Brooke Yeates-Trotman

November 1, 2016
Annotated Source List
Beggs, P. J., & Bambrick, H. J. (n.d.). Is the global rise of asthma an early impact of
anthropocentric climate change? Is the Global Rise of Asthma an Early Impact of
Anthropocentric Climate Change? http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232006000300022
Summary:
This article was about the effect of climate change on the rate of allergies. It starts off by saying
that the number of people with allergies has increased in the last decade and one of the variable
of that increase could be the rise in climate or global warming. They came to this conclusion
because the over the years number of people with allergies has increased, the climate as
increased as well. Also the amount of carbon dioxide in the air as increased. It is believed that the
carbon dioxide is the reason for the change in temperature around the world. Because of the
warming in climate, the quantity of pollen may have increased as well. With the sedentary
environment we live in would help create autoimmune diseases like allergies or asthma. In a
survey that was conducted, they found that there was a 31% decline in children ages 6-7 years
old in 1993 to 2002. They also found that there was a 31% increase in allergic rhinitis, a 55%
increase in eczema, and an increasing in medication for wheezing. Other causes of this data
could be the rise in air pollution, change in diet, and factors of the hygiene hypothesis.
Application to Research:
This helps my research because it gives me a lot of information I can use in the future. For
example, the information in the survey is really helpful, I could use that for background
information. Also it was very detailed on why climate change was the reason for the increase in
people with asthma. Even though this article was mostly about asthma, allergies and asthma was
closely related, so they had to talk about allergies at the same time. This is how I saw the article
helpful. Also, it gives me another look on things, through the asthma view. Even though allergies
and asthma are different, Maybe finding the correlation between them could help me and the
audience understand more.
Ben-Ami Shor, D., Harel, M., Eliakim, R., & Shoenfeld, Y. (2013, October). The hygiene theory
harnessing helminths and their ova to treat autoimmunity. Retrieved October 16, 2016,
from Springer Link website: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12016-012-8352-9
Summary;
This article was about the hygiene hypothesis. The hypothesis that states that infection prevents
autoimmune diseases. This means, it might be better getting sick than to having autoimmune
diseases like allergies. Being overly hygienic might affect the bodys natural immune system.
Being overly safe about sickness and disease is mostly the reason why autoimmune diseases
exist. Without the exposure to the diseases, the body cant build a proper immune system. The
article goes on to give different cells and bacteria that might be affected, including the
promotion of IL-4, IL-10 and TGF- release. Things like this are critical to the antiinflammatory agents. This means the things that help the immune system to not go into
overdrive, those things are being tampered with. Causing allergies, an immune system in
overdrive.

Application to Research:
This article helps with my research because it gives me more information about the hygiene
hypothesis. It goes into further detail than the general idea of the hygiene hypothesis. It gives test
suggestions and actual leads instead of broad explanations and theories. It thoroughly explains
the what is being affected, how it is being affected and why it is being affected.
Blahd, W. (2016, April 13). What Causes Chronic Allergies and Allergy Symptoms? Retrieved
September 14, 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/chronic-allergies-causes
Summary:
This website gave us basic information on how allergies work in the body. It explained that
allergies, depending on the person, can be outgrown or get worse overtime. There is a
speculation that as you get older the immune system cant create a strong enough reaction and
eventually goes away, however once you have an allergy as an adult it is not going away. A
pattern as formed showing as the person gets older, their food, bee sting, or latex allergy gets
worse over time. Usually if the reaction is worse, then there is probably another allergy. The
article then goes into how allergies are created and triggered. Their treatment advice was to
mostly stay away from things that irritate the allergy.
Application to Research:
I personally found this article relieving because as I developed another allergy, I thought I was
going crazy. As for my research, this article was really helpful because in order to study allergies,
you have to learn how they work in the body. I think this was a pretty generalized article which is
a great place to start. As for the advice of treatment, I thought it was a little unrealistic because
you cant always stay away from allergens, they are usually apart of nature, like pollen. Other
than that, I thought this article was a great start in understanding how allergies work.
Branum, A. M., & Lukacs, S. L. (2009, December). Food allergy among children in the united
states. Pediatrics, 124(6). http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-1210
Summary:
This journal is about finding an estimate of children with food allergies in the US. Through the
National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, the National Ambulatory Medical Care
Survey, and the National Hospital Discharge Survey conducted in 1998-2006, the following
results were found. In 20052006, serum immunoglobulin E antibodies to peanut were detectable
for an estimated 9% of US children, ambulatory care visits tripled between 1993 and 2006, and
hospitalizations with any recorded diagnoses related to food allergy also increased between
19982000 and 20042006, from an average of 2600 discharges per year to 9500 discharges per
year. The article concludes that the prevalence and awareness of food allergies have increased.
Application to Research:
This article can help me with my research because it has a lot of data. The article points out facts
that I havent come across yet which would be helpful. Now I can add more to the background of
my hypothesis. It not only helped me with the background of my hypothesis, but it also helped
with my interviews. Now I can bring a lot of facts to the conversation and talk about why they
might be true and how we can stop those numbers from increasing.
Farm environment in childhood prevents the development of allergies. (2000, February).

