As a kid, I really resented the fact that we couldn’t get a cat or dog.
Both my mom and brother were really allergic.
But I was always safe from the sniffling and sneezing.
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So imagine my surprise when, about three years ago, I realized damn, I have allergies.
My nose and eyes get insanely itchy when the seasons are changing (early spring and fall).
How did this happen?
Well, as it turns out, developing allergies as an adult is extremely common.
And there’s really no way to know if it’ll happen to you.
Our immune systems react and release chemicals, such as histamines, to fight the “intruder.”
My family history of allergies may be partly to blame, experts told me.
Then, there’s an environmental factor.
“Allergies are almost inevitable, because the exposure is just so high now.”
Sometimes having pets can cause allergies over time.
“Sometimes frequent exposure to an allergen will make you more allergic to it,” Dr. Parikh says.
“Weve seen the opposite, too, people with these animals become tolerant to it.
We have no good way of predicting who will become allergic to a dog and who wont.”
It’s called thehygiene hypothesis, Dr. Parikh says.
Dr. Parikh says allergists advocate for parents to let their kids get a little dirty.
The answer is probably.
This seems counterintuitive to me because, well, there’s very little nature along the city streets.
But there’s plenty ofpollution!
“People that live in cities are ironically more likely or develop allergies,” Dr. Parikh says.
“Because of that we have much higher rates of allergies and asthma in the city instead of outside.
Most of my patients feel so much better when they leave the city.”
She also says my story is commona lot of people who move to NYC end up developing allergies.
“New onsetfood allergiesin adults are much less common,” Dr. Ogden says.
The most common allergies?
The hygiene hypothesis may play a role here, too, Dr. Parikh notes.
Processed foods disrupt the balance ofgood and bad bacteriain our gut, she says.
Research suggests that when the gut microbiome is thrown off, it can interfere with our immune responses.
Somestudieshave even shown that rebalancing the bacterial environment in the gut could prevent serious allergic reactions.
What to do: Go see an allergist and find out for sure.
There are different treatments, and one over-the-counter medication might not work as well as the next.
You also may not even be allergic to what you think you’re allergic to.
If you constantly suffer from allergies, allergy shots may be a good option.
“Shots desensitize you, so in the long run, for some people they cure allergies.
Parikh says patients who want pets despite allergies can make it happen this way.
