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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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They have been saying this for years, and MSNBC usually does a story on it about every 4-6 months. It's pretty common knowledge at this point, at least among the people I know.
Repetition and more awareness doesn't hurt. There still are lots of dummies in the neighborhood.
Can't believe that my sloppy-room keeper, never cleaned a plate, glass or pot in her young life, continually make another lame excuse for not finding the "on-button" for the vacuum cleaner - daughter / e-mailed this article to me and wrote, "see dad... I told you!!!"
But it doesn't totally make sense to me. I grew up in horrid conditions that were definitely not overly clean...ugh. I have always had horrible allergies and asthma. I do think that my dad's smoking all over me for my first twelve years was a big factor in that, but there were definitely plenty of germs.
My grown son didn't grow up in a spotless house and he has allergies, and my daughters both have allergies...one really serious ones...in my very not-perfectly clean house. My husband came from a normal house with no sanitizers and has allergies as well. I had plenty of cats and dogs along the way and was out in all kinds of conditions where there were animals and dirt. I hate the hand sanitizers, but not just for that reason.
I am not saying there isn't any point to that argument in any case, but kids in filthy inner city housing react to many things as well, and they often how animals around and plenty of roaches, too. I see many factors involved in allergies and asthma, including genetics, environment (as in smoking exposure, illnesses, and various other factors.
My daughter reacted strongly any time she was around our cat from the time we brought her home from the hospital. The house sure wasn't germless and we weren't nuts about germs. She is allergic to many things, and we have never kept her in a clean bubble. This idea just doesn't explain the whole picture.
You cannot build an immune system if you have no exposure to all the things including bad things that are in the environment.
Dirt is good.
..
I see what you mean, Ram. I grew up in an old house with no air-conditioning in semi-tropical South Florida. We had cats. There were big spiders living behind certain places in the kitchen and palmetto bugs too, along with all sorts of other creepy crawlies. I had and still have allergies, so this theory does not explain. There must be other factors too.
You can't use a single individual as an argument against an aggregate effect. It's basic statistics.
This is utter bull.
I am one of seven children.
I grew up in a home with MANY dogs and cats. Our house (growing up) was clean, but far from antiseptic.
What parent of 7 kids has time for that nonsense?
And I have severe allergies and brittle (steroid dependent) asthma.
I am the only one of the 7 who does.
I have 3 kids myself.
I am ALLERGIC to most modern cleaning agents. Can't use them.
Yet...ONE of my children has allergies as bad as mine.
TWO are unaffected.
It is genetic, folks.
My mom ( city girl, by the way) always said "you gotta eat a peck of dirt before you die"
Grew up in the country, dirty hands, dirty feet, dirty face, ate wild berries from the bush, vegetables picked right from the garden without cleaning. At work everyone comes down with something but I don't get colds or the flu, so if I want an unplanned day off of work, I get the SOW (Sick of Work) flu. Eat dirt, it's good for you.
It's genetic AND environmental. All environments (including the one's that are our bodies) are based on a complex interplay between various elements. No single element can be taken out of that context and either lauded or blamed for what physical/environmental experiences we have.
Many Americans are particularly obsessed with trying to control germs and odors and loathe anything that is sticky or gooey or organic. That obsession has had the equivalent effect of overuse of antibiotics; an overall lack of natural antigen control. The general rule has always been that the more you try to control life, the more chaotic and unpredictable life becomes.
The "too clean" theory shows just how clueless researchers are. They need to look at the types and amounts of chemicals and pharmaceuticals your average citizen of a developed country is exposed too. I grew up in the woods of Alaska with dogs, chickens and geese (not to mention mosquitoes) and I have been plagued with allergies and asthma all my life. I have seen so many doctors I finally realized how utterly clueless most of them are. In another generation the "too clean" theory will join the flat earth society as one of the most laughable ideas in all of history.
So, it sounds like you agree, but just don't know it.
I think that allergies are part genetics, part exposure and part keeping your children from anything dirty (being dirty is normal for kids). I do believe that you can be obsessive about the cleanliness but that does not mean be a slob. I also wonder about all of the chemicals and how that affects allergies/asthma. Myself my biggest allergens are flowers and perfumes and they have always been around, yes dust bothers me some but mold really gets me, animals don't seem to affect me at all.