Retrieved from 10.1046/j.1365-2222.2000.00800.x database.

Summary:
This journal is about a study done in people that grow up in a farm environment and either is
has an effect on if they develop allergies or not. They did this by posting a questionnaire at
Finnish first-year university, where it was held. They found that the students with the farm
environment childhood was protected more from the students with urban background. This is
because the environment you live in, while a young child, is the molding agent before your
immune system. While still that young age, your body is trying to adapt to its surrounding after
being taken off of breast milk. When living in a farm environment, the immune system gets used
to things like pollen and knows how to handle it because it gets an extreme amount of pollen
everyday.
Application to Research:
This journal really helps with my research because it confirms some things. One is that in the
reading report done above this one, it says that the lifestyle we live affects our immune system. It
also said that because our immune system are ready for an intense amount of pollen and does not
get that every day, it does weird things, like create autoimmune diseases. The journal confirms
this information so I know it is valid.
Gruchalla, R. S., & Sampson, H. A. (n.d.). Preventing peanut allergy through early
consumption ready for prime time? In Google scholar. Retrieved from
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1500186#t=article
Summary:
This article is about a study done on the development of peanut allergies in various conditions.
They start off with some background knowledge, saying that the prevalence in food allergies
have been growing for the past 13 years. From 0.4% of the population in 1997 to 1.4% in 2008
and more than 2% in 2010. They said part of the reason was because the American Academy of
Pediatrics were saying children at risk of developing atopic disease until they were 3 years old.
To test this theory, they told 500 infants that are at risk of peanut allergies to either receive
peanuts or to avoid them. Then, they brought these infants back when they were 5 years old to
test who has developed this allergy. Overall, 17.2% of the children that have avoided peanuts
versus 3.2% that did not avoid peanuts. They did recognize that they did not have a lot a
questions answered. For example, should they change the amount of peanuts from 4g to 2g given
to infants and how will that affect the results? Would they check in every 5 years? Does the same
leap in data apply for other foods? All of these questions show that we have a lot of research to
do.
Application to Research:
This already has helped a lot with my research and understanding of how allergies have affected
children. It also verifies my some of the data that I previously put in some of my Reading
Reports and in my Hypothesis, so that made me feel a little relieved. Also, the data that was
presented was very helpful. It showed how children are being affected by the allergy. With this
information, I can build on the research they started.
Guttman, C. (n.d.). Analyzing ad and allergies: Longitudinal study of asthma development
appears to be valuable research resource. Retrieved from Nursing and allied health
collection database. (Accession No. GALE|A168508695)
Summary:

This article I found on a database was mainly about asthma, however a good portion of the
article talked about allergy development, since the two subjects are linked. Scientist conducted a
study to see if giving babies a serum in their early in life and continuing the treatment will care
for atopic dermatitis and hopefully prevent the development of asthma and other allergies. Atopic
dermatitis is another word for eczema. The study is ongoing, since you have to follow theses
children for an amount of years. What they found so far was that people the serum increased the
IgE antibody causing less atopic dermatitis, or eczema. This can possibly decrease the likelihood
of developing asthma and/or allergies.
Application to Research:
Even though this journal does not directly relate to my topic, it was still helpful to my research. It
gave a possible prevention treatment for allergies, which is tied to my research topic. I think this
article will be useful in finding different alternatives in treating allergies. Also, it introduced new
vocabulary to my knowledge because some of the terms in the journal were foreign so figuring
out what the terms mean will help me understand my topic. With this new knowledge I can dig
deeper into finding better source with the terms I just found the meaning of and new terms that
can make my research more detailed.
Hall, L. (2007, October). Peanut policy wrong. The Age. Retrieved from Opposing viewpoints
in context database. (Accession No. GALE|A280804021)
Summary:
This article found in a database was explaining why the method of preventing peanut allergies
is wrong. What doctors have been suggesting and what people have been doing for year is
waiting until their child is 2 or 3 years old to start introducing peanuts to their diets, especially if
the family as history in that allergy. This article is saying they should start introducing peanuts in
earlier in their lives, even if they have history with peanut allergies. They said the theory of not
giving your child peanuts until they are 2 or 3 years old has no evidence to back it up and should
not be practiced until then. Instead, children should have something with peanuts in it at the age
of 14 months so that their bodies are exposed to it before it is too late.
Application to Research:
This article made a lot of sense because all the previous articles I have read said the same thing,
It was basically saying that my previous reading report was wrong, so you get to see both sides
of that. I think this article is a little more correct than my previous reading report because the
previous one just told what to do for a family with history in allergies. This one not only
contracted that, but it had a lot more data to back it up. I think I would chose to trust this article
instead of the other because it has reasonable and believable theories with facts and data to back
it up.
Isolauri, E., Huurre, A., Salminen, S., & Impivaara, O. (2004). Clinical & experimental allergy.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2222.2004.01999.x
Summary:
This article was about the way the number of people with seasonal allergies are increasing more
than people with dietary allergies or food allergies. It starts off by saying that atopic diseases
have affected the number of people with allergies. To do this they studied 100 people in four
different groups. These groups are representing people born in 1990, 196366, 194346 and in
192326. Or the ages 7, 27, 47,67.They compared the results they found from the data they

collected with data from 60 years ago. They found that the amount of gE antibodies against
aeroallergens increased consistently from the oldest to the youngest. Therefore, airborne
allergies, unlike dietary allergens, has increased over time, which makes sense considering the
environmental changes over the time. For example things like global warming or the extreme
decrease in the number of bees can cause more pollen in the air.
Application to Research:
This helps me with my research because it could help me narrow down the type of allergy I want
to do. Because of this article, I know that seasonal allergies are the more common than dietary
allergies so I might change it a little bit. I wouldnt be a huge change because all of the
information still applies to seasonal or airborne allergies. This article also gave me an idea for
how to collect data. Like the article I could put people into categories based on their generation.
That way, I can see the trend of allergies throughout the generations and time period. This brings
up a good point that I should be looking closer into the environment of different time periods to
see if they have an effect on the number of people with allergies.
Junyu Zhou, J., & Porfilio, E. (2014, March 30). The hygiene hypothesis. Retrieved October 19,
2016, from Youtube.com website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9qpIVE_rb8
Summary:
This video was basically about two students from the University of Toronto explaining the
hygiene hypothesis. They say that the people in developed countries may have overdone the
sterilization of things. Certain germs and bacteria you have to be exposed to build a healthy
immune system. They also gave reasons on why we should care about the health of your immune
system. In fact, knowing why we should take care of our body in general. So when we get sick
and have to go to the doctor, we know what is going on to our body and not just handing you
prescriptions. They listed some people who might be interested in this topic, such as allergists,
pediatricians, and even mothers. They might be interested in what they need to do to protect the
children from developing allergies in their early lives.
Application to Research:
I think this video is very helpful to my research because it answers some of the questions I keep
getting asked that I am not so confident with my answer. For example, I keep being asked who
would be interested in this topic. With the answer given I can now say that answer with more
confidently. With the definition of the hygiene hypothesis, I can back that maybe this is more
than a hypothesis. This article gives more than just information about the hygiene hypothesis, it
gives you advice on how to be better informed with you body. This also gives me the video
requirement for the annotated source list.
Landau, E. (2010, August 3). Why are food allergies on the rise? Retrieved September 19, 2016,
from  website: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/03/food.allergies.er.gut/
Summary:
This article found on a website where multiple theories were introduced on how so many
children have allergies. They first started off with the scary moment when a parent finds out their
child has a life threatening allergy. It then tells us a couple of statistics that support the idea of
the number of people with an allergy has increased. They start contemplating why this would be
happening and came up with a couple of theories.One would be the knowledge of allergies.
People could always have had allergies, doctors just thought it was something else. So when
people started coming to the hospital with certain symptoms they diagnosed it as allergies.

