allergy

Allergy - which comes from the Greek allos (strange) and ergos (work or activity) - is a defense reaction of the body against external substances that penetrate the body that normally do not cause a reaction in most people. The body's immune system recognizes these substances as foreign and tries to neutralize them using mechanisms that become harmful against the body itself, and cause the symptoms of allergy. Specifically, for a few years it has been known that the antibody involved in allergic or hypersensitivity reactions is Immunoglobulin E, also known as reagin.

Although attributing "bad luck" to coming across a black cat is pure superstition, a study by scientists from Long Island College Hospital in New York (USA) recently revealed that these felines can adversely affect allergy sufferers.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, there are five types of allergies to pay special attention to during the summer season: insects, chlorine, smoke, pollen, and fruits and vegetables. These are some tips to prevent its effects.

If you like to adorn your body every summer with temporary henna tattoos, you need to be careful. Black henna contains dyes prohibited for use on the skin as they can trigger various allergies, according to the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Ministry of Health). Natural henna, on the other hand, has no adverse health effects.

Adolescents who have grown up in rural areas develop fewer allergies than those who have grown up in cities, according to a study published in PNAS. The explanation would lie in that these people are in contact with a greater biodiversity of beneficial microorganisms that protect the body from autoimmune diseases.

To date, more than 120 foods have been identified that can cause allergies. Among them, the European Institute for Food Research, which is part of the EuroPrevall project, highlights gluten-containing cereals, milk, eggs, peanuts, dried fruits in general, soybeans as of particular concern for global public health , fish and seafood.

In the United States, it has become fashionable to get tattoos on the skin with keywords that alert the emergency services of certain personal medical circumstances that can help save our lives. They thus replace the bracelets and medals used up to now to warn of chronic diseases, allergies, etc.

A study from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) reveals that the fewer the number of bacteria that live in our intestines during childhood, the greater the risk of allergies as we become adults. This implies that babies who are born by natural birth and who are therefore exposed to bacteria from the maternal rectum, have a lower risk of asthma and allergies than those born by cesarean section.