WEBVTT - Allergies: What’s Real, What’s Hype, and What’s Making It Worse - Lab 117 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:05.440 Maybe it's mabeling, but seasonal allergies have become always on 0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:08.639 for me, Like I don't even remember when the switch was, 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:11.880 but I just know a zerteka day keeps my embarrassing 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:16.440 sneezes and my running nose away. Yes, it feels like 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:19.840 I am constantly reaching for my inhaler because I have 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:24.639 the type of allergies that causes breathing problems and it 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:27.760 is the worst. You know what it's like to just 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:30.240 be out and being like, ooh, where's my inhaler? I 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:34.159 feel like it's embarrassing. It shouldn't be embarrassing because it's 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:36.680 just for my health, but it is. No, I always 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:42.239 thought it inhaler was cool. Something about that, you know, 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:46.080 like you just taking on that kind of wind. That 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:49.159 was cool to me. Oh my gosh. I don't know 0:00:49.200 --> 0:00:51.800 if I've ever heard that. But I don't know what's 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:55.080 going on. You don't know what's going on, So we 0:00:55.120 --> 0:01:00.920 should really think about talking about this today. I'm t 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:08.639 T and I'm Zakiah, and this is Dope Labs. Welcome 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:11.959 to Dope Labs, a weekly podcast that mixes hardcore science 0:01:12.040 --> 0:01:19.240 with pop culture and a healthy dose of friendship. It 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:23.240 feels like, and I'm gonna put you know, underline on fields. 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:27.399 Feels like everybody has allergies. Honestly, I don't know a 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:31.720 single person who doesn't. These days, like when it's springtime, 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:36.600 everybody's you know, itchy eyes, water running nose, and even 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.160 in the fall, I feel like lots of people have 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:41.200 allergies and they're like, oh, these are my fall allergies. 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:42.560 I don't remember it being like this when I was 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:45.759 a kid. Now, as a kid, I did have bad allergies. 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:47.320 I had to take this little pill and it had 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:51.040 these little bitter pebbles inside. They weren't pebbles, they were medicine. 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:53.480 But I couldn't swallow pills. And some of my mom 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:54.800 used to put it in apple sauce. That was my 0:01:54.880 --> 0:01:58.120 allergy medicine, but I only took it certain times of 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:02.040 the year. And now I have I know I'm having 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:05.240 year long allergies, and we're in the recitation because I 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:07.960 want to know why. Yeah, I want to know why 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:10.800 I'm having year long allergies. Now, okay, so then what 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:14.799 do we know? We know we're seeing some shifting allergies. 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:17.680 I know, even if that's just my personal anecdotal evidence 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:20.560 for me m m. Yeah. And we've talked about this 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:23.000 during some of our live shows that we've done about 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:25.839 how you know there's so much more pollen and it's 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:28.840 because of these different these trees that have been planted. 0:02:29.200 --> 0:02:33.760 But I thought that was debunked. I don't know, see, Okay, 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.600 So now let's just talk about what we want to know. 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:41.280 Is it just the pollen? It can't just be the pollen, 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:45.919 because also, doesn't it feel like food allergies are going up? Absolutely? 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:48.880 Absolutely they were at least for a while for a while, 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:51.240 and it seems like they're going down because of some changes. 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:53.000 But it also feels like there are a lot of 0:02:53.000 --> 0:02:56.240 people who are gluten intolerant. Wait wait, wait wait wait 0:02:56.639 --> 0:03:00.200 you said gluten intolerant. That brings up another question. Is 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:04.760 intolerance and allergy the same thing? Ry? So see, I 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:09.000 use allergy and intolerance the same and so, but it 0:03:09.040 --> 0:03:11.120 can't be the same. They're two different words, right, So 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:14.400 I need to know the difference between those two because 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:18.440 I'm not allergic to lactose, but I am lactose intolerance. 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:24.240 Good point. See, And I also t T. I know 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:26.640 you've seen this the Direct Consumer tests and they were 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:28.519 doing it with genetics and all this stuff before it 0:03:28.520 --> 0:03:30.320 and now doing it with allergies. Yes, I saw it 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:32.560 on TikTok. You know, I'm on TikTok all the time, 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:35.120 and I was like, I'm not buying something like this 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:37.720 off the TikTok shop. I don't feel like this is 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:41.320 a sound test, But I want to know is there 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:43.840 something to say about these at home allergy tests? Should 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:47.080 we be doing them? I don't know. I'm pulling my 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:49.520 blue light glasses down and looking over the top because 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:53.640 I'm like, is that FSA and HSA eligible or are these credible? 