Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack

[Guest guest]

At 11:51 PM 3/4/2008 -0000, you wrote:

>I'd be curious to know if people who have had childhood illnesses

>have stronger immune systems vs. people who have been vaccinated

>against every little thing. I think we're going to find these

>childhood illnesses serve a purpose.

>

> R

I have a little on that but you won't find research on it.

But I know hundreds of unvaccinated children as patients and thru my lists.

They are the healthiest children that I know, in most caes.

Sheri>

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

$$ Donations to help in the work - accepted by Paypal account

Voicemail US 530-740-0561

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm or

http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm

Vaccine Dangers On-Line courses - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccineclass.htm

Reality of the Diseases & Treatment -

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccineclass.htm

Homeopathy On-Line courses - http://www.wellwithin1.com/homeo.htm

NEXT CLASSES start by email March 12 & 13

[Guest guest]

and why do you say that?

Sheri

At 11:37 PM 3/4/2008 -0000, you wrote:

>This better hygiene theory is baloney ...

>

>

>

>>

>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

>dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR200803030

>> 3200_pf.html>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

>dyn/content/article/2008/03/03

>> /AR2008030303200_pf.html

>>

>> Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack

>>

>> By Rob Stein

>> Washington Post Staff Writer

>> Tuesday, March 4, 2008; A01

>>

>>

>> First, asthma cases shot up, along with hay fever and other common

>allergic

>> reactions, such as eczema. Then, pediatricians started seeing more

>children

>> with food allergies. Now, experts are increasingly convinced that a

>> suspected jump in lupus, multiple sclerosis and other afflictions

>caused by

>> misfiring immune systems is real.

>>

>> Though the data are stronger for some diseases than others, and

>part of the

>> increase may reflect better diagnoses, experts estimate that many

>allergies

>> and immune-system diseases have doubled, tripled or even

>quadrupled in the

>> last few decades, depending on the ailment and country. Some

>studies now

>> indicate that more than half of the U.S. population has at least

>one allergy.

>>

>> The cause remains the focus of intense debate and study, but some

>> researchers suspect the concurrent trends all may have a common

>explanation

>> rooted in aspects of modern living -- including the " hygiene

>hypothesis "

>> that blames growing up in increasingly sterile homes, changes in

>diet, air

>> pollution, and possibly even obesity and increasingly sedentary

>lifestyles.

>>

>> " We have dramatically changed our lives in the last 50 years, " said

>> ez, who studies allergies at the

>>

><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Arizon

>a?tid=i

>> nformline>University of Arizona. " We are exposed to more products.

>We have

>> people with different backgrounds being exposed to different

>environments.

>> We have made our lives more antiseptic, especially early in life.

>Our

>> immune systems may grow differently as a result. And we may be

>paying a

>> price for that. "

>>

>> Along with a flurry of research to confirm and explain the trends,

>> scientists have also begun testing possible remedies. Some are

>feeding

>> high-risk children gradually larger amounts of allergy-inducing

>foods,

>> hoping to train the immune system not to overreact. Others are

>testing

>> benign bacteria or parts of bacteria. Still others have patients

>with MS,

>> colitis and related ailments swallow harmless parasitic worms to

>try to

>> calm their bodies' misdirected defenses.

>>

>> " If you look at the incidence of these diseases, a lot of them

>began to

>> emerge and become much more common after parasitic worm diseases

>were

>> eliminated from our environment, " said Summers of the

>>

><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Iowa?

>tid=info

>> rmline>University of Iowa, who is experimenting with

>whipworms. " We believe

>> they have a profound symbiotic effect on developing and

>maintaining the

>> immune system. "

>>

>> Although hay fever, eczema, asthma and food allergies seem quite

>different,

>> they are all " allergic diseases " because they are caused by the

>immune

>> system responding to substances that are ordinarily benign, such

>as pollen

>> or peanuts. Autoimmune diseases also result from the body's defense

>> mechanisms malfunctioning. But in these diseases, which include

>lupus, MS,

>> Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, the immune system

>attacks

>> parts of the body such as nerves, the pancreas or digestive tract.

