Research says allergies are a positive thing – what do you think?

A research paper by a Professor at Yale Univeristy is the latest to argue that allergic reactions have evolved as a healthy response to toxins. What do you think? We’d love to read your comments on this post.

An allergic reaction is the body’s way of attacking harmful things like poisons and irritants, and encouraging us to avoid undesirable environments, though an excesive allergic reaction is less desirable.

Led by a Russian professor of immunobiology at the Yale Univeristy School of Medicine, the theory behind the research is that reactions to allergens are a way of assessing the environment for poisonous substances. A reaction makes the substance memorable, and the next time the body encounters that substance it performs the allergic reaction as a response to protect the body.

The report which can be found on the website www.nature.com says that allergic reactions can protect us from four types of toxins. These include environmental irritants like pollen and dust. On encountering pollen or dust our body may produce more mucous in our nose to try to protect us from the allergen. This mucous causes the stuffy nose associated with hay fever (pollen allergy), and dust allergy.

An allergic reaction is therefore a direct way of protecting us from allergens. It also discourages us from visiting environments where the allergen is present, indirectly protecting us from unwanted effects of allergens.

Hayfever symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose, itchy skin on the face and throat, itchy eyes, red or swollen eyes, a bloated face, puffy eyes and associated lethargy.

HayMax™ is a natural way to help with hay fever, trapping pollen before it enters the body. HayMax™ also traps dust and cat dander, so it could help with a dust allergy or pet allergy too. Find out how HayMax™ works and read about HayMax™ trials.