Allergies - Are we too clean?

Allergies - Are we too clean for our immune system to do the job it was intended to do?

A good romp in the mud could be the best medicine to help kids fight allergies.  Remember when we were growing up?  We didn’t have hand sanitizers or anti-bacterial soaps and cleaners.  When we came in from playing outside and were asked to wash our hands before we ate it wasn’t because of germs.  It was because we were dirty! 

Research has shown that yes, a good washing with soap can help stop the spread of infection but going overboard can also cause us to be sick more often and increase our chances of allergies, especially among children.

Why? Because of our cleanlier habits our immune system no longer needs to fight germs as much as it once did, causing our bodies to shift away from fighting infections to developing more allergic reactions.  

According to the National Allergy Bureau, more than 50 percent of Americans ages 5 to 60 years old are sensitive to at least one allergen. That's almost five times higher than rates found in a previous survey in the late 1970s.

Scientists are calling it the “Hygiene Hypothesis” to explain how sterile environments can lead to higher percentages of illness.  One example is a study done in Germany.  Scientists found that children who were exposed to farm animals, and all the microbes and bacteria associated with farm life, were about half as likely as other children to develop Crohn’s disease.

Scientist believe when your immune system has rarely encountered an allergen, it can go haywire when it finally does come in contact with pollens, molds, and other foreign bodies.

Most people live in a house of anti-bacterial soaps and air-tight seals around windows and doors.   Add antibiotics and vaccinations to the equation and the body's immune system gets a phony pardon from nature.

We’re not saying the crusade against germs has to stop, but building a house as a shrine to hygiene is not necessarily the answer.  Let’s not put our kids in a bubble.  Let them be kids!

Remember, there is no cure for allergies once they have developed.  The best way to deal with them is to build your immune system up and expose yourself to allergens in small doses.  And make mud castles!

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