"Allergies May Be Good For You"???

[Wally]

A new hypothesis argues that allergies emerged to protect us from harmful environmental substances

In a paper published April 26 in Nature, Medzhitov and his colleagues argue that allergies are triggered by potentially dangerous substances in the environment or food to protect us. (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group) As evidence, they cite research including a 2006 study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation reporting that key cells involved in allergic responses degrade and detoxify snake and bee venom. A 2010 study published in the same journal suggests that allergic responses to tick saliva prevent the pests from attaching and feeding. This mechanism, he argues, is distinct from the classic type 2 response the body uses to defend itself against internal parasites.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nothing-to-sneeze-at-allergies-may-be-good-for-you&page=2

See, http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v484/n7395/full/484458a.html

 

[hixxy]

Indeed, but I think there needs to be a distinction between an allergy that is doing it's job (as your immune system correctly intended) and an allergy that has developed because your immune system is going ballistic and is confused!

hixxy