Seasonal allergies are just one of many types of allergies that people suffer from. All of these allergies are essentially the same: a hyperactive response from our bodies to foreign contaminants that have entered it. What happens is that the immune system, our body's natural defense mechanism, gets all up in a tizzy about some pollen and attacks our own cells. This creates all the mucus and such, as well as makes our body swell in certain places and our eyes water.

Allergies then are essentially an autoimmune problem. It has been theorized that autoimmune conditions like seasonal allergies and asthma have been on the rise. How do we explain how widespread allergies are now when compared to centuries past?

The Hygiene Hypothesis

The answer is something called the hygiene hypothesis. The hygiene hypothesis states that people have become too clean for their own good. Before humans controlled our environment so completely (not well exactly), our bodies had to handle all manner of germs - bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc - and so our immune systems being in tip-top shape and robust was necessary to our survival. Furthermore, the everyday infections and contagions worked like a testing ground for the real bad things out there. Now, however, we have removed many of these germs from our environments completely and we treat them with medicine anyway.

Hookworms

The most crucial point when it comes to allergies about understanding the hygiene hypothesis is that it relates to our now almost complete lack of parasites. Our bodies were once crawling with worms. Some of these worms, namely hookworm, were such a usual part of the human body that we simply evolved together. Hookworms can be seen less as parasites and more as symbionts - organisms that share a body for their mutual benefit.

We know that hookworms live in our intestines and feed on them - you can literally feel them chewing, though not painfully. However, what do they do for us?

They stop allergies! That is, they release a chemical that calms human autoimmune reactions. For them, this meant they could preserve the host conditions.

This is more than just a theory. If you look at the seasonal allergy statistics in parts of Africa where sanitation is not as rigorous as the Global North, you will see that allergies aren't a concern like they are here, because a great many people have hookworm.

Not practical and concrete enough still? People with severe allergies intentionally become hosts for hookworm. And it works. Really, really well.

Unfortunately, the US government does not allow people to sell parasites for medical treatment, so this isn't a real option for you (unless you want them shipped from overseas).

However, the same principle of autoimmune suppression can still be applied.

Try Prednisone. Prednisone is a corticosteroid; it suppresses the immune system and so alleviates seasonal allergies and other autoimmune problems (e.g. Parkinson's, asthma, Krohn's disease, etc.).

The best part? Prednisone has nothing to do with parasitic worms!

It can be taken as a pill or as an injection administered by a medical professional. It is not usually the first option, but if antihistamines do not work for you, talk to your doctor about treatment with Prednisone.