Would you tie your kid in a chair, thinking that was a good way to build their muscle strength? The immune system is similar - it needs exercise to develop properly, and although the makers of Clorox and Lysol would have you think differently, it's actually perfectly designed to protect against common environmental pathogens. Without the stimulus of those pathogens, it's more likely to respond inappropriately to harmless things, like allergens - or the body's own cells. Along with the pathogens, the immune system also needs adequate vitamin D, so the combination of sterile environment and layers of sunscreen are like a one-two punch. No wonder so many kids are immunocompromised.
I'm Ok with this, all I ask is that you wash your filty hands after you use the restroom, and this story does not apply to Doctors offices and hospitals. Oh, and this also I would not allpy if one of the kids is sick then lysol is a go.
I'm a firm believer in George Carlins theory on germs!
And my Daddy used to always say to me I was too mean to get sick. All along, he meant I was too dirty to get sick.
And he said it like it was a bad thing.
Cleanliness is not the only factor but it certainly is one factor in the rise of allergies.
Look this is not a new theory by any means. I know that they have done studies that show kids raised with a pet in the house tend to have fewer allergies. Kid that attend daycare tend to have fewer allergies and have stronger immune systems then those who do not. Kids who grow up on farms tend to have fewer allergies.
No where does it say that kids who are exposed to germs have NO allergies, just FEWER.
To say, "well I grew up in a house with 10 cats and roaches in the cupboard and I still get hayfever" only shows that for whatever reason you still developed an allergy. It's the equivalent of saying that smoking doesn't cause lung cancer because your uncle Jimmie got lung cancer and he never smoked a day in his life... But aunt Rita smoked two packs a day and lived to be 90.
For Ram and the others presenting the "I grew up in dirty/unsanitary surroundings and I still have allergies" argument, you can't refute a general statement with personal anecdotes. There will always be exceptions to any pattern, and of course other factors figure in. Heredity, genetic anomalies, exposure to different combinations of pathogens/allergens, different responses to treatment and other causes have to be included. The statement about excessive cleanliness is still valid, it just has to be tempered with common sense. Living in filth isn't an answer any more than living in a bubble would be.
Well, it's a nice theory - without much actual facts.
and let's remember, correlation does not = causation.
I'd like to test the theory, but since they used The Amish as the control group...it's kind of hard to.
Why? Because The Amish (generally) marry/procreate within their own community...which makes their genetic pool significantly less diverse than the general population. Then you add in the fact that as a community, they arent generally "out and about" the town like an average person...riding the subway, bus, sitting in rush hour traffic, standing in lines at movie theatres...etc. Their exposure to illnesses from the "general community" is less than the average person.
THEN you couple that with the fact that as adults, they arent sitting in offices - where if someone comes in sick, the entire office gets sick. Nope, they are generally working on the farm, in the fields, ect.
THEN you couple that with the fact that their kids, arent at all sitting in the house all day, watching tv, playing video games, eating poorly, and generally being lazy like the average american kid - and is instead outside, working with the family (or playing outside) - being active, eating healthy foods, and very few are overweight, let alone obese...
and you start to see a far bigger picture than this "theory" offers.
I dont think it's our "clean houses and anti-bacterial hand sanitizers" that are the issues, it's being stuck in those houses all day, doing nothing, sitting our butts, watching tv, and being generally unhealthy...our bodies arent lean, mean fighting machines...they are soft, squeezable bug attracting machines.
The general public is overweight if not obese, lazy, and eats poorly and THAT is your answer to allergies. The Amish, are not. END OF STORY
I grew up in a less than clean house, with dogs, played outside often...but as a child had a compromised immune system - allergic to wheat and dairy since birth. How did my not even existing in the world yet CREATE THIS? it didnt, genetics did.
Then as an adult, after getting violently sick for a week with a wicked flu - I magically have so many allergies it's hard to keep track of them. And yes, my entire adult life i've been overweight - at times obese - and very inactive for far too much of it.
The past 4 years since getting allergies, i've been moving in the opposite direction, and without assistance from allergy meds, overcoming SOME of my allergies...all the while, never keeping a "extremely clean house" and never using hand sanitzers...so, perhaps their theory will just ignore me because I dont fit it's simplistic idea of what the heck is happening.
it's a lot hard being honest with ourselves about how lazy and how poorly we eat and how on earth that MIGHT actually affect our immune systems, let alone that genetics plays a huge role before we even get a chance to do anything one way or the other.
great, since I have no allergies or asthma, people will know that I grew up in a filthy household. Thanks, MSNBC.