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:57.920 And once you start introducing user error, I am unsure. Right, 0:03:58.080 --> 0:03:59.760 every time I had to get myself a COVID test 0:03:59.920 --> 0:04:02.520 was like a doctor needs to do this, Like I 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:06.839 can't do this to myself. Stick this up my nose. Nah, 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:11.320 you're probably swapping the outside of your nostril. Girls, my 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:17.920 eyelids COVID negative. This is why we need to have 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:22.039 the experts, and we have the perfect expert for this episode. 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:26.840 We have allergists and immunologists. Doctor perv Perik. 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:29.400 I practice in New York City and being a private 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:33.040 practice called Allergy and Asthma Associates of Murray Hill, but 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:37.200 I'm also on faculty at NYU Langone. I'm a clinical 0:04:37.200 --> 0:04:41.560 assistant professor in both the medicine and pediatrics departments, and 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:44.000 then the advocacy is a big passion of mine. So 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:48.000 I'm also a spokesperson for a nonprofit called the Allergy 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:51.160 Asthma Network, and it's a nonprofit for patients and their 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:54.960 families who suffer with allergies, asthma and rare you know, 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:56.240 immune system problems. 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:58.760 And that's exactly why we are so glad you are here, 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:01.200 because we hear all types of things and we're not 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:04.120 sure what's true. Some of it feels like old lives tales, 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:07.640 and so having you as the expert is absolutely perfect. 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:11.760 We really want to start with the basics, like when 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:16.160 someone says I am allergic to something, what does that 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:18.320 mean inside of your body? What is happening? 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:20.960 So, you know, a lot of people don't realize, but 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:25.080 you know, allergies are basically like an overreaction of your 0:05:25.120 --> 0:05:27.760 immune system. So a lot of people label themselves as allergic, 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.800 but really your immune system has to be involved in 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:34.000 order for it to be an allergy. So your immune 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.960 system normally helps you fight off infections and you know, 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:40.679 cancer cells and other bad things you don't want happening 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:43.720 to you. But when allergies occurs, basically your immune system 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:46.320 has decided to fight something it shouldn't be fighting. So 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:50.000 that could be a food like peanut or milk or eggs, 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:53.760 or it could also be an environmental trigger like pollen 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:57.599 or dust, smites, or animals, and even medications. We even 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:00.200 have people develop allergies to medications, so that's essentially an 0:06:00.200 --> 0:06:04.080 allergy is it's basically an overreaction of your immune system 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:04.680 to something. 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.560 So why are our bodies being so dramatic? I mean 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:11.560 a lot. It's our immune system confusing, right, something that's 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:13.360 harmless for something that's harmful. 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:16.120 So there's a lot of different theories as to why 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:19.200 that happens. In this day and age, we've noted that 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:23.240 allergies and asthma have increased, and there's one theory behind 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:27.000 that called the hygiene hypothesis, and that theory is that 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:30.840 you know, we are living like too clean because you know, 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:33.360 back in the day, when we were living on farms 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:37.320 and touching soil more and eating like real whole foods, 0:06:37.360 --> 0:06:40.239 there were far less like allergies and asthma, but also 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:43.120 other things like there was less autoimmune diseases, less cancers, 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:45.280 and all of this is believed to be linked that 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:48.080 as we like are not exposed to like kind of 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:51.480 the good bacteria or the good micro organisms that help 0:06:51.720 --> 0:06:54.120 keep our immune system balanced, a lot of our immune 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:57.920 systems are shifting towards allergies. So areas of the world 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:01.680 that are still rural and not as industrialized, you know, 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:06.039 as the Western society actually has very low rates of 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:09.360 allergies and asthma and even the autoimmune diseases and things 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:13.880 like that because their immune systems are processing parasites and 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:16.680 they're on farms and being exposed to so many things, 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:20.600 and they're not eating like processed foods, which disrupts like 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:24.840 your gut microbiome, right, and so all of those things, 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:27.480 believe it or not, help you not become allergic. So 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:30.360 that's part of it. It's like modern living, you know. 