Allergies​—What Can Be Done?

JOYCE sneezes endlessly every August. Her husband once went into shock and almost died after eating crabs. One of their sons has a problem with wheezing when exerting himself, and a daughter broke out in hives the last time she was given penicillin.

Happily, Joyce’s family is not typical of the average household. But consider the magnitude of the allergy problem in just one country, the United States. There, 17 percent of the population are said to have significant allergies, representing the largest segment of those with chronic diseases. Furthermore, the number of ailments diagnosed as allergies is undoubtedly going to rise as our environment becomes more complex and polluted.

The fact that many people are hypersensitive to things in their environment is a relatively recent discovery. Yet, four centuries before the birth of Christ, Hippocrates described an illness that we today recognize as asthma. Perhaps the earliest record of a fatal allergic reaction was discovered on the tomb of an ancient Egyptian king, Menes. He died after being stung by a hornet.

Dr. John Bostock of England, who lived in the early 1800’s, is believed to have been the first to use the expression “hay fever,” after noticing that he regularly had a summer “cold.” In 1906 an Austrian pediatrician proposed the word “allergy,” derived from two Greek words that can roughly be translated ‘altered responses.’

Allergens and Antibodies

It is this altered response that causes the problem in allergic individuals. From birth we inhale, swallow, and touch many things that are foreign to our bodies. For most of us this contact seems to be harmless. But if someone who has an allergy breathes in, swallows, or touches even a minute amount of the substance to which he is unusually sensitive, he will develop specific symptoms. The substances that cause allergic reactions are known as allergens.

Some common allergens are:

• Inhalants​—pollens, dust, mold, and dog and cat dander.

• Ingestants​—eggs, chocolate, nuts, shellfish, milk, antibiotics, and aspirin.

• Contactants​—poison ivy, dyes, metals, wool, and cosmetics.

• Injectants​—bee and wasp stings, and penicillin.

These are only a few of the many allergens. In fact, the number seems limitless.

What happens, though, that causes allergic reactions? Normally, you produce in your body substances called antibodies, to fight off invaders, such as germs. If you are allergic, these defense mechanisms overreact. They attack foreign substances, such as those allergens listed above. A specific type of antibody, IgE, is overproduced in your body, causing dramatic results when it meets an offending allergen. The reaction causes a release of chemicals such as histamine. Histamine causes your nose to swell and your eyes to itch.

Why, Why, Why?

A major question of any allergy sufferer is, “Why me?” All the answers are not known. We do know that heredity is an important factor. One study shows that 80 percent of hay-fever sufferers have a family history of this allergy. Although the tendency is inherited, the specific allergy need not be​—a parent may have asthma, but the child may have hay fever.

It is also generally agreed that emotional stress, such as tension, overwork, fatigue, fright, and extreme anger, can prompt allergies. But whether psychosomatic factors alone can actually cause an allergy to develop is a question that needs more study.

Then, of course, there is the factor of the increasingly complex environment with its many pollutants. How much this contributes to the increase in allergies is unknown, but there is no question about the ill effect that polluted air has on asthma sufferers.

Gloria is a middle-aged asthmatic who lives in a big city laden with pollution. For the past 14 years asthma has plagued her. She wheezes as she speaks: “When an attack occurs I can’t breathe, and it frightens me. Yesterday someone called me, and I couldn’t even answer the phone because I couldn’t speak. So I let the phone ring.”

The healthy may find it hard to believe that an allergy can severely affect someone. Incredulous looks and other similar responses often confront the sufferer whenever he talks about his problem of allergic reactions, whether it be asthma or another allergy. “It is very difficult for others to understand this problem,” says one allergy sufferer from Canada. “We need kindness, too, instead of suspicion and unkind words.”

If you regularly entertain guests in your house, you may want to give kind consideration to those who suffer from allergies and try to eliminate the source of their discomfort.

What Can Be Done?

The term “allergies” encompasses several different recognized diseases. So let’s take a brief look at these conditions and see what can be done about them.