Therefore the number of cases increased and so did peoples awareness. Another theory was
that the Western diet has an effect on the allergies people have. The sugary, fatty, calorie-dense
diet that people have. When on to a more vegetarian based diet, people have significantly less
allergies. This also helps with other problems in our society like obesity, asthma, inflammatory
bowel syndrome, and autoimmune syndrome. Exposing children to things like peanuts and
shellfish at a much earlier age can also help prevent allergies. This so their immune systems can
build around it.
Application to Research;
This article really helped me with the question that I am trying to answer. Why the number of
people with allergies is on the increasing? The article propose a couple of theories that made
sense on why the numbers are raising. Of course I would like to look more into these theories,
but they are a good start. They also gave me an idea of what the world looks like allergy wise.
Things we know are different from 20 years ago, such as peoples diet or the level of science,
could also have affected the allergy count. The information I learned from this article can help
me possibly expand on one of the theories of create my own.
Marchese, M., Nd. (2014, May). The role of epigenetics in the development of allergies.
Environmental Medicine Update, 93. Retrieved from Science in Context database.
(Accession No. GALE|A370888939)
Summary:
This article found on a database was mainly about how genetics played a part in the
development of allergies. The theory is that epigenetics are causing allergies. Epigenetics are
changes in how the gene is expressed, but not necessarily a change in the DNA sequence. The
epigenetic is caused by environmental change, which is causing the development of allergies.
They suggested that maybe a reverse treatment will help. That if the environmental change
caused the increase of development of allergies, then changing it back will decrease of
development of allergies.
Application to Research:
This was very interesting article to read in the first place. It opened a door of genetics that I never
thought about. The epigenetics was an interesting theory because genetics is still a subject that
we dont know a whole lot about. I think that people dismiss it because of the lack of information
when this could be the answer to why people have allergies and why the number of people with
allergies is increasing.
Marcus, M. B. (2011, March 29). Seasonal allergies emerging. USA Today.
Retrieved from Science in Context database.
Summary:
This article is about how allergies are slowly becoming part of our normal lives. As if, we are
accepting that allergies are happening and not the fact that it is an autoimmune disease. Meaning
there is something wrong with all of our bodies and there is nothing we can do to change it.
Which is why people are starting to accept allergies because you can not get rid of it, you can
only stop the symptoms for a little while. 10% of people have year- round allergies in America
and numbers are increasing. This shows that 10% of people in America have an autoimmune
disease that affects them all year.
Application to Research:

This is good for my research because the article helps my audience, who probably know little to
no information about the subject. So this article really could help me explain why it is important
to know and care about preventing allergies.
Mercola, J. (2013, April 18). How and Why Do Allergies Develop? Retrieved September 14,
2016, from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/18/allergyseason.aspx
Summary:
The article cited above was from a website that gives general information about what an
allergen is and how it is being treated now. The site says that allergies are basically the immune
system on overdrive. It then goes on to suggest possible causes for allergies saying it could be
the result of antibody cells that are triggered by allergens causing an inflammatory response of
the antibody cells. The inflamed cells creating the usual symptoms: stuffy nose, sore throat, itchy
eyes, coughing, sneezing, etc. The website also says allergies can be the generated by leaky gut
syndrome. This happens when tiny holes form in the intestinal wall making undigested food,
bacteria, waste, and other things flow into the bloodstream. The bodys inflammation increases,
therefore causing the usual symptoms: stuffy nose, sore throat, itchy eyes, coughing, sneezing,
etc. The article finishes with suggestions on how to treat your existing allergies. Things like
flushing nasal cavity, acupuncture treatments, and eating healthy.
Application to Research
This article was really helpful with starting to understand the topic I chose. I didnt pick the topic
because I had background knowledge, I picked because I can relate to the topic. I have really bad
allergies so I thought maybe I should research something that is close to me. With that said, I
have no prior knowledge on the science of allergies besides what I feel, so I am starting from
scratch. That is not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that anything I pull up will be some new
information. Im just excited to learn as much as possible about this topic because it relates to me
and many others.
OConnor, A. (n.d.). The claim: Eating fish at an early age may curb allergies. Retrieved from
Science in Context database. (Accession No. GALE|A326405396)
Summary:
This article was found through a database, but was originally posted on a website. From what
was found, the starts of with the common thought among researchers that exposing children to
fish at a young age will increase their chances in having that allergy. The article then goes on to
say the opposite of the statement: introducing children to fish at a young age will decrease their
chances of having the allergy. They list some statistics supporting that theory and explains why
they are relevant. It sums up the article by saying the previous statement about exposing children
at an early age gives them allergies, is incorrect.
Application to Research;
This article was really helpful in multiple ways. One, that it second on the my last article,
verifying one of the theories. It also gave me a little relief because the theory both articles are
supporting, made sense to me. Im glad it also made sense to someone else too. I think I want to
look deeper into this topic, asking why this happens. What is the difference between when we are
at a very young age versus now that prohibits us from having the allergy?

Doing this article also helped me because it was the first time I used one of the databases we
learned about in class, so being able to play around and figure out how the databases worked was
very helpful. I also had to do a slightly different citation, which I am not sure is right, but I will
figure it out. I think the citations should be the easiest part of this research project.
Peanut allergy. (2016). Retrieved October 26, 2016, from www.foodallergy.com website:
http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/peanut-allergy
Summary:
This article found on a website is mainly about the correlation between peanut allergies
and tree nut allergies. It starts of by explaining what a peanut allergy is. Peanut allergies is one
the most common types of allergies. This can cause a severe, potentially fatal allergic reaction
called anaphylaxis. Because of this reaction epinephrine auto-injector was soon invented which
basically stalls the reaction long enough for the person to get help. The article starts to explain
the difference between a peanut and a tree nut, saying a peanut grows underground and a tree nut
grows in trees. It turns out that a maturity of people with a peanut allergy also have tree nut
allergies because when being manufactured, it is usually mixed together. They have tried to make
it easier for people with peanut allergies to prevent peanuts by putting certain label on things
warning people.
Application to Research:
This article helps me with my research because it gives me an idea of how common
allergies are in our society. It allowed me to focus on one allergy and see how it affects people. It
also provided me with a new vocab word, anaphylaxis, meaning a deadly reaction. This article
gave me more information about how organizations are trying to make it easier for people to live
with allergies. I personally think we are asking the wrong question. Everyone is asking how can
we make life like this easier, but the question I want to know is how did we get here? Why do we
have this problem in the first place?
Ramsey, C. D., & Celedn, J. C. (2005). Current opinion in pulmonary medicine (Vol. 11)
[PDF]. Retrieved from http://journals.lww.com/copulmonarymedicine/Abstract/2005/01000/The_hygiene_hypothesis_and_asthma.4.aspx
Summary
This particular work is only the abstract of a journal. It shares the effects of not being exposed to
diseases. It explains what the hygiene hypothesis is and explained that recent studies showed a
link between not exposing yourself to infections/diseases and an increase in allergy rhinitis, or
hayfever. However, there may be some evidence contradicting that theory. According to the
hygiene hypothesis, things like vaccinations should work with your immune system to fight off
diseases. Although with the vaccinations going around there is an increase in people affected by
asthma. It is suggesting that the problem is in what is being put into the host, not the host itself.
The rest of the information does not support this theory, but it could be a possibility. The article
also says that the hygiene hypothesis can not be the only factor in the rise of people with
seasonal allergies, but it is a cause of the increase in people.
Application to Research
This journal helps with my research because it gives an opposing view on the hygiene
hypothesis. This could help with writing the research paper because then I have a stance and can
use the time convincing the reader that this idea is wrong and the hygiene hypothesis is right.
This abstract also helped because it said that the hygiene hypothesis is not the sole factor in the