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:33.520 But the immune system is very nimble, it's very adaptive, 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:36.920 but sometimes things can go wrong and it can react 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:38.080 in a way you don't want it. 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:41.160 To listen, the immune system will embarrass you. But I 0:07:41.200 --> 0:07:44.000 also feel like this is all part of the same 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:46.400 thing we keep discovering this season, which is that these 0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:49.280 bodies are ancient. Yes, it's nimble and can adapt in 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:52.920 short time periods like oh new protein, new thing. Okay, 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:56.120 I'm sorry, as I've seen that. But why are these 0:07:56.160 --> 0:08:00.400 cells dumping histamines and have in my eyes and re 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:04.200 like it looks like I have conjunctivitis? So why is 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:07.320 the immune system behaving like that? Like it's used to 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:10.360 fighting parasites or words? Back before we have medicine, baby, 0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:13.800 we have bit adrill. Now I don't need that. So 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:18.280 when we talk about having an allergic reaction to certain things, 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:22.840 can you run through what those reactions can look like 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:26.040 and why those types of reactions occur Because I know, 0:08:26.480 --> 0:08:29.640 for like seasonal allergies, someone may have like itchy and 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:33.320 watery eyes, a running nose, they might have a cough. 0:08:33.559 --> 0:08:35.959 But then when you have food allergies, it's like, oh, 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:38.520 my throat is going to close up. Why are there 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:41.000 differences in the reactions right right? 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:43.480 And that's a great question. So you know, the immune 0:08:43.480 --> 0:08:48.280 system processes things different ways, and essentially the way that 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:52.080 it reacts to a food can release a whole cascade 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:56.800 of events called anaphylaxis. And to be honest, any allergen 0:08:56.880 --> 0:09:00.440 can cause it either mild or severe reaction. That when 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:04.560 you ingest something it's you know, entered your digestive trap. 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:07.520 Then it enters your bloodstream, and so the reaction is 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:10.840 far more dramatic than if let's say you inhale something 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:14.040 you know, or something is absorbed through your skin. It 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:17.360 may be a slower moving reaction. Usually like for a 0:09:17.400 --> 0:09:21.160 airborne allergen like pollen or dust might or mold, you're 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:23.600 inhaling it and then it goes into your respiratory track, 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:26.680 so it really activates the immune system in your respiratory tract. 0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:29.600 So that's why you get the itchis the stuff he knows, 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:32.200 things like that. But even that can be severe for 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:35.120 some people because people don't realize this, but those airborne 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:39.800 allergens can trigger asthma. If it goes low enough into 0:09:39.800 --> 0:09:42.480 your lungs and into your bronchials, it can actually trigger 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:45.240 an asthma attack, and that actually is deadly as well. 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:48.120 We actually have eleven deaths a day in this country 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:51.520 still from asthma, and the most common cause is allergies, 0:09:51.559 --> 0:09:54.160 and many people don't know that there's that connection. But 0:09:54.240 --> 0:09:56.920 then you know, kind of going back to the throat closing, 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:59.720 kind of big anaphylactic type of reaction. We think about 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.079 a lot of times. We see that with foods, because 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:05.200 you know you're ingesting the food, it's going into your body, 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:08.199 into your bloodstream. We see that a lot with injectable 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:11.319 medications and oral medications as well, for the same reason. 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.600 It's just kind of the root of entry. But yeah, 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:15.880 believe it or not, even those airborne things can be 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:17.520 very severe for some people. 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.840 Wow. I knew that people could die from asthma attacks, 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:23.400 but I didn't think that it would be allergy related. 0:10:23.440 --> 0:10:26.840 I thought that it would be something else. That's wild, 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:31.640 because I'm always so worried about your allergies and as well. 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:34.360 Oh my gosh, every time we've traveled together as a kid, 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:36.560 it's like, do you have your inhaler? And I'll be like, no, 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:41.440 it'll be all right, I promise. And that last time 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:44.160 when we went to Brussels, that poor air quality you meet, 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:48.440 I was so glad I had it. But I never 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:50.600 thought to link allergies and asthma. That's wild. 