The minute you step outside or open the windows, you feel it: First, your throat gets scratchy and your eyes begin to water. A few minutes later, you’re sneezing. The next day, you wake up to a full set of symptoms — a runny nose, itchy eyes and a sinus headache.
For some, allergies occur in the spring, when the pollen count ticks up. Others are plagued in the fall, when ragweed begins blooming. Still others suffer year-round. But what exactly causes allergies? What’s happening in the body’s immune system to cause such an overwhelming reaction?
It’s important to note that allergens activate the immune system in different ways. According to Caroline Sokol, an allergist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, the most common allergens are things like pollen and pet dander. But asthma and food allergies can cause the same immune system response, ...
