Why More People are Getting Allergies and Why They’re Getting Worse

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 8 June 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Allergies have intensified over the last few decades. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of the global population has some form of allergy, and experts say that number could rise to 50 percent by the year 2030. So what’s behind this? Research shows it’s a complicated picture, with climate change, our stress levels and genetics all playing roles. We talk to medical anthropologist Theresa McPhail, author of the new book “Allergic,” about what the latest research shows on diagnostics, treatment and what we can do to cope with our allergies in a “changing world.” Guests: Theresa MacPhail, medical anthropologist and associate professor of Science and Technology Studies, Stevens Institute of Technology; author, "Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for Key QBD Podcasts comes from San Francisco International Airport. At SFO, you can shop,
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0:56.6	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Leslie McClurg in for Mina Kim.
1:18.4	Coming up on forum, itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, allergy season is brutal this year.
1:24.6	And it's not just me.
1:25.9	A medical anthropologist Teresa McPhail says 40% of people on
1:29.6	the planet are allergic to something. And those figures could rise to 50% by 2030. Many factors are at
1:35.6	play, climate change, stress, genetics. So there aren't easy answers, but there are some things you can do.
1:41.2	We talk to McPhail to better understand why we're sneezing more and learn about what can help. Her new book is allergic, our irritated bodies in a changing world.
1:49.1	That's next after this news.
2:00.4	Welcome to Forum. I'm Lesne McClureg. I'm in today from Mina Kim. Hey fever, peanut allergies,
2:06.4	eczema. Either you have an allergy or you know someone who does. And the number of people
2:10.9	suffering from allergies is increasing. Teresa McPhail has allergies and her father died of a
2:16.0	beasting, which inspired the new book,
2:18.1	Allergic, Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World. After writing it, McPhail made some unique
2:23.5	lifestyle changes. She stopped taking daily showers and changing her sheets as often. She started
	...

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