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Subscribe to RSSThe very tools we use to battle bacteria and viruses may actually end up 'training' our immune systems to attack allergens. NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports.
If you’ve been feeling guilty because you can’t keep your house spotless, stop.
As it turns out, allowing the odd germ to flourish here or there just might be saving your kid from a lifetime of allergies, Dr. Nancy Snyderman explained on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" Monday.
It seems counterintuitive, but that’s exactly what the so-called "hygiene hypothesis" suggests. You can actually be too clean for your own good.
Scientists came up with the hypothesis as a way to explain the explosion of allergies and asthma in America’s youth. And what they discovered was intriguing, if a little disconcerting: kids who grow up in less tidy environments end up with a lower risk of developing sensitivities to benign substances, like pollen and dog dander.
A study released in June added to the growing mound of evidence that the too-clean-for-health hypothesis might be on track. That study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that Amish children who were raised on farms were less likely to develop allergies and asthma than their peers.
Why would exposure to dirt and microbes make a kid less sensitive to pollen and the like?
For one thing, it’s exposure to pathogens that allows the immune system to become fine-tuned as it learns to differentiate between harmful and harmless irritants.
Beyond this, exposure to certain bacteria gives the immune system's dedicated "fighters" something to do.
“I believe that the immune system is like an army,” explains Dr. Samuel Friedlander, an allergist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. “So, if the army doesn’t have something to fight like microbes, it’s going to fight things like allergens in many cases. People [who] live on farms are exposed to more microbes and as a result the immune system tries to fight those bugs and then, in turn, the body doesn’t have to fight allergens.”
Dr. Richard Gallo puts it a little differently. If you keep your environment too clean – by using too many bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers, for example – then your immune system becomes more sensitized to any irritant that comes its way.
“It’s a change in your allergic set point,” says Gallo, a professor and chief of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego. “So being too clean can lead you to have a high allergic set point that will overreact to the environment.”
Does that mean we can all throw out our mop buckets and soap? No, experts say. We still need to keep things clean, just not Bubble Boy antiseptic.
And there's an interesting side note: Some really intriguing animal studies have shown that you might be able to reset your immune system even after you’ve grown up by exposing yourself to certain types of bacteria.
“Some very recent studies that have been published in very excellent scientific journals have shown that with the introduction of specific bacteria in laboratory animals, you can completely reset their immune status and their capacity for certain allergic responses,” Gallo says.
And keep in mind, experts say, that some bacteria are fairly benign.
“So my advice is that some hygiene is good, too much is bad,” Gallo says. “In many cases you have to use common sense. You’re in a situation where you’re likely to be exposed to pathogens – germs that could cause disease – it’s a better idea to use sanitizers to remove them.
"But indiscriminate use - overusing hand sanitizers, anti-microbial soaps and so forth - is also going to be doing harm. So you have to balance the two.”
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One factor they really ignored in the article was the effect of perfumes. Nearly everything we buy has an artificial fragrance. In the olden days, there were four or five laundry detergents on the shelves, each with a single fragrance option (some had unscented option, too) -- and probably as many fabric softeners. Now, complete aisles in the stores are devoted to laundry detergents and fabric softeners, each with a different LOUD fragrance. There are signature lines of fabric softener that are designed to be perfumy -- and others that are based on an air freshener. Then there's the aisle of cleaning agents, each one also perfumed (who dreamed we'd need dozens of different fragrances of dish soap?) Then there are the candles and potpourri and air fresheners (plug-in style, solids, sprays, oil-and-stick - and also the melting wax room fragrance things sold through private vendors). And personal care products all have scents to mask the chemical odors. By the time we leave the house every morning, we could have used 10 or more items on our bodies with fragrance: soap, shampoo, antiperspirant, hair styling gel/mousse, hair spray, lotion or after-shave, makeup (several different items), cologne/perfume, and the the laundry detergent and fabric softener. 20 years ago, we people were still struggling to pronounce potpourri. Now there are special stores full of nothing but pungently-scented bath products and accessories. And the more we use those things, the less sensitive our sense of smell is, but the more agitated our immune systems get. After awhile, the low-level cumulative effects of all of the sensory irritants add up.
Rather than germaphobia (germophobia?), I think the more likely culprits in the allergy/asthma equation are heredity, long-term first- or second-hand tobacco smoke, animals in the house, insufficient outdoor play for the kids, and constant assault by perfumes and other chemicals.
