Excessive-cleanliness-may-boost-allergies

The Washington Times ^ | April 15, 2010 | Jennifer Harper

[lakeprincess]

Put away the hand sanitizer. It's not necessarily the grime, dust bunnies, cat dander or pollen causing those miserable springtime allergies. The culprit actually may be too much cleanliness.

[historyrepeatz]

and DON’T USE anti-bacterial soaps! They kill the “good” bacteria along with the bad! NO anti-bacterial stuff in OUR house.

[Spok]

I have read before that raising children in a sterile environment ill prepares their immune system to withstand what they’ll routinely encounter in the real world. I think it applies to both physiology and intellect, and explains alot.

[DuncanWaring]

I started hearing this at least a decade ago.

[a fool in paradise]

“We were healthy because we SWAM IN GARBAGE!” - George Carlin

[libertarian27]

I have been practicing non-cleanliness in my household even before this study:)

Glad to see I was on the healthier track...

[ronniesgal]

uh oh. Neat freak on board!
My allergies are kicking my a$$ today.

[dirtymac]

Ever notice that infants and other young children will automatically put everything in their mouth. Building up their immune system.

[Mich Patriot]

“...automatically put everything in their mouth.”

Sounds like this girl I dated in high school!

[rod1]

Yep. The newborn’s immune system needs some timely stimulation to fully mature and achieve a more useful balance of immune responses capabilities throughout life.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Strategies-for-Protecting-Your-Childs-Immune-System/Rodney-R-Dietert/e/9789814287098/?itm=6&USRI=dietert

[Ditter]

I have read it too and I think that theory is a crock. No one was raised playing in more dirt than I was and I have lots of allergies, inhalants and food allergies. I slept with my cat and my dog, I made mud pies and ate some of them. I went barefoot all summer and stepped in chicken poop. Grew up drinking milk from our cow and vegetables from our garden. There was no such thing as antibiotic soap in the 40’s. I had asthma as a child and I am still allergic to tons of things. You can believe it if you want to but I am living (sneezing, coughing, wheezing, itchy) proof that this is not true.

[Spok]

I think a statistical sampling of one is too small to establish or disprove a hypothesis.

[surrey]

There are always exceptions but growing up I didn’t have any friends who were allergic to anything. These days kids are allergic to everything.

[UK_Jeffersonian]

writing sticky to wife.

[Paleo Conservative]

and DON’T USE anti-bacterial soaps! They kill the “good” bacteria along with the bad! NO anti-bacterial stuff in OUR house.

The problem is public restrooms only have anti-bacterial soap. I get dermatitis from anti-bacterial soap. At least the foam dispensers give me less problem than the liquid ones.

[Texan Tory]

Allergies are so confusing to me. Exposure, over time, can cause you to become allergic to something. But allergenists can also inject you with an allergen to desensitize you to it. I’m hoping that there’s a Freeper allergenist who will provide a logical explanation for this apparent contradiction.

[Ditter]

I will add my brother and all my cousins to the allergy list. Here is a hint, it’s a gene thing.

[Ditter]

I expect you didn’t know that some of your friends had allergies, they are not all secver enough to talk about. Today all kids are NOT allergic to everything. I will site my adopted kids and their children who have no allergies, as I told spok, it’s a gene thing.

[dangus]

Not only that, they breed super-germs. Anti-bacterial soaps may be the singularly most idiotic thing our culture has ever done. And that includes giving Milli Vanilli a Grammy.

[algernonpj]

I'm not an allergist, but like Ditter I grew up in filth and became allergic to 'everything' - partially genetic, partially several bad unavoidable exposures. This is a synopsis of what I have learned in self-defense.

For those who are genetically susceptible to allergies,exposure to certain substances (e.g. pollen, foods) causes the creation of an antibody called IGE. IGE is usually associated with fighting off parasites.

In the case of an allergy the IGE cell attaches itself to a mast cell which causes the allergic symptoms.



Allergy shots cause the creation IGG antibodies in response to the allergen (pollen, food, etc). IGG binds with and destroys the allergen, thereby eliminating or reducing allergy symptoms. Allergy Shots

Allergy shots can eliminate all or part of the allergic symptoms, and themselves can cause a bad reaction.

[Ditter]

Thanks for a better explanation that I could have given. I suspect that we are talking apples and oranges here.

Allergies like you and I have are caused by an “over active immune system”, we inherit this from our parents.

The lack of dirt theory may be an “under active immune system” that has not been exposed to bacteria and viruses enough to keep from catching everything that comes along.

I always get a laugh about people who say “I have no allergies and am healthy as a horse because I was raised dirty”. I do have a bit of good news for you. I was waiting to go in for minor surgery and the doctor after asking about my allergies and getting my list, remarked "hummm, you probably will never have cancer". That's and over active immune system at work!

[mowowie]

Germs are EVERYWHERE.

I came to live with that fact early on.

[algernonpj]

..."hummm, you probably will never have cancer". That's and over active immune system at work!

Thanks for the tidbit! See, there's always a silver lining. (At least that's what I'm telling myself this spring - the pollen counts have been off the wall.)

When I researched my father's family (in the US since the early 1800's), I discovered back then, when the life span was about 40 - 45, my father's antecedents were living well into their 60's. In addition, although I don't get a flu shot because of allergies to eggs and feathers, I almost never get the flu. Ditto for colds, or infected cuts. I have to be 'living dead' exhausted for an infection to take hold.

[Ditter]

I am 70 years old soon and so far so good. Not much cancer in my ancestors. The only health problems I have had (knock on wood) have been allergies and those are annoying not life threatening. I'm good thanks! :o)

[surrey]

My children and grandchildren also have no allergies but their schools have peanut-free tables at lunch and every classroom has a list of all the children with allergies and what they are. My daughter can’t have some of my grandsons’ friends to the house because they have a dog and one little girl comes with a list of foods she’s ALLOWED to eat. Sorry, even my PCP who is a good friend says he’s seen a dramatic increase in allergies in his 30 years of practice.

[Ditter]

I understand what you are saying but prior to 30 years ago, allergies were not on any ones radar, doesn't mean they were not around. Better testing, better record keeping, better doctors now than in the past, medicine has come along way. No doctor ever treated my childhood allergies, that would not be true today.

I did have an inhaler for my asthma but no doctor ever said, get her off those feather pillows, keep that cat out of her bed, give her these antihistamines in the spring and summer, keep a food diary to see what affects her. No child today would have to suffer like I did.