Why Do Some People Get Allergies and Not Others?

What exactly is an allergy? It is a condition in which a person reacts in a hyper-sensitive or unusual manner to any substance or agent. In other words, to have an allergy means to be affected by or be sensitive to one or more common substance.

The substance could be food, drugs, grasses, pollens, fabrics, material, heat, sunlight, chemicals, plant and animal products of any type, dust and even dander from cats, dogs and horses.

The symptoms that result from an allergy may be of different kinds too.

Generally however they affect the skin and the mucous membranes and they are the result of changes that take place throughout the body.

The substance that causes an allergic reaction is called an allergen.

Whenever foreign material invades the tissues, the body reacts to fight it. In doing so, the body produces certain materials called antibodies, which actually happen to be one of our main defenses against infection. Unfortunately when an allergy is involved, they produce unpleasant reactions.

The antibodies combine with the foreign material and render it harmless, but when the same type of foreign material enters the body for a second time the antibodies are torn away from the body tissues to attack the invading substance.

This causes a chemical substance called Histamine to be released and it is when the Histamine reaches the skin and mucous membranes or it is found to be acting on the blood vessels and lungs, that it produces the disorders which are symptoms of allergy and the person suffers an allergic attack.

While many facts about allergy and allergies are still not fully understood, it is believed that allergies may be inherited in some cases.

There are families in which grandparents, parents and children are sensitive or allergic to the same substance and it is thought that certain weaknesses in the structure and functions of the body make the allergies possible.

However, there are cases in which only one member of the family is allergic.

It is also believed that the adrenal glands are involved, making certain people more likely to have allergies and/or allergic reactions.

Some people also believe that even a person's mental attitude may play a part in producing allergies and/or allergic reactions in some people.

There is still a lot to learn about allergies and the allergic reactions that can make some people and not others feel so miserable!

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