>>

>> " Overall, there is very little doubt that we have seen significant

>> increases, " said Syed Hasan Arshad of the Hide Asthma and

>Allergy

>> Centre in

>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/United+Kingdom?

>tid=informli

>> ne>England, who focuses on food allergies. " You can call it an

>epidemic.

>> We're talking about millions of people and huge implications, both

>for

>> health costs and quality of life. People miss work. Severe asthma

>can kill.

>> Peanut allergies can kill. It does have huge implications all

>around. If it

>> keeps increasing, where will it end? "

>>

>> One reason that many researchers suspect something about modern

>living is

>> to blame is that the increases show up largely in highly developed

>> countries in

>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Europe?

>tid=informline>Europ

>> e,

>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/North+America?

>tid=informlin

>> e>North America and elsewhere, and have only started to rise in

>other

>> countries as they have become more developed.

>>

>> " It's striking, " said Cookson of the Imperial College in

>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/London?

>tid=informline>London.

>>

>> The leading theory to explain the phenomenon holds that as modern

>medicine

>> beats back bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases that have long

>plagued

>> humanity, immune systems may fail to learn how to differentiate

>between

>> real threats and benign invaders, such as ragweed pollen or food.

>Or

>> perhaps because they are not busy fighting real threats, they

>overreact or

>> even turn on the body's own tissues.

>>

>> " Our immune systems are much less busy, " said Jean-Francois Bach

>of the

>> French Academy of Sciences, " and so have much more strong

>responses to much

>> weaker stimuli, triggering allergies and autoimmune diseases. "

>>

>> Several lines of evidence support the theory. Children raised with

>pets or

>> older siblings are less likely to develop allergies, possibly

>because they

>> are exposed to more microbes. But perhaps the strongest evidence

>comes from

>> studies comparing thousands of people who grew up on farms in

>Europe to

>> those who lived in less rural settings. Those reared on farms were

>> one-tenth as likely to develop diseases such as asthma and hay

>fever.

>>

>> " The data are very strong, " said von Mutius of the Ludwig-

>Maximilians

>> University in

>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Munich?

>tid=informline>Munic

>> h. " If kids have all sorts of exposures on the farm by being in

>the stables

>> a lot, close to the animals and the grasses, and drinking cow's

>milk from

>> their own farm, that seems to confer protection. "

>>

>> The theory has also gained support from a variety of animal

>studies. One,

>> for example, found that rats bred in a sterile laboratory had far

>more

>> sensitive immune systems than those reared in the wild, where they

>were

>> exposed to infections, microorganisms and parasites.

>>

>> " It's sort of a smoking gun of the hygiene hypothesis, " said

>

>> of

>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Duke+University?

>tid=informl

>> ine>Duke University.

>>

>> Researchers believe the lack of exposure to potential threats

>early in life

>> leaves the immune system with fewer command-and-control cells

>known as

>> regulatory T cells, making the system more likely to overreact or

>run wild.

>>

>> " If you live in a very clean society, you're not going to have a

>lot of

>> regulatory T cells, " said.

>>

>> While the evidence for the hygiene theory is accumulating, many

>say it

>> remains far from proven.

>>

>> " That theory is so full of holes that it's clearly not the whole

>story, "

>> said Wood of the

>>

><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/s+Hopkins+Medici

>ne?tid=

>> informline>s Hopkins School of Medicine.

>>

>> It does not explain, for example, the rise in asthma, since that

>disease

>> occurs much more commonly in poor, inner-city areas where children

>are

>> exposed to more cockroaches and rodents that may trigger it, Wood

>and

>> others said.

>>

>> Several alternative theories have been presented. Some researchers

>blame

>> exposure to fine particles in air pollution, which may give the

>immune

>> system more of a hair trigger, especially in genetically

>predisposed

>> individuals. Others say obesity and a sedentary lifestyle may play

>a role.

>> Still others wonder whether eating more processed food or foods

>processed

>> in different ways, or changes in the balance of certain vitamins

>that can

>> affect the immune system, such as vitamins C and E and fish oil,

>are a factor.

