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You are here: Aller-Sine™ > Allergies

Allergies

What are allergies?

An actual enhanced micrograph of a Mast cell rupturing and releasing its histamines (stained red globules), serotonin and other prostaglandins into the blood stream, causing the typical allergic reactions of allergies, hayfever and sinusitis.

Allergies are abnormal or hypersensitive responses of the immune system to relatively harmless environmental antigens (substance which causes the allergy). In general, there are two broad types of allergies:

1. Allergies caused by excess IgE antibodies (Type I):
   
   Most immediate allergic reactions involve antigen-antibody reactions, mainly with the antibody protein, "IgE." Allergic individuals who experience moderate to severe allergy problems may have higher than normal levels of serum IgE and an increased number of high affinity IgE/Fc-receptors (the actual docking sites of IgE) on their basophils (located in the blood supply) and mast cells (within the connective tissue, generally located immediately outside the small blood vessels). Thus, the more IgE and IgE/Fc-receptors a person has, the more probable the allergic reaction, and the more severe that reaction will be.
   
   In these cases, the reacting IgE antibodies have a peculiar attraction to bind to IgE/Fc-receptor sites on mast cells and basophils, which in turn are responsible for releasing histamines and other inflammatory substances into the body, creating the many allergic reactions with which we are all familiar.
   
   Specifically, with the occurance of an antigen (allergen) reacting or binding to IgE antibodies, the IgE antigen-antibody molecule then "docks" on the Fc-receptors of mast cells and basophils, causing IgE cross-linking and subsequent receptor clustering on the cell membrane. This docking, in turn, causes an immediate change in the membrane of the mast cell or basophils, either causing it to rupture (called cell granulation) or simply secrete a torrent of pharmacologically active substances including histamine, 5-Hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) and other inflammatory substances into the bloodstream, all of which cause the known allergic reactions we hate.
   
   
2. Allergies caused by over-activated T-cells (Type II):
   
   Most other allergic reactions (delayed-reaction allergies) are caused by the over-activation of T-cells (helper cells and cytotoxic "killer" cells, in particular) and not by IgE antibodies themselves. Examples of this type of allergy are that of the skin's eruption caused by the toxins in poison ivy or a bee sting, asthmatic attacks when muscle spasms result from the case of some air-borne antigens, or even the allergic reaction one may experience from vaccines. On repeated exposure to these antigens, activated "killer" T-cells are formed. Then, on subsequent exposure to the toxin, these T-cells move into affected tissues to respond, eliciting a cell-mediated type of immune reaction which may cause more damage to surrounding tissue than the original toxin/antigen did. This is because over-activated "killer" T-cells can kill normal body cells in these reactions, and cause basophil and mast cell rupturing. In all cases of allergy (Type I and II), however, histamines and cytotoxic substances are released from mast cells and basophils which result in the typical allergic responses.

What happens when histamine is released into my body?

Histamine is a neurotransmitter which directly causes a biphasic response of vasoconstriction followed by peripheral vessel dilation. The release of histamine has a wide range of effects, which include:

• capillary dilatation
• contraction of smooth muscle
• increased gastric acid secretion
• acceleration of heart rate

For any suspected or known illness or dysfunction, always consult your physician for medical diagnosis and treatment first.

Statements contained in this Web site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

No products mentioned in this Web site are intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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