Don't Get Irritated! Theresa MacPhail Reveals that Allergies are Nothing to Sneeze at

Featured : THERESA MACPHAIL, Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing WorldAllergies are a PROBLEM. Hay fever. Peanut allergies. Eczema. Most of us have an allergy to something, but what causes them and why do they seem to be getting worse? And why do some allergies kill? Meet medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail; she is, herself, an allergy sufferer—and lost her father to a bee sting. It doesn’t make sense that a part of our immune system meant to protect us goes haywire, so she set out to find answers… by starting in 1819. You know it’s going to be good when we go digging into history! She starts with dangerous experiments of early immunologists and moves to the mind-bending recent developments of biologics and immunotherapies. And she gets her hands dirty along the way—no thought experiments here. MacPhail scaled a roof with an air-quality controller who diligently counts pollen by hand for hours every day; met a mother who struggled to use WIC benefits for her daughter with severe food allergies; spoke with doctors at some of the finest allergy clinics in the world; and discussed the intersecting problems of climate change, pollution, and pollen with biologists who study seasonal respiratory allergies. You have questions? She has answers! Join us for an unmatched discussion of the worst allergy season can throw at you—make sure to bring the tissues, just in case.

Episode was recorded live September 25, 2025.

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