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9th Jul 2006

Allergies, the Immune System and Parasites


Kat Arney

Chris Smith

In honour of the annual hoards of bleary-eyed hayfever sufferers, we are joined in the studio by Professor Carrock Sewell from the University of Lincoln, who describes how the immune system works, what causes allergic reactions and how we might be able to cure them, and Dr Mark Booth from Cambridge University discusses parasites, how they suppress and evade the immune system and how the Matangini Project attempts to provide parasite-free water in Africa. Sticking with the African continent, Derek Thorne travels to Tanzania to learn how to make ugali in this week's Kitchen Science.

 

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Making The Maths-music Connection

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Kitchen Science

 

How to make Ugali

This week Kitchen Science travels all the way to Tanzania to find out how to make ugali, the staple food of Tanzania and other parts of East Africa.




Questions

 

I suffer from rhinitis and I have done for a long time. Nobody seems to know if there's a cure going for it yet.


 

I deal with allergies for a good portion of the spring and summer and my question is: why does my itchy nose and eyes and nose go away when I lay down to go to sleep and while I'm sleeping?


 

My husband developed an allergy to nuts at 32 years old. Is it common to get allergies as you get older or is this more of a childhood phenomenon?


 

I've been suffering from hayfever ever since I was in junior high school, but suddenly two years ago when I was in university, it was seemingly cured. I've never had any medication or anything like that. What happened?


 

What is it about sleep that makes it so beneficial to us when we're ill? Are we better able to mobilise our disease resources?


 

I am 100% allergic to onion, garlic, leeks, chives and the rest of those allium-based things. What is it about this family of vegetables that causes allergies and is there anything I can do about it?


 

I heard a report that bacteria in our gut and our immune system respond to things in our local environment. So is there any medical benefit for picking your nose and eating it transferring regular samples of dust and germs in the environment to the immune system's training ground in the gut?


 

The common reaction to allergy is a rash. Why is this and what good does it do?





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