SCIENCE30 - Understanding Allergies
Once again, Pat came up with this topic for a blog. Thank you. Thank you. As an extra incentive for me, I suffer from allergies, including an allergy to penicillin and dust, so I wanted to know more about allergies. After a short introduction, I will discuss the history of our knowledge of allergies, and then types of allergies and reactions, more on food allergies, diagnosis of allergies, and management and treatment of allergies. I will conclude with some interesting facts about allergies. As usual, I will list my principal sources at the end. Introduction Allergies are overreactions by your immune system to usually harmless substances called allergens that can be airborne, touch your skin, are present in some foods, and in some medications (see below). When you inhale, touch, or eat something (or get stung by a bee) that you’re allergic to, your body thinks it’s harmful and reacts by trying to get rid of it by making protective...