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Hey, shortwavers. It's Regina Barber with a very important message. I hate allergies. Itchy nose, runny eyes when my throat gets scratchy. It's like my own body is rebelling against me. And it's not just seasonal allergies. My allergies can strike when I'm cleaning the house, when I'm mowing the lawn at any time of year, when I moved to D.C. And after too many sneezes,

I was like, it's time to take action. What is up with this? So the idea behind allergies is that

your body is overreacting to something harmless, right? So we're not supposed to be allergic to

pollens, cats, dogs, foods, drugs. But if you are, your immune system encounters these

allergens and it's thinking, danger, danger, when it's really something harmless. That's Dr. Gina

DePool Hidalgo. I invited her to the NPR Studios because she's a pediatric and adult allergist in the D.C.

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