raise of people with allergies. That way, I know I can be arguing environmental factors is the
main reason and the hygiene hypothesis just makes the situation worse.
Reid, C. E., & Gamble, J. L. (2009). Aeroallergens, allergic disease, and climate change: Impacts
and adaptation. EcoHealth, 6(3), 458-470. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10393-009-0261-x
Summary:
This article is mainly about the increase in aeroallergens because of climate change, or global
warming. Climate change is the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to act as a
blanket around the Earth causing an increase and temperatures. It also causes extreme weather
events like hurricanes and snowstorms. All of the carbon dioxide in the air acts as a fertilizer for
plants because of the warmer climate. This means that the pollen production as increased making
pollen allergies more prevalent to humans. This is also the cause of more aeroallergens, which
are allergens that travel through the air. Studies show a higher increase in asthma attacks and
other allergic rhinitis during thunderstorms and because of global warming there is an increase in
attacks. Also, since the climate has been changing, the growth of mold has increased as well.
Application to Research
This article helps me with my research because it gives me definitions definitions on new words.
For example, this article gave me a solid definition on climate change. It also gave me a new
word and the definition for it: aeroallergens. With this information, I can continue my search of
new information to better my research. Also, it gave me a new term for allergies: allergic rhinitis.
Now with this term I can use it to broaden my search with new keywords.

Schmidt, C. (2016, January 11). [Telephone interview by the author].

Summary:
This interview was about the effects of climate change on the increase in allergies. First, the
correlation between climate change and the increase in allergies was discussed. Saying that the
relationship looks like as the temperature starts to increase with carbon dioxide, the amount of
pollen is increasing as an effect of it. This can cause the increase in people with allergies.
However, he said that there is not much data about people with allergies that has been collected,
so we cannot make any stable conclusions. A study about ragweed was also discussed. In this
study, a scientist looked at the numbers of ragweed in inner cities, places where the carbon
dioxide levels would be high. They found that the ragweed levels were high, which would make
pollen levels in inner cities high. The thought of where climate is increasing was also talked
about. It was concluded that the effect of climate change would be affecting the north more than
the south because the heat is attracted to cold and so the increase in temperatures would be
attracted to the north because it is colder. So places like New York, Massachusetts, Oregon,
Washington state, etc. would feel the climate change affect more than other states therefore
finding an increase in allergies worse than other states. The potential evolutionary change in
plants was also reviewed. In a different study about ragweed, the effects of carbon dioxide on
the ragweed. They put ragweed plants in a green analysis, added carbon dioxide, and looked at
the results. They found that the ragweed was changing their genes to produce more flowers in
order to keep up with the increase in the carbon dioxide. This could also explain the increase in
pollen in places with a lot of carbon dioxide. The last thing that was discussed was why should

