The Real Reason Allergies Are On The Rise

Allergies affect over 50 million people in the U.S. every year. There is no cure for allergies, but most are relatively minor and can either be avoided or easily treated. Still, there is a surprising lack of research into an underlying cause or a holistic prevention measure for allergies. 

I often find myself wondering about this strange glitch in the human immune system. Almost everyone we know has an allergy of some sort, from seasonal hay-fever, to an allergy to a type of pet, to food allergies. Every major store has whole aisles reserved for allergy medications. It’s clear that having allergies is common and treatable in the modern age, but what did people do before all these medications were invented? As I thought more about the concept of allergies, I kept coming back to two questions: Why do we have allergies, and were they always this prevalent? 

To begin with the second question, to some extent, yes. There are accounts of allergic reactions going back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China, but hay-fever, on the other hand, only developed post-industrial revolution. Since then, allergies have been on the rise. The CDC found that there has been a 50% increase in food allergies in children from 1997 to 2011. Now, 1 in 13 children suffers from allergies. Not only is the prevalence of allergies increasing, but the variety of allergens is broadening as well. It’s safe to say there is some greater force at work contributing to an increase in allergies.

What Are Allergies?

First, it’s important to understand what exactly allergies are. An allergic reaction happens when the immune system registers a harmless substance as something dangerous and overreacts, releasing the chemical histamine, which causes the allergic symptoms like a runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes, in an attempt to rid the body of the substance. 

Interestingly, allergies are highly influenced by the environment. In Greece, where peanuts are not a part of the cuisine, the peanut allergy doesn’t exist. Allergies only occur only where the allergen exists, which means they developed due to exposure at some point. 

Allergies only occur only where the allergen exists.

The first antihistamine was invented in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that a medication without the drowsy side effect was created, commonly known as Claritin. Allergy medicines today focus on alleviating the symptoms of allergies, but not the root cause. So, let’s take a closer look at why allergies are on the rise. 

Why Are Allergies on the Rise?

The most widely accepted cause of increased allergies is called the hygiene hypothesis. According to this theory, due to growing up in a highly sanitized environment, we are not exposed to enough microbes in childhood, leading to a maladapted immune system. With unnaturally clean surroundings, our immune systems are idle, waiting to attack something, anything. This correlates with the fact that allergies and autoimmune diseases are most common in developed countries with access to cleaner household environments. 

The hygiene hypothesis could also be not necessarily an external cause, but an internal cause of allergies. Early antibiotic use has been linked to developing allergies. This is because good bacteria in the digestive system, an essential for developing a strong immune system, are killed off. 

In contrast to the hygiene hypothesis, a recent study called “Microbial exposures that establish immunoregulation are compatible with targeted hygiene” gives evidence that cleaner households are not necessarily the cause of an increase in allergies. This is due to the fact that the microorganisms that would get cleaned up in a house are not the ones that are crucial for building immunity. The microbes we need for immunity are found instead in the outdoors, where indoor cleaning would have no effect. According to the study, the correlation between sanitizing the home and allergies is actually due to exposure to chemical cleaning agents that damage the lungs and develop an allergic response. 

Exposure to chemicals leads us to the final allergy theory. In contrast to the hygiene hypothesis, the other potential cause for the increase in allergies is rooted in the fact that our environments have actually become more toxic. This correlates with the fact that hay-fever first came into existence after industrialization. As pollutants in the air and the environment, chemicals in household items, and artificial additives in foods have increased, our bodies are bombarded by a number of unhealthy synthetic substances. The 2017 study “Environmental pollution and allergies” shows that pollutants and chemicals found both outdoors and indoors, along with additives and preservatives in food, have caused a rise in allergies by disrupting our immune systems. Furthermore, another study, published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, has found a link between proximity to highways, and their associated pollutants, and allergy and asthma rates in children. An environment that is artificially polluted is just as much a concern as one that is artificially clean, in regard to the developing immune system. 

An environment that is artificially polluted is just as much a concern as one that is artificially clean.

Natural vs. Artificial

Whatever the cause, allergies are certainly on the rise. Rather than simply treating the physical symptoms of allergies, it’s also important to understand how they work and why they exist. There is probably not one singular cause of all allergies, rather they are most likely created through the combination of the two seemingly contradictory theories. The hygiene hypothesis shows that allergies are caused by our home environments being too clean, while the other demonstrates that allergies are caused because our environments are contaminated. 

These two theories are, in fact, perfectly compatible. The key is in the definition of “contaminant.” The difference lies in what’s natural versus artificial. It can be concluded that allergies are caused both because of a decrease in good and natural microorganisms in the home and an increase in damaging synthetic toxins. Despite the many advances of modern society, we often overlook the fact that we evolved to live in a natural, microorganism-filled environment and that our immune systems need stimulation from these microbes early on to develop properly. Likewise, in the age of mass-production, large corporations fail to investigate the prolific effects that many chemicals can have on the health of the population. 

Closing Thoughts

Our immune systems are truly remarkable adaptations. Even when they react to substances in the wrong ways, we can still see how perfectly our bodies were made to fight off dangers that we can’t even see with our bare eyes. Uncovering the potential underlying causes and understanding the mechanics of allergies gives us a greater appreciation for the delicate balance established in our immune systems in conjunction with the environment that we grew up in. Allergies and the function of our immune system teach us an important lesson in regard to our health: Finding balance is key and natural is best. 

Don’t miss anything! Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get curated content weekly!