Allergies Explained: From Food to Asthma
Allergies are on the rise around the world—but why? In this episode of The Vitals, host Leslie Schlachter, PA-C sits down with two of Mount Sinai’s leading experts, Drs. Monica Kraft and Scott Sicherer, to break down what’s really driving the increase in allergic diseases, how to understand the difference between allergies and intolerances, and what the latest science reveals about prevention, treatment, and long-term management.
From early food introduction to biologics, from the atopic march to socioeconomic barriers in care, this conversation covers the full spectrum of what patients and families need to know about allergies and asthma today.
00;00;00;00 - 00;00;18;00
Dr. Scott Sicherer
Most of the world's population has trouble digesting lactose. I mean, we weren't made to be drinking from a cow. It's that's really the Cavs job. But obviously we've made a lot of out of milk products right. So we've gotten used to ice cream and yogurt and all these different things. But for some people that's going to be hard for them to digest.
00;00;18;04 - 00;00;38;12
Dr. Monica Kraft
Allergies are a real big contributor to about about half, maybe 50 to 60% of asthma, not all of asthma. So I'd like to change the perception that it's that it's all mild and no big deal. As I think I think a lot of people walk around with very high symptom burden and they just live with it.
00;00;38;14 - 00;01;03;08
Leslie Schlacter
Hello and welcome back to the vitals. The Mount Sinai Health System's groundbreaking roundtable video podcast. I'm your host, Leslie Schlatter, a neurosurgery physician assistant here at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Today, we're tackling a subject that touches millions of families allergies, whether it's seasonal sneezing, life threatening food reactions, or asthma triggered by allergens. Allergic disease is on the rise.
00;01;03;10 - 00;01;30;20
Leslie Schlacter
To help us understand the causes, challenges and latest treatments. I'm joined by two of Mount Sinai's foremost experts. First, we have Doctor Monica Craft System, chair of the Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and world renowned leader in respiratory medicine and asthma research. And joining her is Doctor Scott Swisher, director of the Elliott and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute and a national leader in pediatric food allergy research and care.
00;01;30;24 - 00;01;38;14
Leslie Schlacter
So thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it. Thank you. So let's just start off with some of the basics. Allergies are on the rise.
00;01;38;15 - 00;02;02;16
Dr. Monica Kraft
Right, right. So I'll start. And I'd love to have my esteemed colleague to chime in. So our immune systems have sort of evolved over time because our environment has changed. And so we've been living especially in countries, more first world countries, we've been living in very well insulated homes, so much so that we get exposed to allergens, you know, in every day especially, you know, at night when we're in our bedroom sleeping for eight hours at a time.