes
Whether you call it a hole in the ozone, global warming, or other climatic word or phrase, the air surrounding us has changed and not for the better. In the last 10 to 15 years, the instances of asthma, allergies, and other lung conditions have skyrocketed.
 
The major climatic change that causes the trouble is massive storms. Storms are all about changes in temperature. These are triggers for air pollution, pollen, mold spores, and poison ivy.
 
Massive storms pass, leaving behind bacteria, viruses, mold, and other contaminants that set off asthma and allergy attacks. These are the basis of other illnesses, but asthma and allergy sufferers get hit the worst.
 
Stress
To understand how stress triggers allergic reactions, it would be a good idea to understand how the immune system works. First, pollen or other foreign particulate enters the body. The immune system thinks it’s an intruder because it came from outside. The immune system produces histamine, a substance forcing the body to expel the particulate through runny nose mucus, runny eye water, sneezes, and coughs. Now the immune system knows what the particulate is, how to expel it, and prepares for the next intrusion.
 
Stress is a little different. The particulates are there, but the stress hormones increase the allergic reaction. The “fight or flight” hormones kick in, which makes allergic symptoms worse. This might be why so many allergy medications, both chemical and natural, make you drowsy. If you’re sleepy, then stress hasn‘t taken a huge toll on you… yet.
 
Synthetics
If you take a can of something out of a six-pack ring, eat from a plastic or foam plate or cup, feed the baby from a bottle, carry home plastic grocery bags, or buy takeout in some kind of container, then you are using synthetics. If you wear it, chances are good the fabric is synthetic. Most fabrics made are from petroleum products. When they touch the skin, contact dermatitis is the result. When consumed from products made from petroleum products such as food containers, then allergies result. The only difference is one allergic reaction is inside, and one is outside. Asthma, allergic reactions and other lung conditions result from inhaling such synthetics for a long period.
 
Food Additives
Your red Jello, Vitamin D-fortified cereal and milk, and your vanilla flavored Coke are all about food additives. According to the FDA, additives can be natural or synthetic, and they classify both the natural and synthetic as “Generally Recognized As Safe”, or GRAS.
 
However, some additives cause allergic reactions. Some are preservatives that keep the product fresh or prolong shelf life. Others enhance colors, flavors, or fight botulism.
 
Common additives include Monosodium glutamate or MSG, sulfites which prevent foods from turning colors upon contact with air, sugar substitutes like aspartame, nitrates, and paraben among others.
 
While allergic reactions to food additives typically last only one day, allergic reactions are rare. This being the case, no recorded symptoms exist, so doctors treat the symptoms instead of the cause.
 
Prepackaged Foods
Today’s manufacturers produce varied foods for different brands. You could get a package of pre-made mashed potatoes you can just heat in a microwave. However, its preparation is a mystery to you. The manufacturers could have made the product in the same machine that a peanut product found itself an hour before, all unbeknownst to the consumer. Those allergic to nuts would get sick.
 
While there are sanitary procedures to which every food producer must adhere by law, trace amounts of allergens still get into prepackaged foods. By law, producers must label their prepackaged foods with a list of allergens it contains.
 
Precautionary allergen labeling or PAL has become prevalent worldwide. In fact, the National Institutes of Health tells of an American study in which contamination was worse in labels stating “prepared in shared facilities” to those stating “may contain.”
 
Add to this the fact that the law doesn’t require food manufacturers to list trace amounts of an ingredient. Those trace amounts could be allergens to someone sensitive to the ingredient.
 
Stay Informed With a Specialist
Dr. Kathryn Edwards is an allergist in Princeton and Robbinsville, NJ at the offices of the plastic surgeon Daniel G. Becker. Dr. Edwards’ star has blazed from her undergraduate time at the University of Delaware to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences to a pediatric residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Dr. Edwards also trained at the prestigious National Institutes of Health.
 
Dr. Edwards’ 16 years in the Army involved treating her patients in Iraq as an allergist and immunologist. She treated seasonal and environmental allergies, asthma, food allergies, and skin conditions.
 
Her educational accomplishments include acceptance into the competitive fellowship program in Allergy and Immunology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, training at and being assistant chief at the National Institutes of Health, and being chief of allergy/immunology her last three years in the Army. Learn more about Dr. Edwards at the Becker ENT site.


Sponsored Post

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All
    About Us
    Art
    Beauty & Fashion
    Business
    Camp
    Career
    Community
    Creativity
    Education
    Fitness & Health
    Food
    Give Back
    Hea
    Home
    Indo
    Indoor Fun
    Mommy & Me
    Music
    Outdoor Fun
    Pare
    Parenting
    Real Estate
    Shopping
    Things To Do
    Virtual

Connect With Us
Home
About
© 2022-2023  Westchester NY Moms & Strategic Joy Communications LLC. This website includes paid advertising and endorsements.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Clotee Pridgen Allochuku, Kofi_MT, mrsdkrebs, jsax2015, Jeff Sandquist, Israel_photo_gallery, gabrielsaldana, Thanks for over 2 million views!!, Castles, Capes & Clones, Ted Drake, Kurt Magoon, CS_McMahon, chrismetcalfTV, Soren Wolf, Baker County Tourism, The Chapman Cultural Center, John Drake Flickr, photoverulam, 7263255, IQRemix, Art4TheGlryOfGod, Joe Mabel, Mike Miley, ell brown, tedeytan, Rob.Bertholf, flickingerbrad, MoToMo, Larry Lamsa, DieselDemon, Bobolink, Richard Ricciardi, gabrielsaldana, Montgomery County Planning Commission, beaucon, Jorick77, Still Vision, Vironevaeh, RLHyde, wuestenigel, mliu92, jennisweat, Larry1732, Michael Bentley, USDAgov, Tim Evanson, Karolina Kabat, deejayqueue, Strelka Institute photo, JohnSeb, Base Camp Baker, Dance Photographer - Brendan Lally, Fibonacci Blue, Larry1732, daryl_mitchell, Miroslav Vajdić, Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, susivinh, Larry1732, dancingnomad3, sarahstierch, Base Camp Baker, A J Thackway, hoyasmeg, Salvation Army USA West, quinn.anya, CapCase, Kirt Edblom
  • About Us
  • Calendar
  • Blog
    • Blog Topics
  • Things To Do
    • Indoor Fun
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Camp
  • Love Local
    • Be Prepared
    • Give Back
    • The Towns of Westchester
  • Resources
    • Education
    • Parenting
    • Music
    • Fitness & Health
    • Shopping
    • Beauty & Fashion
  • Contact Us