I never had to worry about allergies before. I could eat anything. Nothing bothered me. Until a couple of years ago.

I awoke one morning with eyes so swollen they were almost shut. It wasn’t the first time my upper lids swelled or I saw the redness and felt the itchiness under my eyes. In fact, I’d been to my primary care physician and my dermatologist in the many months before. Both agreed that I was having an allergic reaction, most likely due to something I was coming in contact with - makeup, mascara, shampoo, laundry detergent.

But on this particular morning when I could barely see, I had had enough. My husband drove me to urgent care. The attending physician was certain it was caused by food. His daughter had severe food allergies, and he recognized the symptoms.

The questions and thoughts swirled in my mind. So it might not be contact dermatitis after all? Which foods? Why would a food allergy affect my eyes?

Sure enough, after extensive allergy testing, I learned that I had an allergy to sesame, coconut, and pistachio nuts. The nuts, I get. Many people are allergic to nuts, but why only pistachio? 

According to an article in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, pistachios are responsible for inducing moderate to severe IgE-mediated reactions in allergic subjects, and compared with other tree nuts, the rates of allergic reactions to pistachios are increasing at a global scale. Aside from a potential cross-reactivity with cashews, it appears that a person can be allergic to pistachios but not other nuts.

In 2023, sesame became the ninth allergen required to be listed on packaged foods in the United States, so it is becoming more common. And according to the National Institutes of Health, around 1.5 million people in the U.S. have a sesame allergy, which is about .49% of the population. And coconut? It is supposed to be so good for you. As it turns out, about .39%  of the population has an allergy to coconut, as reported in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Do you know how many products contain sesame and coconut? Of course, I have to avoid obvious foods like hummus, but surprisingly enough, I have to be very careful with many breads since even the ones that don’t have sesame seeds on them report sesame in the list of ingredients. There are lots of lotions, sunscreens and Burt’s bees products that contain coconut. And I have to avoid eating M&Ms, which have coconut oil in the candy coating. I read labels a lot now. Do you know that the non-stick spray, Pam, and cool whip contain coconut?

If you suffer from allergies, whether from food or the environment, you may be interested in a recent podcast I listened to on Feel Better, Live More. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee was interviewing Professor Theresa MacPhail, a medical anthropologist, who wrote several books, including  Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a  Changing World and Allergic: How Our Immune System Reacts to a Changing World.

She explains the science of allergies in very relatable and easy-to-understand ways. Essentially, I learned that our T-Cells are the policeman of the body and circulate around looking for suspicious activity like a policeman patrolling a neighborhood. When they come across a virus, pollen, or allergen, they take a snapshot of it, and then the “photo” is taken to the B-Cells, who looks for the allergen in the photo and are responsible for producing the antibody to keep it out. The antibody, the IgE, is like a bouncer at a nightclub that decides who gets in and who stays out. Histamine is then produced since it is signaled that there is a potential threat happening. And it is this histamine that produces the symptoms in our bodies. 

In this podcast, Professor MacPhail details the history of allergies and talks about why they are on the rise. It is expected that by 2040, pollen rates will double, and they will be more potent, which is a result of climate change. It was a bit alarming to hear the prediction that by 2030 (only 6 years from now), 50% of the population will be affected.

What was interesting to hear was the fact that most people are under the impression that those with allergies are somehow weak or maladaptive. However, in actuality, people with allergies have a really strong immune system that is responding to the wrong stimulus. And in fact, people with allergies report lower rates of some types of cancer. Scientists correlate this to the really strong  immune system’s response to cancel cells. 

One thing she said that resonated with me is that people are getting allergies later in life. And this phenomenon dovetails with changes in the gut microbiome. There’s good bacteria that are helpful to us, and they play a key role, so if the gut microbiome is off balance or there are changes, our immune system may have a tougher time regulating. 

There are certain things we ingest that change the gut microbiome - like antacids (Tums), sugar, and ultra processed foods. A lack of fiber from fruits and vegetables, too much stress and not getting enough sleep also impact the gut microbiome.

Her recommendation on things we might consider doing to avoid this are to:

• Use less hand sanitizer

• Use more natural and less toxic cleaning products

• Feed the gut microbiome by eating more fruits and vegetables - and increase the variety

• Eat less sugar and eliminate ultra processed foods from our diets, which feeds the bad bacteria in our guts

• Reduce stress and get more restful sleep

• Be cautious with overuse of antibiotics and antacids

It’s a long one, but if you have allergies or know someone who does, and are inclined to learn more, here is the link to the podcast. Alternatively, you can always read one of her books.

I’m interested. How many reading this article have allergies? And have you always had them or did you get them later in life?