Understanding Allergies
The word allergy comes from the Greek root "allos,"
meaning "other." Hippocraties first identified allergies more than 2000 years-ago. The term was first used in 1906 to describe an "altered reaction" in the body's immune system.
As it navigates through a very complex world, the human body has to determine what is safe and what is not safe. Chemicals, pollutants, as well as processed foods have made the recognition of the environment challenging and complicated. When the body inappropriately perceives a harmless substance to be harmful, the defensive reaction can burden body systems causing a wide range of symptoms associated with allergies.
Every 10 minutes the body comes in contact with an antigen or allergen from the outside world and needs to identify it as harmless or harmful. Most of the time the identification and the subsequent response are accurate and appropriate. However, when the body reacts inappropriately to a harmless substance, food or stimuli in the environment, the symptoms of allergies and sensitivities can effect any of the body's organ systems.
