The Allergy Thread

[beli]

So beli says

Im actually allergic to potatoes. Dunno if its because Im descended from an Irish potato famine orphan. Well, Lamark has been disproved but you know what I mean?

Then Anitram says

Are you allergic to just potatoes or other members of the family (like cherries, bell peppers, paprika, tobacco, tomatoes...)? I know patatin is a known allergen (multiple forms), but usually the more cooked a potato is, people have lesser reactions.

Finally my work comes in handy!

Then beli says

Thats interesting.

Cherries dont like me. Im not really allergic as such to them but they dont like me.

Paprika doesnt like me. My father is seriously allergic to paprika though.

Tomatos dont like me.

Never tried to tobacco.

I dont know what a bell pepper is. Is that a capsicum? I can eat capsicums okay.

This is interesting.

PS Eggs dont like me either, not that thats relevant.

 

[beli]

I just googled it. Apparently eggplants are the same family too. I used to be vegetarian and tried and tried to eat eggplant steaks but they hate me

So you are saying if I cook these things really well they will be more agreeable?

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

What's your allergic reaction? Rashes? Violent illness?

I'm allergic to cheese preservatives (such as those in Cheezles or cheese-flavoured potato chips) which give me hives and I tend to just stay away entirely. Better safe than sorry, that's my motto.

 

[anitram]

Yes, if you cook it, your allergy will be lessened (or often, absent). This is because you are allergic to specific proteins in those foods whose structure is disrupted during the heating process so that your body no longer necessarily recognizes them as allergenic.

If you have anaphylaxis, you should never experiment with any known allergens that cause it.

 

[Sicy]

I think I am allergic to watermelon, of all things. It makes my throat swell up

 

[anitram]

I think I am allergic to watermelon, of all things. It makes my throat swell up

That's really dangerous.

 

[dandy]

mild lactose intolerance here.

oh, and oil of olay. ( )

 

[beli]

What's your allergic reaction? Rashes? Violent illness?

Me, rashes, nausea, and "tummy problems"

So no, not a full on Take Me To Hospital allergy. More of an intolerance.

Cheese preservatives would be difficult to avoid. No CCs for you.

 

[arw]

I have no food allergies. I don't think I could handle it if I did because I'm allergic to everything else in the world I take tons of pills and get shots.

 

[anitram]

Allergies are a phenomenon of the first world, interestingly enough.

 

[Kariann]

I'm allergic to bananas. Feels like my throat constricts and the inside of my mouth gets sore...I cant really explain it.

 

[beli]

Allergies are a phenomenon of the first world, interestingly enough.

Even bee sting allergies?

 

[anitram]

Allergies as a whole are a phenomenon of the first world. It doesn't mean they do not exist in the third world, but it means they are almost exclusively found in the affluent regions. The reason for this is that allergies drive one type of Th response and parasites drive the other.

 

[beli]

Sorry? Can you say that again, please? Pretend that Im thick.

 

[U2democrat]

i'm deathly allergic to tobacco. if i were to ever smoke a cigarette my throat would close up completely. whenever i'm around people smoking or dried tobacco it closes a little, and it is difficult for me to breathe, but i manage. but seriously if i ever puffed a cig i'd probably die right then and there. not that i mind, its yet another good reason not to smoke.

 

[anitram]

Sorry, beli, I'll try to tone down the jargon.

The first world is increasingly defined by atopy, which is the tendency that makes people have immediate hypersensitive reactions (ie. allergies). Usually they are mediated by IgE, which is one class of immunoglobulin that your body produces.

Your body produces T cells, which are either CD4+ or CD8+ (these are just surface markers). CD4+ T-cells can be helper T-cells, which essentially help your B cells mount a response. There are two types of Th (T-helper) cells - Th1 and Th2.

IgE (see above) is important to your defence against parasites, and to your response against allergens. However, it has been found that parasites (which are prevalent in the third world) secrete proteolytic enzymes which are recognized by your body and in turn, promote the Th2 response. Allergies, on the other hand, promote the Th1 response. So it has been postulated that your response is skewed in one direction, based on your environment.

 

[IWasBored]

i don't have any allergies that i know of. other than the common mosquito saliva thing, and poison ivy...but no food allergies. my little brother is dangerously allergic to peanuts (not sure about other nuts).

is that true? i think i read a long time ago, like 6th or 7th grade, that the reason you get those welts from mosquito bites is because they leave some saliva under your skin when they suck your blood, and it's the saliva that you're allergic to, hence the itchy bump...?

 

[maro_chik]

bee sting allergies?

*Raises hand*

I'm only mildy allergic, thank goodness. My ears swell up and I get a pretty mean fever.

