Allergies

Image via Florida Center for Allergy and Asthma Care

Allergies are when your immune system mistakes a non-threatening thing for a dangerous substance and therefore attacks it with extreme force. This causes inflammation, mucus and other symptoms of allergies. The ironic thing is that some allergies are fatal, so the thing designed to keep you alive is actually your downfall. Some scientists say that allergies are caused by a mutation in a gent that has also been found in cases of asthma. The gene is known as the TGF-beta gene(transforming growth factor-beta. Some of the first recorded allergies are in Egypt when King Menses died from a wasp sting. The most common chemical associated with allergies is histamine, so naturally we use anti-histamines to fight allergies. The anti-histamines fill the histamine receptors and therefore prevent allergies. However if the histamine is already in the receptors, the anti-histamines can't take its place which is why some people suggest to take medicine before a potential allergic reaction.