Asthma is the most serious of all the allergic diseases and is still a killer, although many who suffer from it can lead normal lives. The free movement of air in and out of the lungs is blocked​—thus the typical wheezing during an attack. The problem can be curbed through prevention​—removing the known allergens from the home or work environment and doing breathing exercises. Moreover, there have been several recent advances in treatment, both with tablets and with inhalers. The asthmatic patient should be encouraged to be as active as possible without overexertion. Relatives and friends must resist the temptation to overprotect the person who has asthma.

Hay Fever is the most common allergic reaction. Although hay fever is not generally dangerous, when it is severe the patient suffers greatly. “Hay fever” is a misleading name, for hay is not responsible for the symptoms. Pollen, or at times mold, generally is, and the patient rarely has an actual fever. Hay fever usually occurs in either spring or fall when grasses, weeds, or trees are flowering. Antihistamines and inhalants may control the worst symptoms.

Perennial Allergic Rhinitis is a condition of year-round nasal irritation and may include the common annoyance of a runny or stopped-up nose. Children are often affected, leading their parents mistakenly to believe that the children are repeatedly catching cold. The most common causes are house dust, animal dander, and molds. Skin tests may be helpful here, but the results can be misleading. So regard these tests only as aids in identifying possible allergens. The best treatment for this illness is avoidance of the allergen whenever possible, which may mean getting rid of the family pet. Or special precautions may be necessary in the home to lessen the dust, which easily accumulates on mattresses, rugs, stuffed toys, and similar things.

Dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin marked by redness, blistering, oozing, or crusting. Today the word “eczema” is synonymous with chronic dermatitis. At home and at work, the skin is exposed to all kinds of irritants, and normally it is able to resist their harmful effects. But some of these substances lead to allergic reactions in certain people, and the number of such substances is increasing as new products and compounds are developed. In treating contact dermatitis, first remove the offending allergen.

Hives are raised, itching welts that appear suddenly on the skin, usually remain for a few hours, and then disappear as mysteriously as they came. In some cases they appear intermittently for months before disappearing. They may be caused by many things, such as cold, heat, and anxiety, as well as a wide variety of allergens. They are the bane of the allergist because the actual cause is hard to identify. “Anti-itch” medicine may be used until the hives disappear.

Bites, Stings may cause hives, fainting, breathing difficulties, and even death to an allergic person. Tips to help you avoid being stung are: When out-of-doors, don’t walk barefoot; avoid hair sprays, perfumes, or lotions, which may attract wasps; wear light rather than dark clothing. If you do get stung, apply ice to lessen the absorption of venom and remove the stinger as carefully as possible. For those who are very allergic to stings, specific desensitization is now available.

Food Allergy is a controversial allergic disease and the most difficult to pinpoint and treat. It goes without saying that foods can and do bother many people in different ways, and yet the cause may or may not be food allergy. Some experts believe that true food allergy is rare; yet almost any food can be an allergen to somebody. Unfortunately, skin tests are generally of questionable value in diagnosing food allergy. The most effective treatment is to isolate the offending food and then not to eat it.

Drug Allergy has become worse in recent years. Allergic reactions to medications are baffling. Reactions vary and may be so serious as to cause death. If you sense a drug allergy, discuss it with your doctor.

Although we already know a lot about allergy, and scientists have made considerable progress in the past decade, there is still much to discover. It is very possible that many of these discoveries will have to wait for God’s New Order. Mankind will then be brought back to perfection, and the causes, whatever they may be, of this complex illness will be permanently eradicated.​—Isaiah 33:24.

Questions People Ask About Allergies

How can I be allergic to house dust when I keep such a clean house?

House dust is found in the cleanest of homes. In a city, the average six-room house or apartment collects 40 to 50 pounds (18 to 23 kg) of dust every year. Though no amount of housecleaning can completely solve the problem, there are many “dust measures” that can help. For example, keep one room of the house, usually the bedroom, as dust free as possible to provide a haven for the allergy sufferer. Incidentally, feather pillows are dust collectors.

Various devices (electrostatic air filters, for example) are marketed to remove dust from the air, but their value is questionable. Probably of more importance is frequently to change your furnace and air-conditioner filters. To get rid of polluted indoor air, daily air out your house, even in winter.

