The Hygiene Hypothesis
Some people respond to front-page news about microbes — bird flu, flesh-eating bacteria, pathogenic E. coli — with excessive soap, water and hand-sanitizer use, along with avoidance of fun activities such as dining out, hugging dogs, camping, French kissing and mud wrestling. But the science says to get a little dirty. Some exposure to “germs” will mature and strengthen your immune system.
Some experts even point to evidence that an over-sanitized environment is bad for your health, increasing the risk of allergic, autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. The so-called Hygiene Hypothesis posits that exposure to microbes early in life flexes and shapes the immune system to do what it was designed to do, like fight off the ebola virus. Growing up in an ultra-clean environment, though, may produce an immune system that attacks innocuous things (animal dander, ragweed pollen, your own cells), leading to chronic inflammation. In support of that hypothesis, children who grow up in larger families (blessed with germy siblings), live in the country (around barnyard animals), or attend day care have lower rates of conditions such as asthma, hay fever and eczema. On the other hand, improved sanitation (along with vaccinations and antibiotics) has clearly decreased the death rate from infections and lengthened our lives. Infections, however, continue to challenge us, which means that the Hygiene Hypothesis (and other immunity-boosting practices) remains a hot topic in immunology circles.
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/strengthen-immune-system-z10m0vau.aspx?page=4#ixzz2LMqAkXuo
THANKS TO http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/strengthen-immune-system-z10m0vau.aspx?page=4#axzz2LMpo5YPL
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