Allergy - An "Illegal" War!

The human body has an amazing defense system that knocks the United States' armory into a cocked hat. It can respond to a foreign attack in a matter of minutes with an arsenal of mechanisms that turn the body into a formidable battlefield. The resulting hostilities can, unfortunately, result in collateral damage - fever, inflammation, sickness, diarrhea etc. But this cannot be avoided if the foreign substance is to be eliminated.

The immune system protects the body from potentially harmful substances that it does not recognize, such as bacteria and viruses, by eliminating it through a variety of mechanisms. During such an attack antibodies are produced, so that in the event of the same substance being encountered again, the body's counterattack will be more rapid and efficient, destroying the foreign intruder before it has time to assault the body.

An allergic reaction is really a case of mistaken identity where the immune system has responded with its munitions to a substance which, whilst foreign, is not usually harmful - such as pollen. Lymphocytes, or white blood cells, produce antibodies which attach themselves to mast cells (another type of white blood cell), so that when the foreign substance (or allergen) is encountered again it binds to the mast cells. This in turn stimulates the release of chemicals known as mediators. One such mediator is known as histamine.

Histamine causes receptors in the skin, blood vessels, stomach lining and nasal passages to swell and become inflamed and irritated. The objective is to rid the body of the offending foreign substance, but in the case of an allergy, the substance or allergen is harmless and will be encountered again and again during a lifetime, causing endless immune responses (allergic reactions) and misery.

Unfortunately once the body has identified a substance such a pollen as a hostile enemy, there is little we can do to convince it that this intruder is harmless, and the "fallout" experienced from the battle causes a great deal of discomfort for many people. The only course of action is to control the allergic reaction, by using antihistamines which block the action of the histamine being produced by the immune system and thus reduce the inflammatory process.

If we could find a way to convince the human body that things like pollen, dust, wheat and nuts, etc., are friends not foes, the "illegal war" that is the allergic reaction, could be avoided.

Learn more about this author, Libbie Reed.
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