My Quora Answer to: Why do so many people have allergies today? Because we are born into, are raised up in, and work in sterilized environments.

Early and constant exposure to bacteria common in nature but not so much in cities builds our immune systems in many ways. Think about it. Who gets more exposure to allegens such as pollen and fungi?

I wrote about this a few years ago on my blog titled, “Eat Dirt.” That article was specifically aimed at a genus of bacteria called “Nitrosomas,” but could very well apply to other genera and fungi. Nitrisomas species live off of the form of nitrogen found in urine, urea. Believe it or not, they can live on your skin too, like under armpits. Nature's original deodarant.

Other ingested and inhaled allergens directly affect your internal immune system. For one, chronic low-level exposure stimutes the formation of Immunoglobulins G and M which “overpower” the release and activity of IgE. The IgE molecule (if unopposed) attaches to mast cells in your blood, causing the release of histamine, which is the chemical responsible for all those nasty and even deadly allergic reactions.

According to this 2013 study, rural bacteria also affect natural killer T-cells in the lungs of mice. I haven't read the science behind the article but assume it's valid:

https://www.livescience.com/36217-early-bacterial-exposure-immunity.html

Very good question, BTW.

Nanobes and Coronary Artery Disease

Something I Discovered En Route to Looking Up Other Things

I got my chest CT results and an incidental finding is that I have "severe coronary calcification." So, I started looking up ways to decrease it and found a great article on outpatient chelation therapy. The researchers used a combination of plant powders and tetracycline orally, and EDTA suppositories per rectum. 

But why the antibiotic? The article sites nanobacteria (nanobes) as a causative factor in coronary artery disease and the tetracycline kills them off. 

This is the first time I've heard about nanobes, sooo...

https://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/nanobes/index.html

Polyphenols

Polyphenols are chemicals found abundantly in many types of foods, especially brightly colored fruits and veggies, but also teas, coffee, chocolate, and herbs/spices. Red wines are a rich source, too.

Of the top 5 polyphenol-containing foods, four are from berries. In order:

1. Wild Blueberries
2. Blackberries
3. Pomegranate
4. Cranberries
5. Blueberries

You can add strawberries and raspberries as close contenders.

Try to include at least 2 cups per day of these fruits in your diet.