anyone care and the answer is that allergies make people sick and uncomfortable. It is also
expensive to get allergies treated.
Application to Research:
This interview help with my research because it provided me with the experience of an interview
and had good information about how climate change effects the increase in pollen and in
allergies. The part where we talked about the places affected most in climate change helps me
know where to look. The part where we talked about the evolutionary change in the ragweed.
This gives me a new perspective about how the plants are producing more pollen. And the
question about why this matters gives me new purpose in this research.
Schmidt, C. W. (2016). Pollen overload: Seasonal allergies in a changing climate. Environ
Health Perspect, A70-A75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.124-A70
Summary
This journal is about how climate change is affecting seasonal allergies. They start off by saying
some of the symptoms that come with having seasonal allergies. Things like running nose, itchy
eyes, sneezing, coughing, etc. They say that the carbon dioxide that is blanketing the earth and
making temperatures warmer, is one of the main reasons why the likelihood of having seasonal
allergies have been on the rise. The carbon dioxide acts as food for the plants and increases the
overall temperature of their climate. Because of this, production rates increase as well as the
pollen amount making it easier for allergies to be triggered. It then also gives some statistics
about the number of people affected by allergies. 10%-30% of the world population has allergies
rhinitis, or hayfever, and 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma. It explains how
pollen is made saying pollen is produced by stamens which are the male plants reproductive
system.
Application to Research
This journal helps with my research because it gives depth to the reasons on why climate change
is the main reason of the rise in season allergies, it gives statistics, like 10%-30% of the world
population has allergies rhinitis, or hayfever, and 300 million people worldwide suffer from
asthma, and explains the science behind things, such as pollen is made saying pollen is produced
by stamens which are the male plants reproductive system.
Shea, K. M. (2009). Climate change and allergic disease. Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology, 123(1), 271-272. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2008.06.032
Summary:
This article from a journal starts off by saying that climate change is the largest global threat to
human health ever encountered. It talks about what climate change is and it mentions that there
has been higher rates more allergic and air pollution related morbidity. It also says that there is
link to climate change, asthma, and related allergic disease mediated through worsening ambient
air pollution and altered local and regional pollen production. They also said that The magnitude
of climate change and related increases in allergic disease will be affected by how aggressively
greenhouse gas mitigation strategies are pursued the magnitude of climate change and related
increases in allergic disease will be affected by how aggressively greenhouse gas mitigation
strategies are pursued.
Application to Research:
This helps with my research because it gives me an idea of what might be causing the rise in
allergies. It talks about the environment changing because of the industrial age and there is more

air pollution. Because of this it causes a greenhouse gas effect with the atmosphere of the Earth.
When plants are in a greenhouse, they produce more pollen. The plants on earth are being
affected the same way. The Earth is getting warmer because it is turning into a greenhouse
therefore, there is more pollen. When there is more pollen, there are more people to be allergic
by it.
Sicherer, S., Muoz-Furlong, A., Godbold, J., & Sampson, H. (2010, June). US prevalence of
self-reported peanut, tree nut, and sesame allergy: 11-year follow-up. Retrieved October
26, 2016, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/20462634
Summary:
This article is basically about a research done to find the current peanut, tree nut, and
sesame allergy and compare the results to past results in the United States. They conducted a
survey through random phone calls around the country about their households peanut, tree nut,
and sesame allergies. In 5,300 households, which is 13,534 subjects, they found that 1.4% of
them had a peanut allergy, a tree nut allergy or both. Of the children involved in the survey, 2.1%
of them had a peanut or tree nut allergy compared to 2002 with 1.2% and 0.6% in 1996. This
means that the amount of people in the United States with either peanut, tree nut, or sesame
allergies has rose 1% which is about 3 million people.
Application to Research:
This article really did help with my research. It gave me more statistics for my
background part of my hypothesis. It also gave me an idea of how fast the allergy rate is
growing: 0.6% in 1997, 1.2% in 2002, and 2.1% in 2010. With that information, I get a better
understanding and more inspiration on why we need to figure out the increasing in the allergy
rate.
Springen, K. (2003, June). Health: Allergy alert. Newsweek. Retrieved from Opposing
viewpoints in context database. (Accession No. GALE|A102820021)
Summary:
This article gave the general baby diet to avoid allergies. I starts by giving the best method to
avoid allergies which is breast feeding. Then it gives other helpful tips like staying away from
certain allergens until a specific age. This was the main advice for families with allergy history.
The author refers to associations and says they strongly recommend something. I think this
makes it a little bias because the obviously want the person try their way of preventing allergies,
so the author put some different information that all leads to the same conclusion. If I wanted
more information on the topic I would use a search engine to see what I find. At last resort I
would look at the citation because that is probably bias to both authors opinions. An article with
just facts, no bias or opinion with the same views on the topic.
Application to Research:
From what I could tell about this article was that it was the complete opposite of what I have
been focusing on. This reminds me that I have to look at both sides of the theory. I have to
remember that a theory is just an idea and that there are other ideas out there that could be better.
Other than that I think the article didnt give enough information because it was so small.
What are allergies? (2015, February 10). Retrieved November 29, 2016, from YouTube.com
website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv3mNBqWP-8 HAL Allergy Group

