So I know that in an anaphylaxis response we give Adrenaline or epinephrine for USA friends. My understanding is that we do this to counteract the body’s response to an allergen.
So we’re stopping our body overreacting and killing us.
So what’s actually dangerous about the allergen? Either now or way back when this response was ingrained into our DNA… like is it to avoid an upset stomach of a peanut? To stop nausea following a shellfish?
In: Biology
There isn’t anything that’s inherently dangerous about allergens. Some can be good (e.g. water! yes, some people are allergic to water) and some can be bad (e.g. poison).
Generally, your body doesn’t know any of that. All it knows is, there’s something new here that I haven’t encountered before. When the usual materials it uses to digest / absorb / deal with it aren’t working, your body thinks, “OK, this thing is trying to kill me, I’m going to fight it to death!”
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