Achoo! This spring, seasonal allergy symptoms are as bad as they’ve ever been for many people…or worse. Tissues, antihistamines, nose sprays, inhalers and eye drops are constant companions for the growing number of people who suffer from allergies. Around 40 percent of all people have at least one allergic condition today, and unfortunately, the outlook for the future isn’t much brighter. But why? Acclaimed medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail investigates the history of allergies and traces the causes of their increasing prevalence in her book, allergic: our irritated bodies in a changing world (Random House). She explains why there’s an uptick in all allergic conditions—food allergies, asthma, eczema, environmental allergies and more—and what we can do about it. In this excerpt from her book, MacPhail focuses on why climate change is a leading cause of your increased hay fever symptoms.
IF YOU'VE FELT AS THOUGH YOUR EYES WERE itchier, your nose was stuffier, or your sneezing fits have been getting worse over the past few years, you're probably correct. The reason likely has something to do with changes to the average pollen load (the amount of pollen in the air), the air quality itself (whether on average it is good, fair or poor) and the indirect effects of climate change on everything from the number of mold spores to crop production to trapped heat to the circulation of air.
Scientific researchers have amassed evidence showing that recent environmental changes are both overwhelming and confusing to our immune systems, helping to drive the increase in the global rate of all allergic conditions throughout the last century. They've found that the changes to the air we breathe correlate with an increased risk of developing allergic disease.
Bu hikaye Newsweek Europe dergisinin May 26 - June 02, 2023 (Double Issue) sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Newsweek Europe dergisinin May 26 - June 02, 2023 (Double Issue) sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Zachary Quinto
ZACHARY QUINTO HAS PLAYED DOCTORS BEFORE, BUT HE'S \"NEVER PLAYED a doctor like\" the one he plays on NBC's Brilliant Minds (September 23).
Adam Brody
NETFLIX KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT MILLENNIALS want, and it's to see Adam Brody and Kristen Bell fall in love.
Partners in Crime
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt shares his delight at teaming up with Shailene Woodley again in new Amazon Prime movie Killer Heat
HOW TO FIND A WORKPLACE THAT LOVES YOU BACK
Insights from America's Top Most Loved Workplaces
MOST LOVED WORKPLACES 2024
AT A TIME WHEN WORKERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE TO redefine what they expect from their jobs, the companies on Newsweek's annual list of the Most Loved Workplaces in America are setting the standard for what a fulfilling workplace looks like.
Q&A LEE YARON
With 10/7, the professional became profoundly personal.
SDEROT INTERSECTION
How Jewish and Arab strangers united to rescue two little girls amidst Hamas' October 7 attack
No End in Sight
AS TENSIONS CONTINUE TO FLARE AT ISRAEL'S BORDERS, NEWSWEEK DISCOVERS HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED IN THE REGION A YEAR ON FROM THE OCTOBER 7 HAMAS ATTACKS
Thai Scammers Set Sights on US
Newsweek looks inside the Southeast Asian country's $2 billion cybercrime industry and how American citizens are now falling prey to sophisticated schemes run overseas
PARTING SHOT: Sarah Paulson
\"CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THE AIR WAS JUST FILLED WITH DUST PARTICLES and you literally could not breathe?\" That's what Sarah Paulson is tackling in her new film Hold Your Breath (October 3).