From the Publisher: The ailments and conditions that afflict people today can be confusing, disturbing, and painful-both emotionally and physically. The Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders series provide clear, careful explanations that offer readers and researchers insight into what these conditions are, what causes them, how people live with them, and the latest about treatment and prevention. All volumes in the series include primary and secondary viewpoints, bibliographies, detailed indexes, and lists of organizations to contact for additional information.

Foreword -- Introduction -- 1: Understanding Allergies -- 1: Allergies: an overview / Richard Robinson, Jill Granger, and Teresa G Odle -- 2: Hay fever / American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology -- 3: Food allergies / Janice M Vickerstaff Joneja -- 4: Pet allergies / Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America -- 5: Dust mites: allergens hiding in your bed / William F Lyon -- 6: When allergies strike, anaphylaxis may swiftly follow / David C Dugdale, Stuart I Henochowicz, and David Zieve -- 2: Controversies About Allergies -- 1: People with allergies may be able to keep specially bred cats / Rachel Pepling -- 2: People with allergies should not keep cats / Carolyn Barry -- 3: Diet based on blood type can fight allergies / Peter J D'Adamo -- 4: Diet based on blood type cannot fight allergies / Michael Klaper -- 5: Food allergies are authentic / DukeHealth.org -- 6: Food allergies are exaggerated / Meredith Broussard -- 7: Over cleaning homes may lead to more allergies / Mary Bufe -- 8: Under cleaning homes causes more allergies / National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- 3: Personal Experiences With Allergies -- 1: Naturopathy helped identify food allergies / Laura Dontigny Zimmerman -- 2: Girl who is allergic to almost everything / Daily Mail -- 3: Inconveniencing others for my daughter's safety / Rebecca Fadel King -- 4: My allergy to latex gloves impacted my life and career / Abby Wojahn -- 5: Saving my own life / Steff Sanchez -- Glossary -- Chronology -- Organizations to contact -- For further reading -- Index.