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Cases of Allergies and Asthma Still Increasing
For years asthma has been the leading cause of
hospitalization for children and it is on the rise. Asthma is responsible
for over 12 million doctor’s visits and 2.5 million hospital emergency room
trips.
Allergies are costing Americans over 6 billion dollars a year in medical
expenses not to mention lost productivity at work. Allergies, anaphylaxis,
to food, insect bits, latex and dust mites kill cause the death of about
1,000 people per year.
What is the cause? Truth is no one really has a good answer.
Some of the reasons we hear include;
We are spending more time indoors which exposes us to more chemicals,
allergens (dust mites, pet dander) and toxins from building materials.
Air pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels. (But it’s bad to be indoors
right).
Genetics, we are now passing our bad immune systems along to our children.
Immune system defects that result in allergies and asthma are set early in
life.
Too much processed foods. We are eating less fresh fruits and vegetables and
more fast food. This not only increases obesity rates to increase but causes
our immune system to break down.
While the medical field has made great inroads in diagnosing allergies and
asthma related illness they still can’t get ahead of the curve. There are
just too many variables to consider. Unfortunately just like all other
chronic disease they will never figure out exactly what the cause is. All we
can hope for are better and safer treatments that will help us manage our
allergies and asthma symptoms.
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