Actually, I just grew up around cats and dogs. =]
While slight exposure to allergens from birth on might possibly be beneficial, for those of us who "inherited" asthma and allergies, this is simply not true.
I don't like the fact that exposure to toxins, such as cigarette smoke and other air toxins, are being discounted or are not even considered. Like many people my age (60s), we grew up in clouds of tobacco smoke when no one even thought that it was a bad thing. With scented candles, air "fresheners" and sprays emitting god-knows what, these possible allergens are simply ignored. Heck, I can't even get a good asthma inhaler anymore, due to HTCs being emitted in the air!
This theory leaves too many questions unanswered. For one, it doesn't explain the fact that many inner city children are being diagnosed with asthma every single day and the disease is on the rise.
Genetics plays a large role as well as toxins, in the developement of allergies. i would bet the amount of smog in the air is a huge factor too.
You say it's common knowledge and it should be, but my MIL and SIL both have houses that reek of Pine-sol and they swear by anti-bac soap and hand sanitizer. Interestingly my nephews all have allergies and get sick quite frequently - the point where all three have had tubes in their ears at some point. I'm less obsessive about scrubbing down surfaces several times a day, shun the harsh chemical cleaners and anti-bac soap does not get used in the house. I don't freak out if the kids don't wash their hands before eating or pick something up off the floor (even when out at the food court). My kids have no signs of allergies and I've only had to take my five year old to the doctor once when she came down with bronchitis (which she caught from her cousin). But neither of them can wrap their heads around 'too clean'. There are still a lot of folks out there who don't think something is clean unless you smell the harsh chemical soup.
Babies have an amazing ability to build resistance to many germs. If you make their environment so clean as to remove those germs, they don't get to build up those immunities. It freaks me out more to see the parents sanitize their hands before even touching their baby (and, yes, I have seen that) than it does to see parents pick up a pacifier on a dirty floor and give it back to their baby. The first set of parents are doing more harm.
GROSS!!
OK, you can be too clean, but you can also be too dirty.
Parents don't need to sanitize their hands before picking up baby.
But please do not pick up a pacifier off a visibly dirty floor and give it to your baby. An ecoli or salmonella infection can be deadly to an infant. Use common sense people!
Allergies and asthma can certainly be genetic (I inherited allergies from my dad, and passed them along to my kids), but a healthy immune system needs to be exercised. My allergies got better after allergy shots- where they give you increasing doses of what you're allergic to until your body no longer reacts.
My kids get to play outside, wrestle with the dog, etc., and I only expect them to wash their hands after using the bathroom, before eating, or when they're visibly dirty. I will use sanitizer when we're in a crowded place and there's a lot of colds going around, but not on a daily basis. I do wash my hands often while cooking or preparing food, especially meat or eggs, but dirt only bothers me if it's ground into carpets and clothing.
Other than having to take allergy meds spring, summer, and fall, my family is quite healthy and we rarely need to go to the doctor for an illness. :)
Ugh! Pine-Sol. This 2-syllable word strikes terror in my heart. Not only does it make me absolutely nauseous, but when I told my mom that it makes me sick, she tried to cover it up with hairspray, cologne, air fresheners and baby powder! If I wasn't sick before, I certainly was after the "cover up"! lol!
I have a cleaning service and do not use pinesol,bleach or ammonia.Unless you have a grossly filthy home those harsh chemicals are not needed and they are harmful to many building materials.I have friends who are customers that buy hand sanitizer by the liter.Hand sanitizer is killing off the sea life stated researchers in an earlier article.Kids especially need to be exposed to germs in order to build up their immune system.
Yeah. Maybe the researchers should consider how much less exposure to CHEMICALS your average Amish has compared with the rest of us. As a lifelong sufferer of allergies and asthma I don't buy the "too clean" theory for one minute. My problems always flare up in response to chemical exposure or certain pharmaceuticals.
Beer Mug,I know people who are big fans of Windex,which contains ammonia.It makes me wheeze.I use a non toxic glass and mirror cleaner and have no reaction.In fact the longer I am in business and the more dusty and dirty jobs that I do I the healthier I have become.I do make my customers houses shine but not with harsh chemicals.Of course those plug in air freshners' that some of them have send me reaching for my inhaler.
Best cleaner ever white vinegar and water and guess what no chemicals.
