Yeah, I used to be one of the jerks who thought it was a ridiculous waste of money. And then I spent two months in a wheelchair. Sort of changed my tune. Although the braille dots on the ATM are stupid.
Indeed, it is common to have a allergic reaction, like sneezing, eyes watering and such to tobacco or any other smoke. I have not heard of anaphylaxis from this allergy, but lower level reactions are common.
Sure, when I was a kid, other kids had allergies. But other than one kid with a bee-sting allergy, none ever had the anaphylaxis reaction that is common today.
There is a link between kids who were fed a soy milk formula vs breast fed, kids on the soy are much more likely to have that severe peanut anaphylaxis reaction. This may be why we never saw it when I was a kid.
Incidentally, in at least one study about peanut allergies,
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa013536
Only 23 out of 36 kids actually had a ‘real” allergy. So, a few are not real but more are very real and potentially deadly.
Other studies have shown about 25% of kids will outgrow this sort of allergy.
Another study sez “Its apparently increasing prevalence may reflect a general increase of atopy, which is inherited more commonly from the mother”
The Master Speaks:
That NEJM article is a really good study. At least the part with food challenges to those with a history of peanut allergy. The correlation with cutaneous administration seems really lame. That questionnaire basically says do you have allergies? How about a history of sore skin? Guess they must be related.
Do you have cite for this? Urushiol is an irritant by design, unlike innocuous substances such as corn, wheat, and nuts.
Wiki says that people may not react to the first exposure “Since the skin reaction is an allergic one, people may develop progressively stronger reactions after repeated exposures, or show no immune response on their first exposure, but show sensitivity on following exposures.” Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis - Wikipedia
“…some people develop a rash after their very first exposure.” From here: How Poison Ivy Works | HowStuffWorks
I read a few months ago that genetic modifications to wheat might account for some of the increased incidence of gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Wheat has more protein than it used to. If I remember correctly from the research, that protein helps fight off pests in the field.
I can’t eat gluten any longer, but I’d honestly rather it were something in me than something changing in the wheat, because such genetic modifications are helpful for the rest of the planet. Bah.
No, actually they are both wrong. Urushiol is NOT a direct irritant. It is a very small molecule that acts as a hapten.
Haptens bind to proteins and cause delayed hypersensitivity. Also, because it is a hapten you cannot test the blood for anti-urushiol antibody. There is no way to know if it is first exposure or not. Except if it is a first exposure you will not get a rash.
I am not seeing how more protein would have any effect on allergy. You only need minute exposure to an allergen.
I’m no biologist. Here is the article and the study:
Both good articles. I did not think that allergies really followed a dose/response curve, but it makes sense that ATI’s could have one.
Symptoms of exposure to toxic substances in secondhand smoke can be very much like those of allergy.
In addition, secondhand smoke exacerbates allergic problems and has been linked to asthma in children (as well as causing asthmatic attacks in adults).