Allergists Explain Why Pollen and Peanuts Make Us Sick

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published July 16, 2008 at 10:31 AM PDT

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

As many as 40 to 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, but little is known about why the body reacts to things auch as pollen, mold or peanuts. We'll explore what is known about allergies and ho

Tom Fudge: Allergies affect tens of millions of Americans. Often, they're little more than an inconvenience. Sometimes, they are deadly. What they have in common is that they are little understood and difficult to treat.

That's why two national health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health , are funding a five year study to develop a better understanding of allergies and to develop cures or preventions. One of the participating clinics is the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology . During this hour we're going to talk about allergies, what they are and what can be done about them.

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Guests

Alessandro Sette , head of the Division of Vaccine Discovery at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and the lead researcher for a new study on allergies.

Dr. Stephen Wasserman , allergist and professor of medicine at UCSD .