>>

>> " Cleaning up the food we eat has actually changed what we're

>eating, " said

>> Platts-Mills of the

>>

><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Virgin

>ia?tid=

>> informline>University of Virginia.

>>

>> But many researchers believe the hygiene hypothesis is the

>strongest, and

>> that the reason one person develops asthma instead of hay fever or

>eczema

>> or lupus or MS is because of a genetic predisposition.

>>

>> " We believe it's about half and half, " Cookson said. " You need

>> environmental factors and you need genetic susceptibility as well. "

>>

>> Some researchers have begun to try to identify specific genes that

>may be

>> involved, as well as specific components of bacteria or other

>pathogens

>> that might be used to train immune systems to respond

>appropriately.

>>

>> " If we could mimic what is happening in these farm environments,

>we could

>> protect children and prevent asthma, allergies and other

>diseases, " von

>> Mutius said.

>>

>> Some researchers are trying to help people who are at risk for

>allergies or

>> already ill with autoimmune diseases.

>>

>> With new research suggesting that food allergies may be occurring

>earlier

>> in life and lasting longer, several small studies have been done

>or are

>> underway in which children at risk for milk, egg and peanut

>allergies are

>> given increasing amounts of those foods, beginning with tiny

>doses, to try

>> to train the immune system.

>>

>> " I'm very encouraged, " said Wesley Burks, a professor of

>pediatrics at Duke

>> who has done some of the studies. " I'm hopeful that in five years,

>there

>> may be some type of therapy from this. "

>>

>> Another promising line of research involves giving patients

>microscopic

>> parasitic worms to try to tamp down the immune system.

>>

>> " We've seen rather dramatic improvements in patients' conditions, "

>said

>> Summers of the University of Iowa, who has treated more than 100

>people

>> with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis by giving them

>parasitic worms

>> that infect pigs but are harmless to humans. " We're not claiming

>that this

>> is a cure, but we saw a very dramatic improvement. Some patients

>went into

>> complete remission. "

>>

>> Doctors in

>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Argentina?

>tid=informline>Ar

>> gentina reported last year that MS patients who had intestinal

>parasites

>> fared better than those who did not, and researchers at the

>>

><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Wiscon

>sin?tid

>> =informline>University of Wisconsin are planning to launch another

>study as

>> early as next month testing pig worms in 20 patients with the

>disease.

>>

>> " We hope to show whether this treatment has promise and is worth

>exploring

>> further in a larger study, " said O. Fleming, a professor of

>neurology

>> who is leading the effort.

>>

>>

>>

>> --------------------------------------------------------

>> Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

>> Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

>> Vaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Vaccine Dangers

> &

>> Childhood Disease & Homeopathy Email classes start in March

>>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

This better hygiene theory is baloney ...

>

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR200803030

> 3200_pf.html>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

dyn/content/article/2008/03/03

> /AR2008030303200_pf.html

>

> Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack

>

> By Rob Stein

> Washington Post Staff Writer

> Tuesday, March 4, 2008; A01

>

>

> First, asthma cases shot up, along with hay fever and other common

allergic

> reactions, such as eczema. Then, pediatricians started seeing more

children

> with food allergies. Now, experts are increasingly convinced that a

> suspected jump in lupus, multiple sclerosis and other afflictions

caused by

> misfiring immune systems is real.

>

> Though the data are stronger for some diseases than others, and

part of the

> increase may reflect better diagnoses, experts estimate that many

allergies

> and immune-system diseases have doubled, tripled or even

quadrupled in the

> last few decades, depending on the ailment and country. Some

studies now

> indicate that more than half of the U.S. population has at least

one allergy.

>

> The cause remains the focus of intense debate and study, but some

> researchers suspect the concurrent trends all may have a common

explanation

> rooted in aspects of modern living -- including the " hygiene

hypothesis "

> that blames growing up in increasingly sterile homes, changes in

diet, air

> pollution, and possibly even obesity and increasingly sedentary

lifestyles.

