The Link between Vaccines and Allergies

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An allergy is an immune response to substances that are recognized as harmful In most situations, genetic heredity plays a role in what allergy a person acquires. Children inherit their allergy from their parents. (Mills et al., 2007) On the contrary, some of individuals develop certain allergies in spite of their parents. One proposed theory that will be explored in this paper is whether or not the use of vaccines causes us to develop certain allergies. Before that theory can be proven as right or wrong, we must first get a more thorough understanding of the immune system. The Immune System The immune system, which is composed of cells, proteins, tissues, and organs, is the body’s innate defense against foreign particles that may show to be harmful or infectious to us. Through a series of steps called the immune response, the immune system attacks potentially dangerous organisms and substances that invade our systems. (Durani, Y., 2012) The immune system’s key players include leukocytes, the lymphoid organs, and the lymphatic vessels. Leukocytes are white blood cells that recognize and destroy the harmful invaders. Lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, bone marrow, thymus, and spleen) make and/or store the leukocytes, and lymphatic vessels are a network of tissues that allow for the leukocytes to circulate through blood or the various lymphoid organs. (Durani, Y., 2012) Leukocytes are broken up into two different subunits: phagocytes and lymphocytes. Phagocytes destroy the dangerous organisms. Though the most common type of phagocyte is the neutrophil (which breaks down bacteria), many other cells are known to be phagocytes also. Lymphocytes aid the body in remembering and recognizing prior offenders that may invade again. Lymphocytes a... ... middle of paper ... ...lergies%2F..%255Clibrary%255Callergies%255Cinfo5.asp *Sgreccia, E. (2014, January 10). Human Cell Strains in Vaccine Development. Retrieved from http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/human-cell-strains-vaccine-development *Taylor, S. L. (2001). Emerging problems with food allergens. Retrieved March, 2014, from http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x7133m/x7133m03.htm *Types of Food -- Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats, Alcohol. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.worldofmolecules.com/foods/ *US Department of Health. (n.d.). Vaccine Development. Retrieved from http://www.flu.gov/prevention-vaccination/vaccine-development/ *Vaccines. (2011, April 19). Retrieved from http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/vaccines/understanding/pages/howwork.aspx *Why do We have Allergies? (n.d.). Retrieved March, 2014, from http://fightthecauseofallergy.org/page/why-do-we-have-allergies

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