How an Individual's Allergic Response Can Be Modified

If there is one thing one of my kids and I hate about summer, it is that when it's nearing its end, ragweed begin to release their windblown pollens to which both of us - and many others, I'm sure - are extremely allergic. Allergy, as we know, is the human body's response to the presence of certain irritating substances known as allergens. An individual's allergic response to a specific allergen may differ from that of another person's, so that while ragweed pollens make me and my kid sneeze a lot and give us both itchy throat and teary eyes, others in the household are hardly affected.

One thing is common in all allergens, whether these are protein or carbohydrate substances or those that are chemically related to the fats: they spur a sensitive individual to respond by producing antibodies. This allergic response results from complex chemical processes, such as enzyme reactions; it is akin to the processes by which immunity is developed.

There are cases when an individual becomes immune to a specific germ whose products have served as allergens. This is a common form of allergic response. In cases when the antibodies - which a certain allergen produces - remain within a group of the body's cells instead of being free in the bloodstream, the cells in which the antibodies are situated may be adversely affected when left open to the action of this specific allergen.

There are at least three ways by which an individual's allergic response may be prevented or modified. The simplest one is to prevent the aggravating allergens from entering the body. Those who suffer from hay-fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis), for example, can often prevent the allergic assaults by staying indoors during the time of year when certain plants bloom. This should make you keep in mind the tree pollens during spring, the grass pollens during summer, and the ragweed pollens before the onset of fall and on throughout that season. If these allergen-producing plants are confined to a specific place, then the hay-fever sufferer should stay away from that place.