I totally agree with you. Yet, The news is constantly assaulting us with how germy this or that is. Yesterday it was the school cafeteria tables. E-Coli is a part of life, it is E-Coli 0157 that is the bad one. All the news media has to say is E-Coli and they panic the germafobes into a state of panic.
My husband has this thing in his brain stem. Every time he gets around any of the "Scented" products, he gets sick. Not the normal sick until the odor goes away. He can be dizzy and throw up for days after exposure. He has to take seizure medicine to clear the odors out of his scent memory.
In our house there are NO perfumes, air fresheners, scented anything. Sometimes they are hard to find. If I am in line and one of those odors comes creeping into my space, I move. One time, I was waiting in a hospital waiting room and this man came in smelling of way overdone Old Spice. I asked HIM to leave. He left, but he sure wasn't happy with me. I said "I never heard of anybody complaining about smelling good.
Nobody is allowed in the house with perfume or aftershave on. If they come to visit, with scent on, they either visit outside or go away. Everybody we know or care to know is aware of this and complies.
We also don't go in homes, stores, offices where they are perfuming us to death.
And these perfumers just don't get it that they stink. And they are the first ones going to take their kids to the allergist and whining about the kids allergies. TOOO sterile an environment and perfumed out the A___s
This can be extrapolated to the ever-increasing obsession with being "safe". If we succeed in creating an environment in which no hazards exist, no conflict ever occurs, no discomfort is experienced, our descendants will be weaker and weaker thru the generations, and when some external threat happens, they will be destroyed.
My boyfriend's mom kept their house SPOTLESS ... bleach was her best friend. He tends to get sick from every little "bug" that floats around and is very into hand sanitizers and washing his hands all the time. We'll go to a store and look through books, CDs, or other merchandise and he is very conscientious about making sure he doesn't touch his face or anything until he washes his hands or using hand sanitizer. Me, I grew up on a farm and have probably ingested more dust & dirt than he's ever seen. Everyone around me at work and home can get sick but I stay healthy and just keep going.
That's what happens when you scrub and oversanitize everything to DEATH. Their kids have to suffer. I guess that's the price you pay for forcing your family to live in a STERILE TOMB.
I think the effect of immunizations and overuse of antibiotics should be considered. Studies have shown that excess antibiotic use can cause asthma, and the enormous number of immunization shots can cause a young developing immune system to be hypersensitive to many things. Causing allergies. I would assume the Amish children haven't had any shots, and 20-30 years ago, the number of suggested shots was less than 1/3 of what it is today.
I was going to clean my house today..Great news, I can say the heck with it. I can save time and money on those cleaning products and go shopping for some cute new shoes!
Come on!! It doesn't have to do with how clean you keep your home, although it may be a contributing factor. It has to do with getting outside more often. The Amish practically live outside. More and more of our children exist inside isolated, controlled environments from vehicles to homes to schools!!!
Exposure is key. The more you are exposed to for longer periods of time, the more your body can adapt! It's that damn simple! Although, not for everyone! And, of course, these are just my thoughts.
So, keep your house clean, just go outside alot more!
Nope. Grew up in a climate that is sunny year-around but was nonetheless known for being one of the most smog-polluted areas in the nation. My entire childhood I was forced to play outdoors, to the point where none of my friends saw the inside of the house (they thought it was bizarre). Guess what? My siblings and I remain to this day afflicted with multiple allergies/asthma despite growing up with no TV and no household perfumes/candles/air fresheners. Spending too much time indoors is NOT the culprit. There are, however, infinitely more man-made chemicals in the world because more of the world is industrialized thanks to population growth and globalization.
Total waste of money. The people that are allegedly "too clean" are not going to change their habbits because of a study. If you know anyone like this, you understand what I'm talking about.
I think this article makes a point in a couple of ways. One: the overuse of harsh chemicals and hand sanitizers is causing us to kill off germs that would help us in the long run. Cleaning to the point that your home or office is sterile, is causing more harm than good. All of us need to be exposed to certain germs to keep our immune system up and running. Yet, there is always someone running around cleaning things to the point that they damage the item being constantly cleaned. As a Health Care worker, you can clean an area, without cleaning it to death. Especially during the cold and flu season. Even when I worked in a medical office, I didn't use hand sanitizer, just warm water and soap.