Actually vinegar IS a chemical -- acetic acid (CH3CO2H), usually with a little di-hydrogen oxide (H20) <g>.
I'm guessing you mean NO HARSH INDUSTRIAL chemicals...
Beer mug-I don't think what you say about the chemicals disproves the too clean theory. When someone over cleans they accomplish two things-eliminating the germs deposited on the surfaces as well as spreading the cleaning agent (chemical) around the house. Either way, it comes back to using too many cleaning products/over cleaning.
My two die-hard cleansers are baking soda and vinegar. But my folks always told me there is no such thing as "man made", because all products we use in our house originated from our world and were mechanically altered to perform in differing ways.
Be careful. Some "old fashioned" cleaners like ammonia can be extremely dangerous. Whatever you use, make sure it is in a well ventillated area and PLEASE do not create a chemistry experiment in your toilet bowl or mop bucket. This obsession with a sterile home enviorment makes me wonder why living in a "museum" is so attractive to so many people. I am a semi packrat and love my home even if other people think it is "cluttered". These self same people do nothing to help me clean either. I am all for living whatever way makes you content...It is possible to go to extremes. I am not sure if there is a direct and irrefutable correlation between exposure to dirt and stronger immunity however, I am sure there is a correlation between over cleaning and obsessive compulsive disorder....
I'm a big fan of vinegar... there's so much you can do with it, it's safe for pets and kids, and other than a temporary pickle smell until it dries, there are no problems with it.
@leftcoast, don't be so obtuse ... when most people talk of chemicals, it is generally understood they are talking about manufactured chemicals.
Apparently, Stephen, you are either visually impaired or you lack a sense of humor... perhaps both.
The "<g>" at the end of my unashamedly nerdy bit of humor IDENTIFIED it as a JOKE!!!
To your credit, even though you completely misunderstood my comment, you used "obtuse" correctly in a sentence. Way to go...
All the people I know who have "Allergies" suffer from "fear of germs (fungus, dander) and use hand sanitizer a dozen times a day, keep away from pets and don't come anywhere near mold or mildew. This compulsive behavior is then passed on to their children, who are brought up to have the same allergies as the parent and the same obsession with cleanliness. Unfortunately some doctors have been telling these people for years that their children have inherited their allergies, thus continuing the obsessive compulsive behavior.
Since I was a child I've been taught that "exposure to the elements makes you less susceptible to them" This includes going outside in the winter (in Ohio) without a coat for short periods of time, going swimming a little too early or late in the year. I was never discouraged from getting dirty. I don't get flu shots. (They're from last year's flu anyway) I don't get sick very often. A cold about once a year and the flu every few years. (It seldom lasts more than a few days) I try to avoid antibiotics, so I stay away from Doctors as much as possible. And people say I'M crazy.
But your limited experience of all the people you know doesn't mean that the people aren't already allergic and trying to deal with the allergies. I am allergic to dust, but I didn't get that allergy from not every having challenges to my immune system..same with cats. And if I didn't watch getting near cats I would be sick. You are just plain wrong if you think that people with allergies all run around in fear and their kids didn't inherit the allergies. Do some research...I got dirty and have horrible allergies. My kids have always gotten dirty and they have allergies. I promise that if you had a life-threatening reaction to cats as a very young child, and that reaction got worse each time you were around them (or fungi or peanuts or dander or tomatoes or dairy or whatever) you would avoid them as well. I bet if your child almost died in front of you that you would start being more careful as well, too.
The obsession with avoidance or cleanliness comes after the reaction and and doesn't mean anyone brought their child up to have allergies..lol. Do some get obsessed? Sure! But you can't convince me that my few day old daughter was brought up to be allergic to the things she is allergic to since they were there from birth, germs aren't a big deal to us, and the house wasn't spotless (we have twins. It is never spotless..lol) by any means.
Lose the sanitizer for many reasons, but I see this as one factor in some cases, and your generalization isn't true for many people who suffer from allergies. If you don't have allergies that are severe you don't get how bad it is to get sick from them.
Realistic --So your point is that allergies are the imaginary friends of neurotics? Yeah, I'd say that's pretty crazy. Allergies are mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman texts--didn't they have enough dirt back then? They certainly didn't have any hand sanitizer or germ theory. Plus, a couple hundred years ago there used to be about a 50 percent death rate for children under the age of two...and they got plenty of exposure to germs. Didn't make them healthy. Made at least half of them dead.
