[Born Conservative]

Ping

[mkmensinger]

I read the article expecting them to blame global warming. Happily, they did’t try to do so...this time.

[Frogtacos]

My dad had/has(?) adult-onset allergies. Used to be he could eat shrimp, just couldn’t peel them. Now he can’t eat them, avacados, and is allergic to latex as well. (I’m sure there are other things he now has to avoid but those are the ones I can remember.) Poor guy has to carry the epi-pens with him.

[mysterio]

I doubt it's an increase in allergies. It's more likely an increase in diagnosed allergies.

Although I do admit that while I didn't have allergies as a child, I sure do have them now.

[Ditter]

Some times allergies build over time. You can ‘become’ allergic to things you have used or eaten for a long time. I know a lot of people who have become allergic in middle age. It might seem sudden but it's not, it has been building and it just got to the point where you realize it. On the other hand it is your immune system at work, a little too hard, but working just the same.

A doctor once told me after looking at my long list of allergies “hummmmm you probably will never have cancer”.

[GOPJ]

Why are so many adults suddenly getting allergies?

Chinese additives and allergy “thresholds”

[libertarian27]

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2009/05/15/can-cigarettes-decrease-the-effect-of-respiratory-allergies/

Who the heck knows?

[JenB]

I developed an allergy to fragrances at 21. One day perfumes just started making me physically ill. It’s not as life threatening as food allergies but it’s a lot harder to avoid the things that make me sick.

[LZ_Bayonet]

Re: the environmental allergies

How about this theory for the huge increase:

1) Children's clothes are no longer being dried in the open (ex. on clotheslines), where they became imbedded with small amounts of pollen etc., which de-sensitized people as they wore the clothing.

2) Homes are now air-conditioned, with filters, and children spend less time outside. Again, they are not being exposed to small amounts of environmental allergens early in life.

Have at me Freepers!

[geege]

Mmmmmmmmm I sitting here eating reduced fat chunky peanut butter out of the jar....yum.

[bert]

there is money to be made convincing city women they are allergic to life. The campaign has been successful

[usshadley]

flouride, Mandrake

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Too many people are now growing up in artificial urban environments. They just don’t develop normal immune systems.