Allergies – it’s okay, there is no simple fix you missed, and you’re not imagining things.
Hay fever. Peanut allergies. Eczema. Billions of people worldwide have some form of allergy; millions have one severe enough to seriously endanger their health. And over the past decade, the number of people diagnosed with allergy has been steadily increasing. MacPhail, herself an allergy sufferer whose father died of a bee sting, set out to understand why in her new book Allergic: How Our Immune System Reacts to a Changing World, Penguin Books 2023.
The result is a deeply researched examination of allergies, from their first medical description in 1819 to the mind-bending new treatments that are giving patients hope.
MacPhail describes how allergies are a very human response to industrialisation and sufferers are our canaries in the coal mine. Pollution, chemicals, antibiotics and increasingly climate change, are all making our immune systems become more and more irritated. Add on emotional and physical stress and it is a hugely complex and potent mix.
This means taking a holistic and pragmatic approach to their treatment is our best way forward. Sometimes you will really need the magic of antihistamines and steroid ointments. But, for them to continue to be magic, the real trick is to work out how to only need to use them occasionally. This means doing what you can to become more robust and lessen the impact of allergens on your immune system. It means making good sleep, fresh food, and quality time with the people you love a priority. It also means exploring natural remedies and therapies to find what works for you.
I rarely see patients specifically for allergies, but will take note if my patients suffer with hay fever or eczema, or are struggling to ease the swelling from a bee sting, and add in points to relieve symptoms. My most recent surprise result was treating the after effects of an allergic reaction to penicillin – it was so exciting to see the immediate effects and help with a good recovery.
In terms of the future, a cleaner-greener world brings real hope that allergies will become less common for our children and grandchildren and that we will all feel less irritated and breathe easier.
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