 

[Sicy]

my little brother is dangerously allergic to peanuts (not sure about other nuts).

Jim's friend is also allergic to peanuts. Like if he even eats something with a hint of peanut oil in it he needs to go to the hospital like asap or he could die He needs to make sure anything he eats doesnt contain any traces of peanuts. Something about people that are allergic to peanuts.. its incredibly dangerous.

 

[beli]

So if I went to the developing world I would have less problems with parasites then the locals?

In Australia, Perth has a really high hay fever allergy rate but Sydney has a high mold spore allergy rate. When people from Sydney move to Perth they dont have any problems with the wildflower pollen (we have blowy pollen here not insect pollen) . For a while. Then a few years laters they are just as screwed as the rest of us. Is that what you mean?

 

[anitram]

Yes, usually when you move to an area where the flora is different, it will take you a little while to built up the response to it. It is very common with immigrants to develop an allergy to different grasses, but not immediately.

 

[beli]

How come whenever Europeans made first contact with aboriginals (in any country) a lot of them died from Euro diseases? Shouldnt the aboriginals have lasted a bit longer than the Euros?

Sorry if Im asking dumb questions. I have never got my head around this issue.

 

[BAW]

Jim's friend is also allergic to peanuts. Like if he even eats something with a hint of peanut oil in it he needs to go to the hospital like asap or he could die He needs to make sure anything he eats doesnt contain any traces of peanuts. Something about people that are allergic to peanuts.. its incredibly dangerous.

Mrs. Edge is the same way.

We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant during our Palm Springs holiday last April and something must have been cooked in peanut oil because her mouth started to burn right away. I thought I was going to be responsible for killing her!

A few months later during our trip to Boston, I kept trying to give her a bite of Snickers pie, forgetting her peanut allergry. For the second time, I tried to kill her!

 

[u2granny]

Sorry, beli, I'll try to tone down the jargon.

The first world is increasingly defined by atopy, which is the tendency that makes people have immediate hypersensitive reactions (ie. allergies). Usually they are mediated by IgE, which is one class of immunoglobulin that your body produces.

Your body produces T cells, which are either CD4+ or CD8+ (these are just surface markers). CD4+ T-cells can be helper T-cells, which essentially help your B cells mount a response. There are two types of Th (T-helper) cells - Th1 and Th2.

IgE (see above) is important to your defence against parasites, and to your response against allergens. However, it has been found that parasites (which are prevalent in the third world) secrete proteolytic enzymes which are recognized by your body and in turn, promote the Th2 response. Allergies, on the other hand, promote the Th1 response. So it has been postulated that your response is skewed in one direction, based on your environment.

Everytime I am bit by a spider I have a bad reaction. One time it looked like I had two elbows.

 

[anitram]

The aboriginals were never exposed to some of the viruses the Europeans brought over. Your immune system recognizes antigens, and once it does, it is able to both mount a response and form a repertoire of memory cells so that when you are exposed to the antigen again, you will have a secondary response which is essentially immediate. Over the many years of your life, you are exposed to thousands of antigens, and depending on the efficiency of your immune system, you either clear them quickly, get sick, or get very sick. The aboriginals had absolutely no natural defenses and they had no segment of the population which was exposed to these antigens as children, whereas the Europeans had a built in mechanism of defense.

 

[beli]

Can people become less allergic to things over time?

Why are more and more people allergic? Theres more asthmatics, "bubbleboys", etc than ever. (I think )

 

[anitram]

Can people become less allergic to things over time?

Why are more and more people allergic? Theres more asthmatics, "bubbleboys", etc than ever. (I think )

Yes, you can become less allergic over time.

Genetic and environmental factors contribute to an increase in allergies. Genetically, people who are atopic have higher levels of IgE in their system. Environmentally, the following things are generally postulated as the main culprits of increased allergies: environmental pollution, allergen levels, dietary changes and the decrease in exposure to infectious diseases early in childhood.

 

[IWasBored]

Jim's friend is also allergic to peanuts. Like if he even eats something with a hint of peanut oil in it he needs to go to the hospital like asap or he could die He needs to make sure anything he eats doesnt contain any traces of peanuts. Something about people that are allergic to peanuts.. its incredibly dangerous.

yeah, all thsoe candy bars, milky way, 3 muskateers, all the shit you get on halloween that says "MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUTS; PROCESSED IN A FACILITY WHICH PROCESSES PEANUTS", he has to give that stuff to my because it could kill him.

 

[beli]

Our fruit and nut chocolate here comes with the warning that it may contain traces of nuts

 

[Sicy]