Summary:
This video explaining what allergies are and how they affect us. I also explains why more people
have allergies. They say that it is because of the environment that we live in. Our bodies are use
to being outside so they adapted to being around things like pollen and eating foods like nuts that
are now considered allergens. Because humans now spend their time inside, our bodies changed
to that they are not used to being outside. The video itself explains this a lot better than any other
article I have seen. The video explains it a lot better and makes it easy to understand. It explains
how to someone without allergies, their body would take something like pollen, and realize it
isnt harmful. However, to person that is affected by allergies, their body sees something like
pollen as dangerous and attacks whatever is in there. That is why people with allergies get
symptoms like sneezing, coughing, scratchy throat, etc. They also said that because of our
modern lifestyle and increased pollution, more people are starting to develop allergies. This is
called the epidemic of the 21st century.
Application to Research:
This article helps me with my research because it provides information about one of my theories
that I would like to look into. This gives me starting point on what I should search. It also gives a
much simpler explanation to what allergies are. That way the average person that did not do all
this research on allergies, know what they are. So when I am presenting and explaining more
things about allergies, my audience knows what I am talking about.
What is the hygiene hypothesis. (2014, May 21). Retrieved October 19, 2016, from Youtube.com
website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akw6XfexNas
Summary:
This video is about the theory called the hygiene hypothesis. The video starts by defining the
hygiene hypothesis, saying it is a theory explaining the relationship between certain microbial
factors and prevention of allergies. It starts to explain what this definition means. Saying that
microbes can not be seen and are either bacteria or viruses. The American Academy of Allergy
Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) conducted a study about the amish. The amish lives simple
lives without technology or sanitary product. Their idea is to live like their ancestors when they
first moved to America some 240 years ago. Because they live in the simplest form of life, the
AAAAI performed a research testing to see if the amish has as much allergies as the rest of
America. It turns out they do not have as much problems with allergies as the people who dont
live in amish country.
Application of Research:
This video helps me with my research because it has actual research to back the hygiene
hypothesis. Before that, it gave a very good definition of the hygiene hypothesis that I can
definitely use. Also the new terms are definitely things I can use. Then the study about the amish
was not only fascinating, but is supporting evidence to the hygiene hypothesis. This is a little
relieving because the hypothesis does make sense, but it is still nice to see supporting evidence.
A lot of popular theories have been wrong, so I am glad that the hypothesis, the basis of my
research, is right.
Why is allergy increasing? (2015, September). Retrieved from Allergy uk website:
https://www.allergyuk.org/why-is-allergy-increasing/why-is-allergy-increasing
Summary:

This article is about the reasons why the allergy rate is increasing. It starts with some statistics,
saying that about 30% to 35% of the the population is affected by allergies and 50% of children
will be diagnosed an allergy. The article goes on into subsections on people get allergies. The
first was genetics; since children born in families that have allergies, there might be a genetic
link allergies. The second one is the hygiene hypothesis. This theory says that humans have
become to careful with germs. Now that we use cleansing products, like hand sanitizer, a bit too
much. Now natural bacteria that is supposed to grow to help us is either not growing or not
growing right. The third is our change in diets. Now our diets contain less fruits and vegetables
which is against the natural human diet. The fourth and final theory is the environmental factor.
With more pollutants apart of our everyday lives, it could be affecting our bodies. Also, all of this
leads to the Hygiene Hypothesis as well.
Application To Research:
This article helps with my research because it gives me new ideas and new leads to look into.
The Hygiene Hypothesis sounds pretty interesting to me, and I think I want to look into. With
that in mind I might need to change the focus of my project. Only because I just kind of found
out about the theory now and I would like to do my research on the hypothesis. With that in
mind, I am really hopeful that I will find more information than my first topic because I barely
found anything with my first topic. With that said, I am excited to start the new research.