> However, to protect the allergic, peanuts and now sesame are removed from childcare facilities, school lunches, etc.
The solution is for people to expose their kids to that stuff at home. That way the kids get the exposure without endangering the population.
I have no evidence for any of it, but my pet theory is that the increase in food allergies (especially adult onset) is at least somewhat environmental. That we're exposed to so many toxic products/pollutants, and our bodies so filled with microplastics, that our gut epithelium becomes compromised, we have increased inflammation, and our immune systems are increasingly on high alert causing them to overreact to things that aren't really threats.
There's a lot of study of allergy differences between rural and urban kids. The explanation given is often that rural kids have a much wider exposure to allergens and pathogens. This is an interesting alternative explanation.
I suspect most people with food allergies actually just have an eating disorder, or anxiety/hypochondria issues. I wouldn't rule out sociogenic "food allergies" either. Look at the gluten-free fad that took off for a while.
I meant the type of allergy that often results in anaphylaxis. We can be sure that if someone's throat is swelling shut it isn't simply a case of hypochondriasis or someone following the latest food fads. Anxiety can cause shortness of breath or palpitations, but they're going to present very differently in the ER compared to someone experiencing a severe allergic reaction.
Even if someone managed to have a somatic illness that actually did cause their throat to swell and close up when exposed to certain allergens (the mind is a powerful thing after all) I don't think it'd make any meaningful difference in the event that it occurred. It would still be a life threatening medical emergency. It might however mean that with help it could be possible for them to stop having the reaction, but I'm not even sure they'd work if their immune system genuinely saw the food as a threat and learned to treat it as such.
This is an absolutely ridiculous claim, it's very clear that you have never met anyone with an allergy (or cared to ask someone about their experience if you have)
Actually I have them in my family (epi pen and all), but I've met many more people with false allergies that use them to justify disordered eating habits or something else (hilariously, I've seen someone use their allergies to try and micromanage what everyone else around them can eat, down to how their spouse's coffee is brewed).
The solution is for people to expose their kids to that stuff at home. That way the kids get the exposure without endangering the population.
I have no evidence for any of it, but my pet theory is that the increase in food allergies (especially adult onset) is at least somewhat environmental. That we're exposed to so many toxic products/pollutants, and our bodies so filled with microplastics, that our gut epithelium becomes compromised, we have increased inflammation, and our immune systems are increasingly on high alert causing them to overreact to things that aren't really threats.