Allergy Enlightenment Is Modern Medicine Fighting the Causes of This Ailment? Are Doctors Telling Us Everything? — страница 3

"hypersensitivity" to a substance (britannica.com). In plain language, hypersensitivity would be "too sensitive", "job overdone", "false alarm", "false start", I suppose. But, having read the descriptions on how immune system works, I doubt that such a sophisticated system fails in such a big way. Allergies are divided to many kinds such as pollen, chemicals, food, and medicine, to name a few. In this case I will be talking specifically about pollen allergies, but most of my observations can be related to other allergies as well. When a substance, called allergen, touches the inside walls of our nose, according medical literature, immune system mistakes it for invaders and launches immune attack by producing histamine and a lot of

nasal fluid. Histamine clogs the small capillaries inside the nose, which leads to congestion. When we take Claritin, its antihistamine reduces histamine production by immune system - that qualifies it to be immunosuppressant drug, i.e. a drug that lowers the body's normal immune response [syn: immunosuppressive drug] (WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University). This made me very cautious because the immunosuppressants usually suppress immunity in all ways, not just towards one or two substances. This means by taking convenient allergy-relief medicines people are making their bodies susceptible to many other dreadful infectious diseases. It is also like removing air filter in one's car and continuing driving when engine has "breathing problem" due to the clogged air

filter. So what made me decide that I had "pollen allergy"? Observation of my allergy history and pattern lead me to some very clear-cut conclusions about pollen allergy. I remember my sneezing and itchy eyes started immediately after we visited a local forest preserve with my family in spring 2003. My wife and child were with me but their window was closed, and thus they avoided direct exposure to high-concentration pollen dust current blowing inside. At first my wife and I thought I caught cold or flu, but it cannot continue for over a month without any improvement. Within a month I used more than a dozen boxes of paper tissue. Finally I spoke with Dr. Sahloul, a pulmonologist from Syria, and after I explained him the symptoms he recommended me Claritin. I took the

medicine and eventually my allergies subsided, but I now realize that pollen season was almost over until I took the medicine. New spring came and by early May I started having the same symptoms as last year. My wife got away with little sneezing and occasional coughing, and my daughter Nargiz had very mild form of pollen allergy - because pollen dust hit her where she usually sits - right behind me in a car seat. This time I knew for sure I was "suffering" pollen "allergy". So I got my good old Claritin, in order to feel not just clear, but "Claritin-Clear"â. But after two pills I was feeling dry mouth and eyes, fatigue, dizziness, slow reaction, and all the rest that was forewarned by the medicine's insert. I gave up the medicine right away,

and turned to Internet and books to learn about allergies on my own. I also noticed this year that my left eye was hurt more by pollen dust - which I traced to my habit of keeping driver's side window open. I never had properly functioning car A/C until now (now I have), and that was a big problem last year. The year before that I drove only occasionally during spring and made very short trips, that is why allergy spared poor me. Since I gave up my intention to feel "Claritin Clear", I do not go to parks for too long and too often, keep my car windows closed all the time, and A/C on, and I am getting well day after day! That is my allergy myth uncovered! How Does Immune System Work to Prevent Passage of High Quantity of Pollen into the Lungs? That is The Question. The

question is not how allergies work, or how dangerous pollen is. We have to inquire into the realm of IMMUNE SYSTEM, one of the wonders of ALLAH's creation - this divine, super fast, and complex mechanism, that leaves far behind all the military and civil protection measures devised by men. I was in the military couple years ago, and I passed all the training and tests for a lieutenant. Back then we were taught about chemical warfare. Enemy is most likely to use chemical weapons when the wind is blowing towards our lines: that keeps them safe and helps to inflict maximum chemical damage to our troops. That is not the most interesting part I learnt about chemical attack. The most interesting thing that struck me is that after the wind blows away the chemical dust away from our