Food Allergies and Immunity

In my never ending quest to better understand tummy troubles and belly pain, I have been spending a lot of time reading and researching food allergies. I recently (2018) did a course on allergy testing: the science behind the tests, administration and interpretation. It was a nerd fest 🤓!!! My mind is still buzzing. What is the true definition of an “Allergy”. Why do we outgrow many and yet others are dangerously life long afflictions? How do the immune cells of the skin interact with the immune cells of the gut, both are “external” surfaces, do they communicate and teach each other?

The immune system is so complex and diverse, I doubt we humans will ever truly understand the multiple, symbiotic worlds of organisms that we carry around on and in ourselves every day.

This article touches on the possibility that

“The immune system is more than just a defense system, and antibodies are more than just defense weapons”

We often hear about “good bacteria” but here we are discovering “friendly” antibodies may be essential to that relationship. So much to learn! Enjoy this short piece, click the link here:

A gut bacterium’s guide to building a microbiome.

Belly vs Brain: who’s in charge here?

I am intrigued by the relationship between the gut and the brain. This study that demonstrates outright behaviour changes is one example of our slowly growing understanding:
CBC News – Gut feeling: How intestinal bacteria may influence our moods
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/1.2701037

Even good old serotonin is now understood to be mostly produced by our ever-present friendly gut bacteria:
Microbes Help Produce Serotonin in Gut
http://www.caltech.edu/news/microbes-help-produce-serotonin-gut-46495 Medicine, nutrition and psychology are intimately intwined. Traditional means of understanding and teaching these disciplines will soon change forever.