This entry was posted 13 years, 8 months ago.
Allergy is a real problem of many modern people. Specialists understand it as an abnormal reaction of our immune system on certain environmental factors or substances, such as oranges, almonds, pomegranates or other foods, pollen, insect stings, pet dander, mold spores, certain medications, and so on. The most common symptoms and signs of allergy are skin rushes, itching, sneezing, coughing, redness of the eye, swelling, sinusitis, bloating and many more. Nowadays, there are various treatments for allergies. Those include immunotheraty (vaccination) and pharmacotherapy (using such medications as antihistamines, theophylline, hydrocortisone, etc.).
Recently, the results of a revolutionary scientific breakthrough were published by New Scientist magazine. Japanese biologists of Japan’s National Institute for Agrobiological Sciences in Tsukuba designed a special type of rice which can protect us against allergy instead of causing it. This unique herbal remedy can assist in fighting against pollen allergy, one of the most common and disturbing types of modern allergies. For many years this remedy was tested on animals, and now the specialists announced that this rice should be safe for humans and it is the time to start clinical trials.
The scientists aimed to create an effective treatment for cedar pollen allergy, which is a very common ailment in Japan and every fifth today’s Japanese has to fight against it. Running nose and sneezing are the most characteristic symptoms of this allergy, and newly created transgenic crop can suppress these unpleasant symptoms very successfully. Genetically modified formula of this new herbal remedy includes seven proteins, which are produced in in the endoplasmic reticulum and this way are not being digested before they act as an anti-allergen.
Fumio Takaiwa, a leader of the research, and his colleagues are certain that this research is a perfect start to looking for similar effective natural treatments for many other forms and types of allergies. Nowadays, the world’s scientists are creating lots of genetically modified vegetables and fruit with high content of useful elements, vitamins and nutrients. At the same time, the opponents of genetically modified foods seriously question all these scientific breakthroughs. They are convinced that long-term effects of such foods on human body have not been studied enough and it is too early to talk about positive sides of using GM foods.
Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.
January 18th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Another brilliant idea! Well, I just hope there’ll be no long term side effects with GM foods.