Issue two: Kids need to get dirty, play outside, run around, chase animals and genereally be kids. I did so as a kid, and feel that I'm much healtheir for it. I had allergies as a kid, not life threatening, but still had allergies to cottonwood, and some pollens. I still have some of that as an adult. My home is tidy, not sterile. I allowed my son to play outside, get as dirty as he wanted to, then gave him a bath. He is a pretty healthy 30 year old man. Part of the problem today, is that way too many kids are sitting in front of a tv or computer monitor playing video games! If you really look at these kids, they are fat, unhealthy, and have alot of colds, and get laid up for days when the flu rolls around. Some parents need to unplug the tv or the computer and push their kids outside.
I had a flu shot last year, and almost ended up in the hospital. I will not be getting one this year. If I get the flu, I will treat with some over the counter meds, and good ole chicken soup! The parents that insist that every time their kid gets sick need antibiotics need to read the literature and stop pushing their Doctor around. Stop using hand sanitizers and chemically killing everything in your home. Be clean, but, there is no reason to subject your family to living in a sterile enviroment!
One piece of logic that the researchers overlooked is that unlike most American children, Amish children grow up in the country with plenty of fresh air and eat nothing but fresh, unprocessed food- including raw milk dairy in most cases. Ask anyone who consumes raw milk and they'll tell you that their seasonal allergies and occurrences of asthmatic events are greatly reduced when they consume raw dairy. I know my own seasonal allergies are greatly reduced as a result of consuming raw milk. So long as I have at least a glass a day during allergy season I don't need to take a pharmaceutical and (coincidentally?) I went from having sinusitis (sinus infections) at least once each season to none in the past 3 years. Its worth checking into if you or your loved ones suffer from either condition.
The Amish are also a relatively closed population group. Anyone who couldn't tolerate farm life probably left, leaving only those who were hardy enough to hack it to start families and raise their children that way (one might call it "self-reinforcing evolution"). On the other hand, we have no idea how many Amish children die in early childhood or infancy due to asthma (that I know of). Those who die young, from whatever cause, also don't pass on their genes. In all likelihood this applies to the rest of us, too. As medical science has allowed people with asthma and other auto-immune illnesses to lead more productive "normal" lives, more people stand to inherit a genetic predisposition for such problems. Genes that may not have been spread around the general population in the past now can and do.
OK, I get it. Don't over do the clean thing. But people PLEASE wash your hands with soap AND water after visiting the bathroom! EEWWW! Its amazing how many people refuse to do this. Disgusting.
My mother-in-law developed asthma as an adult and she is still in denial, in spite of the fact that she is a (retired) nurse. She doesn't believe in taking preventative controllers such as corticosteroids, and thus is dependent on a rescue inhaler. From what I understand, she and her family members had no such asthma/allergy history as children (she grew up in a rural mining town). The increase in adult-onset asthma/allergies suggests that a relatively modern phenomena is at play. Granted, I do not know what is --- yet my mother has the exact same story (developed asthma as an adult in the 60s/70s when smog was becoming a rampant problem). My mother-in-law, is no germaphobe, either. She doesn't like cleaning house (no Lysol or sanitary wipes to be found anywhere). And she once told me not to bother cleaning off the counter where I prepped raw Thanksgiving turkey because she never bothered to, and they (husband, an MD) never got sick!
This "Hygiene Hypothesis" is a convenient way for the petro-chemical industry --- and the FDA that has repeatedly enabled them to market inadequately tested home/garden/agriculture products --- to duck blame. Back when today's senior citizens grew up asthma-free they were more likely to come from a farm or small town (with better air/water quality), and were also more likely to have fewer cars on the road, fewer highways and freeways running through the backyard, fewer drugs in their food, water and bodies (antibiotics and otherwise) and fewer commercially prepared bug sprays, cleaners, etc.
The people on those Hoarder shows somehow survive in total filth for an alarming number of years. Their immune system obviously adapts with their senses. Of course their mental health deteriorates....
I intentionally buy non-antibacterial products whenever I can. I think we're slowly breeding super-bacteria on our household surfaces, just like overuse of antibiotics is leading to drug-resistant superbugs.
When a cleaning product advertises "kills 99.9% of germs" it's an absolute joke if you look at actual numbers instead of a percentage. Per webmd, here's your kitchen counter bacteria numbers: countertop - 488/sq in., kitchen sink - 17,000/sq in, sink drain - 567,000/sq in., faucet handle - 13,000/sq in.
