Summer allergies are a thing, as are spring and fall allergies. Experts sometimes claim that allergies are our own immune system attacking us because we didn’t experience enough plant pollen and squalor as children by not growing up on subsistence farms. According to National Geographic allergies were discovered more than 150 years ago. I grew up on a farm and I still have allergies, although not nearly as bad as my wife who did not grow up on a farm. The following is from Science News:
In the United States, about a third of adults and a quarter of children have allergies, with symptoms ranging from seasonal sniffles to life-threatening reactions to food or insect stings. Allergies happen when the immune system unleashes a type of antibody called IgE on innocuous proteins. Usually, those antibodies are reserved for fighting parasitic worms, but in people with allergies, the antibodies target harmless things such as pollen, peanuts and pet dander (SN: 11/4/22).
Some of the most commonly used over the counter (OTC) medications are related to allergies. Depending on the list you choose, three of the top 10 most widely used OTC medications are taken to lessen allergic reactions. The top OTC medication class is pain relievers, while heartburn medications are second (again, it’s about pain) but antihistamines and cough suppressants follow quickly.
There are all manner of allergy treatments, most of which do not work well. Years ago while doing research for Shopping for Drugs, a series of policy reports on what consumers can do to save money on prescription drugs, I found a website where people rate how effective their medications are. Drugs like Viagra were rated between four and five on a 5-point scale. Nonsedating antihistamines received only something like a two on a 5-point scale. Sedating antihistamines work better but have the unfortunate side effect of making you drowsy.
Some therapies seek to make your immune system get used to allergens by reintroducing allergens in small quantities, but if that worked well most people would likely outgrow their allergies. Scientists now believe they may have identified why people have lifelong allergies.
Allergy sufferers may one day be able to erase the source of their congestion, itchy skin and swollen lips and throat thanks to two studies that have uncovered elusive immune cells that maintain allergies over the long haul, often for a lifetime.A specialized type of immune cell called type 2 memory B cells or MBC2s hold the memory of proteins that cause allergies, two independent groups of researchers report February 7 in Science Translational Medicine. Memory B cells are important for long-lasting protection against infectious diseases, but this subset is primed to make the type of antibodies that lead to allergies.
Researchers found that some of the cells in the immune system contain the memory of vaccines and previous infections, which may also be involved in remembering allergens. Knowledge of the mechanism may help researchers find more effective allergy treatment by convincing your immune system to forget you’re allergic to certain things. That also makes me wonder if a bioweapon could use the same technology to make its victims’ immune systems forget a vaccine designed to protect them against the bioweapon.