Must we get rid of our pet, since we have a child who has been found to be allergic to it?

This is a common problem for the allergist in a pet-oriented society. Many people keep animals in the house, and they form close attachments to them.

Unfortunately, allergy to the dander and the hair of cats and dogs is a particularly severe problem for the allergic child. Generally there is no problem when the animal is kept outside. But when the pet is kept indoors, the dander soon permeates the house. Thus, a child may not be worse when he is holding the pet than when he is elsewhere in the house. It’s just that the pet is “everywhere,” or at least his dander is. In fact, it usually takes about six months after a pet is put out of the house for the dander to disappear completely.

Finally, the symptoms with this allergy are worse than those with other allergies, and the desensitization shots are more dangerous. Little wonder that in some allergy centers, if the parents of a pet-allergic child refuse to remove the pet from the house, the policy of the clinic is to report the parents to the child-abuse authorities.

How long will our ten-year-old child have to take shots for asthma, and will he ever outgrow it?

Allergy desensitization shots have been used with variable results since early in this century, but there is no sure way of knowing when to stop the shots. Most specialists stop the allergy shots after a few years to see if they are still needed.

People can develop allergies at any age, though most begin in childhood. Likewise, many allergies disappear as a person gets older. Childhood food allergies and asthma often go away as the child grows up. Hay fever may get less severe as a person approaches middle age.

How did I become allergic to mold?

The answer is unknown, but much has recently been learned about mold allergy. Molds belong to the fungus family and are present everywhere. Only a few species cause allergy. One type of allergy is caused by summer molds. These are kicked up when a person mows the lawn and may cause more allergy symptoms than the grass itself. Another kind of mold grows year-round in houses, particularly in damp environments, such as basements and bathrooms. Houseplants often harbor molds on their stems and leaves.

Could our child’s school-discipline problem be due to the food additives he gets in processed food?

This is perhaps the most controversial issue in connection with allergies today. Often the question of hyperactivity is raised. In the early 1970’s some researchers presented evidence that color additives and other chemicals in foods may be guilty. A California pediatric allergist, Dr. Benjamin Feingold, for example, developed the theory that salicylates, artificial food colorings, and artificial flavorings cause hyperactivity. He popularized a dietary regimen that is very restrictive and, if followed, needs careful planning to ensure adequate vitamins.

Although diets that restrict chemical food additives apparently can help a segment of hyperactive children, the American Council on Science and Health stated in 1982 that such additives “are not significant causes of hyperactivity in children.”

What vitamins can I take instead of medications to cure my allergies?

There is no known cure for allergies. Even desensitization shots are only given to relieve the symptoms of allergies until the body fights them off. Some allergists have promoted the use of vitamins, often in massive doses, for the treatment of allergies, though the value of this treatment in eliminating these diseases is questioned by many researchers.a

Skin tests showed that I am allergic to almost all foods; so, what can I eat?

Nearly every allergic patient nowadays has heard of skin tests in which the suspected food allergen is injected into the skin and the reaction is measured. A person may have severe skin reactions to foods that give him no trouble. Conversely, there have been instances in which a person was known to have severe allergy to shellfish, for example, and yet it did not show up clearly in skin tests. Thus, even though skin tests may show reactions to certain foods, if the person has noticed no unpleasant effects when eating them in the past, it is probably safe to continue.

Can my migraine headaches be due to allergies?

The swelling of the blood vessels in the head causes migraine headaches. Recent tests show that certain foods contain chemicals that can cause these headaches. Foods such as chocolate, bananas, nuts, wine, cheese, hot dogs, and the food seasoning monosodium glutamate are suspect. Many other things can cause migraines, but if other causes have been eliminated, the migraine sufferer might consider eliminating these foods from the diet. The problem of migraines appears to be technically a chemical one and not an allergy.

Why do my allergies seem to get better when I’m pregnant?

Most women’s allergies are reduced when they are pregnant, though occasionally a patient may get worse. It appears that a hormonal component is the cause of this. The precise reason is unknown and is another indication of how much is yet to be learned about the problem called allergy.

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