SC - Allergies in general

[DeeWolff at aol.com]

I think it is a combination of environmental and genetic coding..

I am an asthmatic: My  sister is, my aunt is , and several cousins are.Genetic? But I am a child of a smoking woman (Back then, you didn't stop when you were pregnant)Environment?

I am highly allergic to drugs like Demerol and Morphine:  my mother, and sister , and maternal grandmother was also allergic. Genetic?

I am morbidly allergic to Iodine. Even cooking shrimp is horrible.Especially if steamed, first my throat itches, then the spots appear, then I turn purple and forget to breathe....

I have in a less severe reaction, the same type of allergies to almonds,of which I am greatly allergic (wheezing, rashes), raw cherries(Itchy throat) and some things on mundane salad bars: they think it's a preservative allergy...

But, I grew up in a very industrial area, my father was a chemical engineer who worked with Mercury and Cadmium, back when nobody cared about spills. So I blame most of my allergies on environment.

I suppose if I grew up in a pastural , lightly or non polluted place, things would not have progressed to allergies.......

This is one of the reasons I became a cook, I know what goes into my food ! And yes, I do cook some of my allergic foods for others. Except shrimp..someone else gets to do it, while I take a break from the kitchen and they air it out afterward.

Andrea