There are a lot of people in the world with allergies, and research suggests that the number is only growing. Some even call allergies one of the defining illnesses of our generation. Back in my childhood, we would bring treats for the whole class on birthdays, but nowadays, before sending anything to school for a child’s birthday, you need to check a list of dozens of allergens. It’s often easier to just bring nothing at all to be safe.
I’ve had food intolerances since childhood. For example, cabbage always gave me an unpleasant sensation, which was commonly referred to as heartburn (though now I know that real heartburn feels quite different). Mayonnaise also made me feel unwell, so I never ate this supposedly great human invention. Then and now, I always substitute sour cream for mayonnaise in salads. Yes, I’m that person who eats Russian salad with sour cream. And yes, adding an apple to it can be quite nice.
However, by the time I turned 25, my reactions became significantly worse. A few times, my whole body broke out in an itchy red rash. And on a couple of occasions, I even experienced Quincke’s edema—when everything swells up inside, making it difficult to breathe. Let me tell you, it’s not a great experience. Especially when you’re gasping for air, and the emergency operator on the phone is still trying to determine if you really have swelling and if you’re actually wheezing into the phone because you can barely breathe.
Experimentally, I found out that my allergy is actually to mustard and related plants. This discovery made my life much easier because now I know what to avoid and always carry antihistamine pills with me.
But science keeps advancing, so at some point, I got curious about how allergies are studied worldwide. After all, in every American movie, people are either eating peanut butter or claiming they have a peanut allergy. So I figured that with such a common issue, surely British scientists must have cracked the mystery by now.
And, as always happens, right when I was wondering about this, I came across a book on allergies by Dr. Ruchi Gupta. She has been studying allergies for many years—how they manifest, what they depend on, what allergens exist, and, most importantly, how to treat them. Spoiler alert: there’s no miracle cure yet. If you’re looking for a way to get rid of allergies completely, this book won’t give you the answer.
What the author does offer is a detailed overview of what is currently known about allergies and how to manage them. The book is divided into two main parts: the first explains what allergies and related conditions are, and the second focuses on how to live with them.
The first section covers various bodily reactions, not all of which are technically allergies. That’s why Dr. Gupta introduces three different terms—allergy, intolerance, and sensitivity—each linked to different bodily reactions and causes. This part was quite interesting because it explains how the body reacts to allergens. But the why remains a mystery. Despite extensive research and various theories, no one has pinpointed the exact cause of allergies. In fact, newer studies often disprove earlier, poorly conducted ones. And while I did learn the key differences between allergies and intolerances, I quickly forgot them—because, honestly, it’s just easier to say “allergy.” If you’re at a restaurant and tell the chef you’re “sensitive to mustard,” they might not take you seriously. But if you say you’re allergic and could literally die from it, they’ll pay attention.
One particularly interesting point is that allergies have geographical patterns. In different parts of the world, people are predisposed to different allergens. It makes sense—if a certain food isn’t common in a country, allergies to it are less frequent. However, an unexpected trend emerged with increased migration: the first generation of immigrants tends to be less affected by local allergens than their children. This contradicts the idea of hereditary predisposition. Studies also show that allergies to specific foods rarely pass from parent to child. In fact, pregnant women are now advised to consume potential allergens (as long as they’re not already allergic) to reduce the risk of their child developing allergies.
But then comes the second part of the book, which focuses on how to live with allergies—and this part is far less useful. First, while the author insists that allergies aren’t a life sentence and that people can live well with them, she also paints such a bleak picture that you start to question whether allergies are actually the worst possible condition. She claims that allergy sufferers can’t go outside, that classmates constantly bully allergic kids, and so on. I understand that severe cases exist (she describes some in the book), but for most people, avoiding a few foods is barely noticeable to those around them. I can’t even imagine someone being bullied for having an allergy—yet the author claims that one in three allergy sufferers is bullied! That’s hard to believe, especially considering that, according to her, nearly half the population has some kind of allergy. But after reading it, you’re left with the impression that allergies are somehow a disease worse than cancer or AIDS—when in most cases, they’re definitely not.
Second, most of the advice is incredibly obvious and could be summed up in one sentence: avoid allergens and always carry emergency medication (either antihistamines or an epinephrine pen for severe cases). That’s it, the book could be over here. The rest of the book just repeats the same ideas in different ways. One slightly more useful section discusses labeling issues—how allergen warnings aren’t standardized, how some allergens might not be listed on packaging, and how even clear labels don’t always guarantee safety.
And the biggest takeaway that the author keeps hammering home: we still don’t know what causes allergies or how to cure them. But scientists are working on it. Hang in there, hold on—we’ll figure it out someday.
On one hand, I found it interesting to learn more about what allergies actually are and the myths surrounding them. On the other hand, I didn’t learn anything practical—I’ve managed my allergies just fine for nearly 50 years, and this book didn’t offer me any new insights. If anything, it just tried to convince me that my condition is way worse than I thought.
Unfortunately, the second half of the book was a struggle to get through, and overall, my rating is quite low. The book could have been much shorter, keeping only the interesting facts. But then, it wouldn’t be a book—it would just be an article.
My rating: 2/5