>

> " We have dramatically changed our lives in the last 50 years, " said

> ez, who studies allergies at the

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Arizon

a?tid=i

> nformline>University of Arizona. " We are exposed to more products.

We have

> people with different backgrounds being exposed to different

environments.

> We have made our lives more antiseptic, especially early in life.

Our

> immune systems may grow differently as a result. And we may be

paying a

> price for that. "

>

> Along with a flurry of research to confirm and explain the trends,

> scientists have also begun testing possible remedies. Some are

feeding

> high-risk children gradually larger amounts of allergy-inducing

foods,

> hoping to train the immune system not to overreact. Others are

testing

> benign bacteria or parts of bacteria. Still others have patients

with MS,

> colitis and related ailments swallow harmless parasitic worms to

try to

> calm their bodies' misdirected defenses.

>

> " If you look at the incidence of these diseases, a lot of them

began to

> emerge and become much more common after parasitic worm diseases

were

> eliminated from our environment, " said Summers of the

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Iowa?

tid=info

> rmline>University of Iowa, who is experimenting with

whipworms. " We believe

> they have a profound symbiotic effect on developing and

maintaining the

> immune system. "

>

> Although hay fever, eczema, asthma and food allergies seem quite

different,

> they are all " allergic diseases " because they are caused by the

immune

> system responding to substances that are ordinarily benign, such

as pollen

> or peanuts. Autoimmune diseases also result from the body's defense

> mechanisms malfunctioning. But in these diseases, which include

lupus, MS,

> Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, the immune system

attacks

> parts of the body such as nerves, the pancreas or digestive tract.

>

> " Overall, there is very little doubt that we have seen significant

> increases, " said Syed Hasan Arshad of the Hide Asthma and

Allergy

> Centre in

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/United+Kingdom?

tid=informli

> ne>England, who focuses on food allergies. " You can call it an

epidemic.

> We're talking about millions of people and huge implications, both

for

> health costs and quality of life. People miss work. Severe asthma

can kill.

> Peanut allergies can kill. It does have huge implications all

around. If it

> keeps increasing, where will it end? "

>

> One reason that many researchers suspect something about modern

living is

> to blame is that the increases show up largely in highly developed

> countries in

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Europe?

tid=informline>Europ

> e,

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/North+America?

tid=informlin

> e>North America and elsewhere, and have only started to rise in

other

> countries as they have become more developed.

>

> " It's striking, " said Cookson of the Imperial College in

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/London?

tid=informline>London.

>

> The leading theory to explain the phenomenon holds that as modern

medicine

> beats back bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases that have long

plagued

> humanity, immune systems may fail to learn how to differentiate

between

> real threats and benign invaders, such as ragweed pollen or food.

Or

> perhaps because they are not busy fighting real threats, they

overreact or

> even turn on the body's own tissues.

>

> " Our immune systems are much less busy, " said Jean-Francois Bach

of the

> French Academy of Sciences, " and so have much more strong

responses to much

> weaker stimuli, triggering allergies and autoimmune diseases. "

>

> Several lines of evidence support the theory. Children raised with

pets or

> older siblings are less likely to develop allergies, possibly

because they

> are exposed to more microbes. But perhaps the strongest evidence

comes from

> studies comparing thousands of people who grew up on farms in

Europe to

> those who lived in less rural settings. Those reared on farms were

> one-tenth as likely to develop diseases such as asthma and hay

fever.

>

> " The data are very strong, " said von Mutius of the Ludwig-

Maximilians

> University in

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Munich?

tid=informline>Munic

> h. " If kids have all sorts of exposures on the farm by being in

the stables

> a lot, close to the animals and the grasses, and drinking cow's

milk from

> their own farm, that seems to confer protection. "

>

> The theory has also gained support from a variety of animal

studies. One,

> for example, found that rats bred in a sterile laboratory had far

more

> sensitive immune systems than those reared in the wild, where they

were

> exposed to infections, microorganisms and parasites.

>

> " It's sort of a smoking gun of the hygiene hypothesis, " said

> of

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Duke+University?

tid=informl

> ine>Duke University.