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:53.679 Yeah, And that's actually the most common cause. And then 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:57.120 a lot of those asthma deaths are largely preventable, So 0:10:57.559 --> 0:10:59.520 that's why it's really important to make sure if you 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:02.160 do have that, that you're on the right treatment regimen, 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:05.839 that your asthma's well controlled, because it's those individuals who 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:08.120 aren't well controlled that where it turns deadly. 0:11:08.640 --> 0:11:11.800 I've also seen things that talk about how climate change 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:16.040 also contributes to that. Do you how does that even work? 0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:18.520 No, I'm glad you brought that up, but because then 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:21.600 it's a big factor. So what happens with climate change 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:24.439 is that you know, the Earth is getting warmer, and 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:28.200 because of that, pollen seasons are considerably longer. You know, 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:31.720 they've increased as much as two weeks now than they 0:11:31.760 --> 0:11:34.400 normally would be. So when it's warmer and there's a 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:38.360 longer pollen season, that means when the plants start producing 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:42.560 pollen earlier and it lasts longer. But also with climate change, 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:46.000 there's something called greenhouse gases. So we have increased levels 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:49.920 of carbon dioxide in the air, and plants feed off 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:52.640 of carbon dioxide the same way we take in oxygen 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:55.280 and let out CO two, they take in CO two 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:57.600 and let out oxygen. So not only are the seasons 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.600 longer because it's warmer, but because of those higher carbon 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:04.439 dioxide levels of plants are now becoming like super pollinators, 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:08.720 so they're producing more pollen and for longer periods of time. 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:12.600 So that's kind of the perfect storm for much worse 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:15.840 and more severe allergy season. And that now is going 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:18.040 back to what we were talking about before, causing people 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:21.360 to have more severe allergy symptoms and even develop asthma 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:24.040 for the first time. So every spring and every fall, 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:26.280 I see patients come in never had asthma before in 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:29.240 their life, now get a diagnosis of asthma and it's 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:32.400 from their seasonal allergies. And they're always surprised when I 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:36.800 tell them that, but because there is that link, and unfortunately, 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:38.960 the pollen seasons are getting worse. 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:56.480 I did not have asthma, and then I went to 0:12:56.600 --> 0:13:00.800 college and then all of a sudden developed asthma symptoms. 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:03.360 And so I've been using in the hailer ever since. 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:05.360 And it really felt like came out of nowhere and 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:10.000 I developed a peanut allergy. It just feels like the 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:13.160 entire world is turning against me. I'm like, what next 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:15.400 am I going to be allergic to? Like all of 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:18.160 my favorite foods, the sun, the wind, the rain. I 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:20.400 don't know a lot of people are experiencing that. 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:22.600 It's just the things seem to be getting worse, and 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:25.040 people are getting more reactive to everything. 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:27.840 As well, exactly. And one of the things that I 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:31.400 remember from many years ago is that when folks would 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:35.040 have babies, they would say, oh, don't have them around 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:39.480 any nuts or anything like that, in order to not 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:43.359 expose them to these things that seem like extreme allergens 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:46.560 and might cause them some respiratory issues. That's so true, 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:50.480 But then the tables turned. I said, I that's actually 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:53.800 causing up to in penut allergies. Can you talk a 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:56.200 little bit about what the initial thought was and then 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:57.960 kind of the reversal of that recommendation. 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:03.000 Yeah, we actually we've seen food allergies and children increase 0:14:03.120 --> 0:14:05.320 in general over the last two to three decades. And 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:08.520 it's not only because of that reason that we were 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:10.760 giving it too late. It's also everything else that we 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:14.920 talked about, like the hygiene hypothesis and all of the above. 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:18.960 It's like a multifactorial thing. But interestingly enough, about ten 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:22.040 to fifteen years ago, some like researchers saw that there's 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:25.720 like very low rates peanut allergy in certain areas of 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:29.040 the world, specifically in Israel. And they were like, why 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:30.640 is that And they looked and they saw that they 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:34.160 were actually feeding their children this snack called bamba, which 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.040 has peanut allergen in it, like very early on, and 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.080 so they were like, oh, maybe there's something to this 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:43.800 that by introducing the allergens earlier that might prevent the onset. 