My grandmother was one of 13 kids but only 7 lived to adulthood. My FIL was one of 10 but several of them also died of infectious disease as children. None of them were clean people by any stretch of the imagination.
Believing that germ theory is bunk is as crazy as over-obsessing about cleanliness.
Lee, I have a theory of my own. 100 or so years ago, half of all children died (as you mention). Evolution states that the fit make it to adulthood to reproduce and the unfit never get that chance; hence, the healthy genes continue and the unhealthy do not. Then modern times came along and medical science was able to save children that would have likely died from some childhood disease. I am one of them. I would have died of pneumonia at age six had it not been for modern medicine. A relative of mine would never have made it past infant-hood because she was born one month premature (but they had incubators which they did not have in olden times). There are, therefore, many people alive who would normally not be. These would be weaker in many ways, possibly subject to allergies as well as other things. As a human species, our genetics has changed; probably weaker genes are more common in the human gene pool. It is something to consider.
I have plenty of allergies. I deal with them, I don't "medicate" them. I understand where realisticpessimist is coming from. Biology tends to keep up with what we throw at it, so why tempt fate? Yes, Empress, evolution and survival of the fittest is going to happen. Why tempt fate by introducing drugs for allergies and health issues that do not kill?
I see the war is on....
BUT I believe that the point of the article is not that there are not inherited allergies but rather a person can spontaneously develop allergies when not exposed to enough germs. Also there is a difference to being exposed to germs on a farm or in a non-sterile house and being brought up in a smoky, filthy house. Which can bring on health issues also. The article addresses the need for everyone to stop OVER sanitizing everything. We need germs! One can not be surprised that their body does not fight against a pathogen that it has never seen. Immunity only comes with exposure. If we do not tax our systems enough, it has no reference and can react to common irritants more readily.
This should not be a fight about who grew up in a dirty house or who has inherited allergies as proof that the article is incorrect.
Ram,Your allergy is not from the dust but it's from the dust mites.
Empress-that makes a lot of sense to me, and I have often thought about that myself.
ram and realistic-you're both using the same argument. "I personally know three people who x,y,and z, so therefore the article is right/wrong". You're using case studies/examples to prove/disprove a study with a much larger sample size-which is not a very good support for an argument. What I take from this article is that the act of over-cleaning is one way that can contribute to a lifetime of allergies/asthma. Nowhere in the article did it claim that this was the only source of allergies, and I certainly would agree that genetics play a role. I think Paddleboard said it quite well.
Given the amount of crud I grew up with and that I almost never get sick, I'd say this article is spot on.
I remember my 10 year class reunion when one of the girls from my class had her baby there (small school with 30 students in my class, yeah we bring our kids to the reunion) and was letting people hold it, but insisted you sanitize yourself before you held it. Scary paranoid much?
Babies' immune systems are still developing, and an illness that a 10-month old child quickly gets over without medical care can hospitalize or kill a newborn. Your classmate was not at all overly cautious, in my opinion.
Your classmate WAS overly cautious. Been there is wrong. Babies ARE building up their immune system, and the more they are exposed to (that is not life threatening) the better in the long run.
It wasn't all that long ago that all the disinfectants, sanitizers, and harsh chemical cleaners came along. The manufacturers of these products have a vested interest in trying to convince everyone that everything they touch or are exposed to in any way has to be completely disinfected. When I was a kid, my mom didn't disinfect and bandage every little scratch we got. She kept a clean house, but wasn't obsessive about it. Heck, my siblings and I played with farm animals all the time, and even made dirt pies and ATE part of them. We always washed up for meals, but got pretty grungy the rest of the time, and when we were little, took a full-fledged bath only on Saturday night so we would be clean for church on Sunday. We were rarely sick, and I think it's because we actually had a functional immune system. When I was young, you rarely saw such things as peanut and other food allergies, etc. As this research proves, things can be TOO clean.
I was just talking to my mom about this the other day and saying how true it is. All the people who clean and sanitize everything have kids who are sick all the time and who grow up to be sick as adults. We were always allowed to get dirty, we followed the "five second rule" and my mom only wiped off the counters with hot water and dish soap. I haven't been to a doctor because I was sick in about 7 years. It's ridiculous how far people take it these days.
It's how your body builds up its immune system.
If the Amish had Fabreeze and the other chemicals that populate so many households, I would think you'd soon find that population developing asthma and other conditions.