>

> Researchers believe the lack of exposure to potential threats

early in life

> leaves the immune system with fewer command-and-control cells

known as

> regulatory T cells, making the system more likely to overreact or

run wild.

>

> " If you live in a very clean society, you're not going to have a

lot of

> regulatory T cells, " said.

>

> While the evidence for the hygiene theory is accumulating, many

say it

> remains far from proven.

>

> " That theory is so full of holes that it's clearly not the whole

story, "

> said Wood of the

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/s+Hopkins+Medici

ne?tid=

> informline>s Hopkins School of Medicine.

>

> It does not explain, for example, the rise in asthma, since that

disease

> occurs much more commonly in poor, inner-city areas where children

are

> exposed to more cockroaches and rodents that may trigger it, Wood

and

> others said.

>

> Several alternative theories have been presented. Some researchers

blame

> exposure to fine particles in air pollution, which may give the

immune

> system more of a hair trigger, especially in genetically

predisposed

> individuals. Others say obesity and a sedentary lifestyle may play

a role.

> Still others wonder whether eating more processed food or foods

processed

> in different ways, or changes in the balance of certain vitamins

that can

> affect the immune system, such as vitamins C and E and fish oil,

are a factor.

>

> " Cleaning up the food we eat has actually changed what we're

eating, " said

> Platts-Mills of the

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Virgin

ia?tid=

> informline>University of Virginia.

>

> But many researchers believe the hygiene hypothesis is the

strongest, and

> that the reason one person develops asthma instead of hay fever or

eczema

> or lupus or MS is because of a genetic predisposition.

>

> " We believe it's about half and half, " Cookson said. " You need

> environmental factors and you need genetic susceptibility as well. "

>

> Some researchers have begun to try to identify specific genes that

may be

> involved, as well as specific components of bacteria or other

pathogens

> that might be used to train immune systems to respond

appropriately.

>

> " If we could mimic what is happening in these farm environments,

we could

> protect children and prevent asthma, allergies and other

diseases, " von

> Mutius said.

>

> Some researchers are trying to help people who are at risk for

allergies or

> already ill with autoimmune diseases.

>

> With new research suggesting that food allergies may be occurring

earlier

> in life and lasting longer, several small studies have been done

or are

> underway in which children at risk for milk, egg and peanut

allergies are

> given increasing amounts of those foods, beginning with tiny

doses, to try

> to train the immune system.

>

> " I'm very encouraged, " said Wesley Burks, a professor of

pediatrics at Duke

> who has done some of the studies. " I'm hopeful that in five years,

there

> may be some type of therapy from this. "

>

> Another promising line of research involves giving patients

microscopic

> parasitic worms to try to tamp down the immune system.

>

> " We've seen rather dramatic improvements in patients' conditions, "

said

> Summers of the University of Iowa, who has treated more than 100

people

> with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis by giving them

parasitic worms

> that infect pigs but are harmless to humans. " We're not claiming

that this

> is a cure, but we saw a very dramatic improvement. Some patients

went into

> complete remission. "

>

> Doctors in

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Argentina?

tid=informline>Ar

> gentina reported last year that MS patients who had intestinal

parasites

> fared better than those who did not, and researchers at the

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Wiscon

sin?tid

> =informline>University of Wisconsin are planning to launch another

study as

> early as next month testing pig worms in 20 patients with the

disease.

>

> " We hope to show whether this treatment has promise and is worth

exploring

> further in a larger study, " said O. Fleming, a professor of

neurology

> who is leading the effort.

>

>

>

> --------------------------------------------------------

> Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

> Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

> Vaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Vaccine Dangers

&

> Childhood Disease & Homeopathy Email classes start in March

>

[Guest guest]

I'd be curious to know if people who have had childhood illnesses

have stronger immune systems vs. people who have been vaccinated

against every little thing. I think we're going to find these

childhood illnesses serve a purpose.

