6
votes
Is it logical for someone to be allergic to the water molecule, but be perfectly fine with drinking milk since it's only 87% water molecules?
Short answer
Aquagenic urticaria is though to be caused by dissolved allergens in water and not by water per se.
background
Aquagenic urticaria is a rare condition in which urticaria (hives) develop ...
- 52.6k
5
votes
Is there evidence that children should play in dirt to get healthy?
This answer focuses primarily on allergies, for which there is more reliable research, but touches on general immunity towards the end.
It is certainly true that the prevalence of allergies is ...
- 139
4
votes
Accepted
Are some immune cells contagious?
Specifically from touch - No.
However, there is one natural mechanism for transfer of immune cells between individuals, breast feeding, particularly the early stages when the milk is known as ...
- 13.9k
4
votes
Accepted
What Causes the White Layer on These Leaves?
The major problem your plant has here is a very heavy scale insect (Coccomorpha) infestation. These are sucking insects that bite into the veins of plants and suck the sap. They are related to aphids, ...
- 13.9k
4
votes
Why don't allergies cause fever?
The short answer seems to be that fevers help combat microbes (a term I take herein to include viruses for brevity), which aren't a part of the threat addressed in an allergic reaction. While there's ...
- 2,534
3
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to be allergic to the yolk of an egg but not the egg white?
The protein composition of the egg white and egg yolk differ appreciably. Hence, it is plausible for one to countenance symptoms of indigestion when consuming the egg yolk as opposed to the albumen, ...
- 439
2
votes
Exactly what biochemical factors control the intensity of an allergic reaction?
Network of possible factors that contribute to the variability of the immune reaction between individuals is still not well investigated.
Type I hypersensitivity is mediated by IgE antibodies, which ...
- 431
1
vote
Allergies - congenital situations or created and developed over the years?
Allergies are caused by one's immune system. If you had never been exposed to the allergen, you would not experience any symptoms. So they are not innate or inherent.
Why do people develop food ...
- 3,527
1
vote
Accepted
Why do alpha-gal allergies only occur after a tick bite if alpha-gal is already present in red meat?
In order for the immune system to respond to an antigen, beyond recognition of that antigen, there needs to be a signal that there is something wrong. Co-stimulation can take a few different forms, ...
- 8,831
1
vote
Accepted
Allergy vs. Immunity
First line of wikipedia > Immune system
The immune system is a host defense system comprising many biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease
First line ...
- 68.3k
1
vote
Why does cut grass cause allergies?
www.allergicliving.com claims that the cause to such an allergy is not the grass but is actually mold:
Often patients will have allergy symptoms with fresh cut grass...That's not grass pollen ...
- 41
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible