Humanity's bug-infested past might be why we have more allergies today (Image: James Gathany/ Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA) Posted on 04/22/2009 5:32:15 PM PDT by decimon
Humanity's bug-infested past might be why we have more allergies today (Image: James Gathany/ Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA)
It is well established that intestinal parasites dampen mammalian immune reactions. But in a surprise result, scientists have found that another kind of parasite – the body louse – does too. That means the epidemic of allergic disorders in modern, urban people might be due to our having rid ourselves of lice and worms.
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
Any way you slice it....I hate those bugs!
Do you know if human lice are the same as those on cats and dogs?
I think I’ll stick with Claratin instead, thank you. LOL
Ditto for my Allegra.
I like my Claratin as well.....just don’t give me Zyrtec.....it turns me into psycho bitch from hell.....
I can assure you the total opposite is true for my household.
That’s what happens when you scratch the bite.
How long does the immune supression effect last, I wonder ? A lice infestation as a kid, would it give you an allergy free adulthood ? Or would you need to have parasites all the time ? Just wondering ?
Good question but I have no idea.
Allegra (taken am); Singulair taken at the same time each evening; NasaCort at bedtime and Proventil (as needed) have made me human again. Of course I meet my Rx co-pay deductible by mid February...but I can breath and don’t break out in hives.
But why do all that when a few friendly lice will do?
Couldn’t resist.
I have read sooooo many times that we have all the allergies we have because we are “too clean.” One article, I read years ago claimed that daily hair washing removed all important pollens and allergens and by not having constant exposure (from allergens clinging to your hair) we make ourselves allergic. Who knows...
I’ll just continue taking my “stuff.”
Well I’m sure that’s right. I read a book several years ago while doing some research on autoimmune diseases. Allergies are on the lowest end of the spectrum - they are nothing more than an autoimmune response.
Anyway, the book pointed out that a doctor in the early part of the 20th century started experiencing symptoms that were, as we all know now, just basic allergy symptoms but he didn’t really know what they were and he tried to find other people to study with the same problem. Guess what? He could find very, very few people for his study.
Sure wouldn’t have that problem today, would he? I think there’s something to the “too clean” thing. Polio was another thing. A doctor came out with a good book about the polio epidemic and said that polio only happens in wealthy countries like the U.S., Canada, Britain, etc.
Interesting.
yeah, but when i was a kid, in the 70’s, no one had lice and no one had allergies. I hate to say it but if they want to see where the allergies have come from check out the time line. allergies went up in direct proportion to homes becoming smoke free.
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Note: this topic is dated 4/22/2009. |
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