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:46.840 You know, because when babies are born, their immune systems 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:50.480 are still developing, so that's probably the ideal time to 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:53.560 you know, introduce something so that they don't develop it, 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:56.000 but rather than wait till after their immune systems have 0:14:56.200 --> 0:14:59.480 already you know, chosen one path or another. So they 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:03.520 did this very large, multi center placebo control randomized study 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:06.280 about a decade ago where they gave one group the 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:09.320 peanut allergy in early and then the other group place 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:12.160 ebo and they found that, yeah, those kids that were 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:16.000 introduced earlier did developed the peanut allergy at a much 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:19.680 lower rate. And so that became like our new recommendations 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:22.400 and guidelines. So now you know, for the past ten 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:26.560 plus years, all of us have been pediatricians allergious family 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:30.120 doctors have been encouraging early introduction at four to six 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:33.400 months of age actually, and as a result, we just 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:36.440 got some news that that has caused a forty three 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:39.640 percent drop in peanut allergy in the last decade and 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:43.160 that's amazing. So that's like sixty thousand children they estimate 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:46.360 that did not develop peanut allergy that would have and 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.120 those are lives saved, because we still see people pass 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:52.680 away unfortunately, you know, from food allergies. And now the 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.520 recommendation isn't just for peanuts. We actually recommend it for 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:59.240 all of the nine allergiens, the high risk allergians, to 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:02.640 introduce the foods early, between four to six months. And 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:05.440 the caveat is for most babies that's safe and you 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:08.200 should do it. But if you have already been diagnosed 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:10.520 with an egg allergy by that point in time, or 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:14.320 you have very severe ezema, then you shouldn't just jump 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:17.520 to the early introduction. You should first consultant allergists because 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:21.000 those are two like high risk conditions for early introductions. 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:24.000 So for the majority of people it's recommended, but if 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:27.000 you're in those exception groups, you know, just do so 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:30.200 with the guidance of an allergist. And then, of course 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:32.160 I always have to throw this plug in there, but 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:34.720 you never want to introduce a four month old like 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:36.640 a whole nut. Right, you have to do it in 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:38.640 a form that's safe to eat, you know, so I 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:41.800 don't choke, you know, like very very thin down like 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:44.560 consistency of milk or breast milk type, you know, with 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:45.240 the peanut butter. 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:49.640 Absolutely. I think that that segues into my next question 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:53.960 really really well, which is like at home remedies for allergies. 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:56.160 I see a lot of stuff on TikTok that I 0:16:56.240 --> 0:16:59.920 don't think is grounded in research or in a medical 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:03.920 professional's opinion. There are folks who are doing like allergy 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:07.320 cleanses where they cut out whole food groups, or people 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:11.919 who because they know that the hygiene hypothesis, they opt 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:15.840 for a really what I feel like is unsanitary living 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:20.359 for their children. What misconceptions can you dispel when it 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:22.280 comes to things like this? 0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:25.280 One thing that I would say when it comes to 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:28.520 these myths is that you know everything is good in moderation, 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:32.400 you know, so especially you know, it's hard to tell 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:36.439 people not to use certain like hand sanitizers and certain 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:39.560 chemicals and things. Right when we're coming out of a pandemic, 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:42.359 right where we were all trying to stay clean and 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:45.680 not passed on germs from place to place. But one 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:47.879 way I like to dispel myth is like always, you know, 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:51.840 discuss things with your doctor. If you hear conflicting information, 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:54.840 you know, one thing on the internet versus another place, 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:57.680 and you're not sure who to believe, it's always best 0:17:57.720 --> 0:18:00.720 to like sit down talk to your doctor because medicine 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:03.080 isn't black and white. There's a lot of nuance and 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:06.159 your situation might be different than another person's situations. So 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:10.040 that's why these like shared decision making conversations, especially with 0:18:10.119 --> 0:18:13.159 your physician, are really important to dispel a lot of 0:18:13.200 --> 0:18:13.880 these myths. 