Here is another one of those
studies that makes me wonder. It contends that children who grow up
in hygienic households develop more allergies, eczema, and other
disorders that result from a depressed antibody response. Scientists
have theorized that children from middle class and affluent families
have weaker immune systems because they live in cleaner homes.
Besides increases in medicated and vaccinated children in the past
20 years, the number of children with allergies has also doubled,
with the sharpest increase among the middle classes.
Their study examined 8,306 patients, 776 of which had some form of
reaction to peanuts, and the findings were presented at the annual
meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
Lead study author, allergist Dr Sandy Yip, said, ‘Overall household
income is only associated with peanut sensitization in children aged
one to nine years. This may indicate that development of peanut
sensitization at a young age is related to affluence, but those
developed later in life are not.’ Am not sure of the
relationship between dust bunnies and peanuts, but why take
chances. Was going to clean my house today, but think it might be
healthier if I wait a few weeks.