The Chemistry Of Allergies
Slow Wi-Fi is if not one, but the most ANNOYING THING you can experience. It is frustrating and makes you want to chuck the modem out the window. However, we’ve all at point experienced the second most redundant, and maddening occurrence — Allergies. That’s right, ALLERGIES. It’s like a bug that never dies, no matter how many times you step on it. You’re studying in a quiet library and you all of a sudden sneeze very loud, YEP, Allergies. You’re in an interview and your eyes become watery and it looks like you’re crying, YEP, ALLERGIES. These symptoms are so pesky — especially during this time of the year — that at one point we just have to ask ourselves, why do they occur? Allergies can be simply be put like this; just like humans can make mistakes, your immune system can make mistakes as well. Allergies are the result of a disproportional immune response to harmless everyday objects like nuts, fruits and flowers. These harmless objects are known as, allergens. Chemically speaking, what happens in your body when an allergen comes into contact? It can be put into four simply steps.
In Step 1, when you come into contact with allergens, crawl into the skin in the form of antigens (the little green balls in the picture above).
Step 2, Naturally they get attracted to these antibodies called IgE (the y-shaped structures above in the image) — because remember, antibodies (IgE) try to fight antigens (allergens) because it is a foreign substance. These antibodies are previously bound to a mast cell, which is a cell found in connective tissues, like tissues in the bone or the skin.
Step 3: After this reaction between the antibody and antigen, the reaction stimulates the mast cell to release the devil, histamine (little blue dots in the picture above). Histamine is the main reason we get allergies because it is the transmitter for immune responses and allergies.
Step 4: The substances then cause secretions of mucus, swelling, coughing, and all those nasty allergies. This can also cause Anaphylaxis, which is a very serious reaction that can lead to death if not treated properly.
Now that we are chemical experts in allergic reactions, how can it be treated? To temporarily stop allergies from occurring, doctors usually prescribe anti-histamines which block the histamine’s path to the tissues. People also take immunotherapy to develop long-term tolerance to allergies. Do remember that allergies constantly change, they aren’t a constant in your life. I was allergic to milk until I was five, but now I can chug gallons of it.
Allergies are a pain, we all know it. But after reading this article, you’ll feel much better knowing how it happens chemically and why.
Note: This article isn’t giving out health advice, just the facts. Take the proper actions that you feel are right.