I used to have a friend who was OCD and a super clean freak. She, her husband and daughter are constantly sick. When I suggested the cause could be her over zealous cleaning-she accused me of being a slob! My son only had one ear infection in 23 years, no allergies and catching a cold is a rarity. These "clean freaks" are running up the nations health care costs needlessly.
My daughter-in-law has OCD. She would come to my house for a visit and wash her hands 8 to 10 times in an hour. Now, she has fibromyalgia (or so they think that,s what it is)), early onset osteoporosis, and God knows what else. She has no kids and does not want any because they are dirty. She does not work, does no housework or cooking, and would not touch a dirty dish. So, my son works and does all that because she is too "puny".
It makes sense to me! I'm a terrible housekeeper and I almost never get sick. When everybody else is taking allergy medication, I'm just sneezing a little bit.
I don't ever use antibacterial soap and I hardly ever use bleach. I don't believe in overkill.
Bleach is for whitening clothes!
GetReal and pj: Are you saying that we should not even try to clean public restrooms? I have a part-time job that involves cleaning public restrooms and we use a bleach solution to clean the sinks, toilets, floors, diaper tables, etc. Most of the people using these restrooms are women, children and babies.
Would you rather use a clean restroom or one that hasn't been cleaned at all?
I have had asthma all of my life. Growing up my mother was neither to clean nor to dirty. We had a dog the entire time. Pet hair and dander were always there to be vacuumed up. I think that there is more to the story that researchers are still missing. Being to clean or not clean enough or having it passed down, I think there are more factors to examine. At least since I was younger, allergies have been made easier to manage. Sadly certain medications are still extremely expensive. So when they can figure out a way to get rid of allergies altogether, thats when I will be excited.
It's impossible to be 100% germ free, so at least trying to be is not bad because you can't completely be although you wish you were.
Except for, you know, creating germs that can withstand our chemical solutions.... Not only withstand them, but thrive in them.
Have known this for half a century.
wait you mean not allowing your kids to develop an immune system is a bad thing?!?!? NO SAY IT ISNT SO!!! i mean come on guys this is simple common sense. if your not exposed to a pathogen you cant be immune to said pathogen....thats why we get shots when we are young to expose us!!!!! oh well i guess the brain power in the u.s. really is getting smaller.
Weyant, I kinda think you shot yourself in the foot. You may want to rethink your post.
They also didn't have all the meds we do now. Medicine & Pharmacology advance pretty quickly (and you obviously haven't noticed).
List what the deceased died from. I'll bet they'd have made it just fine today.
See, we're not really a bunch of pigs; we're just doing what best for our families:) It works for me.
3-5% residual food proteins & amino acids from vaccine cultures & growth medium in vaccines that cannot be filtered out. Add aluminum adjuvants to stimulate the immune system to over=react to the vral protein elements of the vaccine and there is no way for the immune system to dsitinguish between fighting a viral element and fighting a food or plant protein. Get with it docs. Quit lying to the public. The top 10 allergens are all found in childhood vaccines, and you know it. Vaccinate the kid, create an immune system storm against their food and a cash cow for the industry.
Can't argue with crazy. Should never try. But here goes: I had every major vaccine on the market, and will continue to have more as they make them (on the whole, never had a flu vaccine), and my only allergy is dust mites. Kind of doubt the dust mites were in the vaccine. My daughter was vaccinated against everything recommended, and some optional, and has no allergies what so ever. Get rid of the vaccines and you will die of Smallpox, look up some photos and you will see this is a horrible idea.
Oh - in the nature of the page, I grew up in a somewhat dusty house but moderately clean, played outside a lot, still allergic to dust. That said, my daughter and I have skin that severely over-reacts if we use antibacterial hand soap / sanitizers. Turns out general bacteria found on your skin normally also helps act as an anti-inflammatory agent, and when we kill off too much of it we turn bright red and hurt horribly. Moderation is good with everything.
I agree...the ones who are clean freaks are probably the same ones who ones who won't get their kids vaccinated.
And they just figured this out now?
SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB, yep all that germ BS n ppl are sick more than ever... so obvious n so foolish... I have not had the flu for 35 yrs (I am in my late 40's), I have not had a cold for 15 yrs, n I have not taken an antibiotic for 20 yrs... yes, I have an extraordinary immune system, but, also, not worrying about germs...AND ALL YOU NOSE PICKERS, that needs to stop... it is not genetics making you sick, it is using dozens of chemicals n washing n worrying all the time
I keep a very neat home. Things are organized and put away and my cleaning habit are such that I will clean very well but not be anal. There's a BIG difference being being clean and being anal about it. I scrub our baths and showers twice week and the toilets are done with bleach every other day. Vacuuming/ dusting is done twice a week. Dishes done daily after eating, kitchen and countertops and such wiped down with white vinegar/baking soda mix. Floors are swept daily and mopped once a week. Laundry is done weekly. I use eco friendly cleaners/ soaps. that is how I clean my home. It sounds like a lot BUT I'm not anal nor am i a germaphobe. I understand we can't avoid all germs completely, but we CAN take precautions against the harmful ones. I am proud to say my home is clean and looks GOOD for anyone cones in to visit. and my family. We have ZERO allergies and only get a cold/sickness if we bring it in from an outside source. However, I'm always busting my husband's butt, to wash his hands frequently (we don't use sanitizers or antibacterial soaps..we use normal liquid soaps with a moisturizer). being clean, neat and tidy is one things..being anal is another. Being anal isn't a good thing.
While this has ben common knowledge for a long time, too many people either do not know that this is the reality of why they suffer from allergies in particular food bourne allergies because they do not listen to or want to listen to what is being said. I am a chef. I have been cooking for almost 40 years. The explosion of food bourne allergies is about 100 fold of what I dealt with fifteen years ago. The usage of anti-bacterial soaps and cleaners is part of the problem. The other issue is just parents not allowing their children to be exposed to common dirt, soil and all of the world's great offerings. I grew up exposed to the outdoors. I ran in streams, ate dirt, played in the wild and was always dirty. This makes the body confront bacteria at an early age and allows your system to begin to build anti-bodies to what it encounters. In the world today you still can begin to slowly introduce the items that you are allergic to into your system and begin to develop immunity to these items. Chef Ming at The BLue Ginger in Wessley, MA is a great source for information of how to proceed in this manner. He has been doing this with a family member, but he also is one of the leading voices in this crusade. Please understand that what you as a parent choose to do in cleaning and anti-bacterial products as well as what you allow your children to be exposed to directly affects their immune systems and if they develop allergies in their lifetimes. I have customers tat have multipull allergies and I daily adjust what I cook to alllow them to be able to dine with me. GBe smart and allow your kids to get dirty, play in the mud, get outside and do not use anti-bacterial cleansers all the time. These should be limited for times that they encounter someone who is sick. Sometimes not even then. Good luck and be wise in your choices.
Any parent with an IQ above 100 will tell you how their kids got sick, and maybe the parents, when the kids first went into a multi-kid environment, e.g., daycare, preschool, school. That is where the kids caught the bug, and maybe passed it on. Years later, the kids are healthy and the parents are healthy as the immune systems were developed or boostered. That is actually evolution!
Huh - where does evolution come in in this scenario? Their immune system developed a recognition of certain pathogens which protected them in the future and may help prevent auto-immune disorders. No evolution here.
Being overly clean can have issues other than the obvious. You are using lots more cleaners, for example. Also, our modern environment is loaded with chemicals which may increase inflammation and make kids more susceptible. I grew up in a dirty house and I don't have allergies, but I also wasn't exposed to a lot of chemicals like today.
Thank you Janet for pointing out another often missed variable. The hypothesis is based on the farm theory. I do think dirt and good microbes can be beneficial, that point has been repeated for years. Amish children raised on farms probably actually eat real farm to table food, without additives and chemicals. Unfortunately, too many studies ignore the fact that chemicals, pesticides, and processed foods are also variables. Where's the research on the cumulative effect of food grown with pesticides, then processed with chemicals, stored with preservatives, and finally reheated in a microwave??? I would LOVE to see that research!!!
you people cant seriously think this is okay. This is another way for them to come and take your kids off f you because your house is one point off of thier little inspection police and guess how many kids are going to be dropping in the orphanages, CYS, CPS have been prove to rape children , make thier health worse by giving them phycotropic drugs...
man you people had better wake up.... get educated by new that tells you the truth like unpaid media, or infowars my gawd people they are killing us.
Vaccines, proven to kill, they do no good and they even admit their not sure what flu bug it is to even give the correct does, so wth people your not seeing it .