0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:19.520 Yeah, do you think that everyone should have an allergy test? 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:22.639 Or do you think that there's a certain criteria that 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:24.879 you should meet before you get an allergy test? 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:28.200 So that's a great question. So no, we don't recommend 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:30.879 everyone having an allergy test, and the reason for that 0:18:31.080 --> 0:18:35.320 is with any test, you know, there are false positives 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:38.120 that come along as well as false negative So if 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:41.919 you're not having any symptoms to anything, then you are 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:44.080 definitely not allergic to it, you know. So a lot 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:45.600 of people come in and say, oh, I just want 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:47.119 to be tested for everything to see if I have 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:49.879 any allergies. So I say, okay, well, what's been bothering you? 0:18:49.920 --> 0:18:51.639 And then they're like, oh, nothing, I feel fine. So 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:53.800 I'm like, I can already tell you have no allergies, 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:56.840 because even if that test shows that you're allergic to everything, 0:18:57.359 --> 0:18:59.600 I'll still tell you that you have no allergies because 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:03.399 the energy testing is only helpful in combination with the 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:05.119 actual clinical symptoms. 0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:05.399 You know. 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.879 So if you're not having any symptoms, but you test positive, 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:11.000 you know, for a food allergy, and you tell me 0:19:11.000 --> 0:19:13.639 you're eating that food every day without any issue, you 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:16.480 are not allergic to it, you know. So your body's 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:20.280 response to something is the more important part of the 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:23.240 picture than the test. The test only confirms it basically, 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:27.119 you know. So yeah, and that's why it's really important 0:19:27.160 --> 0:19:31.199 that you are seeing the right credential professional to diagnose you. 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:34.119 And that's not just for allergies and anything in medicine, 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:36.359 because we see this a lot that a lot of 0:19:36.400 --> 0:19:40.679 people are selling like allergy tests online and you know, 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:43.320 they're they're doing all these things where you know there 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:46.320 it's like direct to consumer marketing. But that's very dangerous 0:19:46.359 --> 0:19:49.000 because I've seen patients come in with all of these 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:51.480 positive tests and they're not actually allergic to any of 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:53.359 the things that they were told they were allergic to it, 0:19:53.359 --> 0:19:55.800 and they paid, like, you know, hundreds of dollars or 0:19:56.040 --> 0:19:58.840 even thousands of dollars for these work ups. So that's 0:19:58.840 --> 0:20:01.800 why it's really important you see someone who has been 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:06.440 trained in that specialty and it's a validated test because 0:20:06.440 --> 0:20:08.399 there's a lot of allergy tests out there too that 0:20:08.520 --> 0:20:12.159 aren't evidence based or science based, and so you have 0:20:12.200 --> 0:20:15.679 to be very careful people being wrongly diagnosed of things, 0:20:15.720 --> 0:20:20.000 and then it can impact things because then it affects 0:20:20.040 --> 0:20:22.520 your nutrition, especially in the case of children, if they're 0:20:22.520 --> 0:20:25.080 being told they're allergic to things they're not being allergic to. 0:20:25.560 --> 0:20:28.000 That people are avoiding all of these things that they 0:20:28.560 --> 0:20:32.080 should be taking but aren't, you know. So it has 0:20:32.359 --> 0:20:35.040 long term implications as well to label someone with an 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:37.840 allergy when they don't really have one, or any medical 0:20:37.840 --> 0:20:39.000 condition for that matter. 0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:42.520 Okay, now we're getting to the good part, because I 0:20:42.560 --> 0:20:46.359 feel like people are claiming allergy and I don't know 0:20:46.400 --> 0:20:48.639 if this black and white, like is there a spectrum, 0:20:48.680 --> 0:20:51.280 because I know that some people say I have sensitivities 0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:55.080 rather than an allergy, Right, what does that mean in practice, 0:20:55.119 --> 0:20:57.320 like how do those things manifest? And what should folks 0:20:57.359 --> 0:20:59.240 be looking out for in order to determine whether or 0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:03.200 not they have right food intolerance or a sensitivity or 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:04.320 an allergy. 0:21:04.440 --> 0:21:07.800 Right, Right, that's an important question because often people interchange 0:21:07.960 --> 0:21:11.120 intolerance and sensitivity and allergy and they're not the same thing. 0:21:11.200 --> 0:21:15.200 So an allergy is when your immune system is involved, right, 0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:19.000 And that one is important to diagnose properly because that 0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:23.119 can be life threatening or you know, fatal. But in allergies, 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:27.479 when your immune system is rejecting a food or hyper 0:21:27.520 --> 0:21:31.359 reactive to a food or something else whereas an intolerance, 0:21:31.400 --> 0:21:33.679 I like to cause more of like a side effect 0:21:33.720 --> 0:21:36.560 of the food, you know, so it's not necessarily dangerous. 0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:41.280