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Yale University Press

Breathing Space: How Allergies Shape Our Lives and Landscapes

Regular price $7.95 USD
Regular price Sale price $7.95 USD
Title: Breathing Space: How Allergies Shape Our Lives and Landscapes
Author: Gregg Mitman
ISBN: 9780300143157
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2008
Binding: Paperback
Language: English
Condition: Used: Very Good
Clean, unmarked copy with some edge wear. Good binding. Dust jacket included if issued with one. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.

Wellness 1453095

Publisher Description:
Why our efforts to eliminate asthma and hay fever have not just failed but have reshaped American life and spurred the dramatic growth of allergic diseases

Allergy is the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the United States. More than fifty million Americans suffer from allergies, and they spend an estimated $18 billion coping with them. Yet despite advances in biomedicine and enormous investment in research over the past fifty years, the burden of allergic disease continues to grow. Why have we failed to reverse this trend?
Breathing Space offers an intimate portrait of how allergic disease has shaped American culture, landscape, and life. Drawing on environmental, medical, and cultural history and the life stories of people, plants, and insects, Mitman traces how America's changing environment from the late 1800s to the present day has led to the epidemic growth of allergic disease. We have seen a never-ending stream of solutions to combat allergies, from hay fever resorts, herbicides, and air-conditioned homes to numerous potions and pills. But, as Mitman shows, despite the quest for a magic bullet, none of the attempted solutions has succeeded. Until we address how our changing environment--physical, biological, social, and economic--has helped to create America's allergic landscape, that hoped-for success will continue to elude us.