On a 20' counter not including the sink, drain or faucet, there are 2.8 million bacteria. Kill the weakest 99.9% of them and you've left the most-resistant 2800 of them to reproduce and pass that resistance on.
I would say the main cause of the rise in childhood asthma is the millions of diesel trucks spewing diesel fumes into our air. If you didn't know, diesel fumes contain finely divided carbon, that's why diesel exhaust is black. When you breath this stuff into your lungs, it's there forever. Anything that goes in your lungs besides clean air will eventually cause asthma and its close relative chronic obstuctive pulmonary disease. And, the study left out the sensitization effect!
I grew up in a household with pets and plenty of dirt from outdoors, and so did my own kids. We seem to be sturdy. My mother was before her time because she did not allow strong industrial cleaners in the house. I steam clean my floors with a Shark and the only smell it makes is the odor of steam! I use vinegar and sometimes one part vinegar-one part peroxide to clean up after my cats. Pinesol makes me feel sick. It reminds me of nursing homes (which seem to reek of bodily functions and Pinesol). I sleep with my dog and whatever cats that decide my bed is comfy. When I see clean freak parents I shudder.
"Hey Wilbur, which one of these is the newest leftover chicken box on the kitchen floor, I'm hungry! Oh I see it it's underneath the dirty diapers on the kitchen table from last night when the kids were here, when we were watchin' the Honey Poo Poo show."
I dont think anyone is advocating eating spoiled food or allowing diapers to fester in the kitchen.
No problem; I take a shower the first day of every month. I'm going to live to be 120.
I am not surprised that people that live on farms have less problems. I am also not surprised that the filthy homes in the city areas have more. It is not the dirt. No house is clean, they look that way, and the cleaning and fire retardant chemicals are a bigger factor than dirt! The real reason, and Im shocked no one can step up to the plate here... The darn food. Come on, eat processed cooked junk food and suffer. You are what you eat. If you eat junk, you will be junk, and rememer that 70% of your imune system is in your stomach, that is where alergies start. not to mention, those farmer breast fed the kids.
I had very bad allergies throughout my childhood. When I was about 16 we had a lot of cats and dogs move in with us. After a month or so of bad allergies, the allergies that I had my whole life for the most part disappeared. Of course, this isnt proof of the causality of the events but they could be related.
This is all the liberal media has for today. I guess they missed the one about the loser in the white house. Of course when your'e giving taxpayers money away for votes, what do you expect from abc, nbc msnbe, etc; No real news, just something to draw the attention away from obama's losing streak on his business picks. Good thing he's not a stock broker!@!!!!!! He is good at giving our money away for campaign contributions though!!!!!
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/08/lg-plant-that-got-150m-to-make-volt-batteries-in-michigan-puts-workers-on/
You should be careful about wearing your tin foil hat at the same time you're watching Faux. You could encounter some serious consequences.
I recall studies for years ago (in the 60’s) that said the same thing.
I know one time I had two neighbors. Each had a son about 18 months old. When they were out on a warm sunny day one would be outside wearing a diaper only just having a good ole time playing in the yard getting covered in dirt. The other would be bundled up like a blue norther had come in and was not allowed off the sidewalk and heaven forbid if he tried to touch the ground with his bare hand.
Needless to say Diaper Kid A was always bright and healthy, while Bundled Kid B was continually pale and sickly.
Just think how much healthier we would be if our immune system was half as good as our pets.
You don't know if the coddling and the careful behavior on the part of the parent toward the child caused the illness or if the illness triggered the parent to be more protective. The "Hygiene Hypothesis" only proves that scientists are just as prone to confusing causation and correlation as the rest of us.
Eat that, no don't eat that, take this drug, no don't take this drug, wash your hands, no don't wash your hands. This is why American Doctors and medical researchers have absolutely NO credibility anymore.
Uh oh! This could become THE excuse for not keeping a clean home.
Perhaps another article could discuss how unclean homes can be without causing more harm than good. I assume that we don't want to add filthy homes to obesity, asthma, etc, as the next big national/global health issue to arise.
(c) 2012
I don't necessarily agree with the allergy part, but, I do believe that people who get exposed to germs and dirt sometimes get sick way less than those who are always sanitizing every little thing.
This is old news. This idea has been around for the last 15-years or more. I love how these comments descend into the "chemicals" issue. All that is really happening is that exposure to all the nasty allergens out there [rolling in the dirt, etc] pushes a dominant type of antibody response [IgG] away from the IgE response that is the basis of the allergic reaction.