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Health Views No. 1
Allergies
What Are Allergies?
Allergies are rapidly becoming one of the most common problems in our world today. The Allergy Foundation of America states that "...allergies may constitute one of the most widespread, undiagnosed diseases in the United States." Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the US, costing the health system $18 billion annually. Exact figures on the full extent of the problem remain a mystery, since thousands of sufferers try to handle the problem on their own with over-the-counter medications, diet restrictions, or avoiding exposure to pollen-laden areas. School-age children are among the most affected. Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, limiting activities for more than 40 percent of them.
Allergies can be more than just a periodic inconvenience. Asthma alone causes thousands of deaths each year. Deaths from emphysema, a chronic respiratory condition that involves the degeneration of the alveolar walls in the lungs, are increasing at an almost unbelievable rate each year. Allergies to foods, molds, cigarette smoke, various chemicals, and airborne particles are now suspected to be an underlying cause of many disease processes such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.
The dollar cost to allergy sufferers runs into the billions. It is estimated that over $4.5 billion is spent on medical costs annually. Millions more are spent on various sensitivity tests, many of which give questionable or inconsistent results. The greatest costs borne by the allergic individual have very little to do with money.
Current treatment regimens virtually turn the allergy sufferers into prisoners in their own homes. The joys of participating in outdoor activities are lost. Allergic children are forced to forego the exploration of the great outdoors and the educational camaraderie of those their own age. Restrictive diets to avoid any possible allergic reaction can cause additional stress and an imbalance to an already weakened immune system. In short, if you are one of the millions of allergy sufferers in this country, you have most likely lost many of the personal freedoms associated with good health.
The problems with allergies are not new. As far back as 3000 BC, Shen Nung, the Emperor of China, noted that certain foods caused skin ulcerations in pregnant women. The dietary restrictions in the Old Testament are thought to be based on allergic complications. The early Greek physicians made numerous references to allergy problems. Hippocrates wrote, "It is a bad thing to give milk to a person with a headache." Lucretius, in the first century BC, uttered the famous phrase, "One man's meat is another man's poison." Allergies have been around for thousands of years. After you get a clear understanding of just exactly what an allergy is and the current, "high-tech" diagnostic tests and treatment programs, you'll see why allergies will still be around for thousands of years to come.
To be continued...
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