R

> >

> > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

> dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR200803030

> > 3200_pf.html>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

> dyn/content/article/2008/03/03

> > /AR2008030303200_pf.html

> >

> > Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack

> >

> > By Rob Stein

> > Washington Post Staff Writer

> > Tuesday, March 4, 2008; A01

> >

> >

> > First, asthma cases shot up, along with hay fever and other

common

> allergic

> > reactions, such as eczema. Then, pediatricians started seeing

more

> children

> > with food allergies. Now, experts are increasingly convinced that

a

> > suspected jump in lupus, multiple sclerosis and other afflictions

> caused by

> > misfiring immune systems is real.

> >

> > Though the data are stronger for some diseases than others, and

> part of the

> > increase may reflect better diagnoses, experts estimate that many

> allergies

> > and immune-system diseases have doubled, tripled or even

> quadrupled in the

> > last few decades, depending on the ailment and country. Some

> studies now

> > indicate that more than half of the U.S. population has at least

> one allergy.

> >

> > The cause remains the focus of intense debate and study, but some

> > researchers suspect the concurrent trends all may have a common

> explanation

> > rooted in aspects of modern living -- including the " hygiene

> hypothesis "

> > that blames growing up in increasingly sterile homes, changes in

> diet, air

> > pollution, and possibly even obesity and increasingly sedentary

> lifestyles.

> >

> > " We have dramatically changed our lives in the last 50 years, "

said

> > ez, who studies allergies at the

> >

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Arizon

> a?tid=i

> > nformline>University of Arizona. " We are exposed to more

products.

> We have

> > people with different backgrounds being exposed to different

> environments.

> > We have made our lives more antiseptic, especially early in life.

> Our

> > immune systems may grow differently as a result. And we may be

> paying a

> > price for that. "

> >

> > Along with a flurry of research to confirm and explain the trends,

> > scientists have also begun testing possible remedies. Some are

> feeding

> > high-risk children gradually larger amounts of allergy-inducing

> foods,

> > hoping to train the immune system not to overreact. Others are

> testing

> > benign bacteria or parts of bacteria. Still others have patients

> with MS,

> > colitis and related ailments swallow harmless parasitic worms to

> try to

> > calm their bodies' misdirected defenses.

> >

> > " If you look at the incidence of these diseases, a lot of them

> began to

> > emerge and become much more common after parasitic worm diseases

> were

> > eliminated from our environment, " said Summers of the

> >

> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Iowa?

> tid=info

> > rmline>University of Iowa, who is experimenting with

> whipworms. " We believe

> > they have a profound symbiotic effect on developing and

> maintaining the

> > immune system. "

> >

> > Although hay fever, eczema, asthma and food allergies seem quite

> different,

> > they are all " allergic diseases " because they are caused by the

> immune

> > system responding to substances that are ordinarily benign, such

> as pollen

> > or peanuts. Autoimmune diseases also result from the body's

defense

> > mechanisms malfunctioning. But in these diseases, which include

> lupus, MS,

> > Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, the immune system

> attacks

> > parts of the body such as nerves, the pancreas or digestive tract.

> >

> > " Overall, there is very little doubt that we have seen significant

> > increases, " said Syed Hasan Arshad of the Hide Asthma and

> Allergy

> > Centre in

> > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/United+Kingdom?

> tid=informli

> > ne>England, who focuses on food allergies. " You can call it an

> epidemic.

> > We're talking about millions of people and huge implications,

both

> for

> > health costs and quality of life. People miss work. Severe asthma

> can kill.

> > Peanut allergies can kill. It does have huge implications all

> around. If it

> > keeps increasing, where will it end? "

> >

> > One reason that many researchers suspect something about modern

> living is

> > to blame is that the increases show up largely in highly developed

> > countries in

> > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Europe?

> tid=informline>Europ

> > e,

> > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/North+America?

> tid=informlin

> > e>North America and elsewhere, and have only started to rise in

> other

> > countries as they have become more developed.

> >

> > " It's striking, " said Cookson of the Imperial College in

> > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/London?

> tid=informline>London.

> >

> > The leading theory to explain the phenomenon holds that as modern

> medicine

> > beats back bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases that have long

> plagued

> > humanity, immune systems may fail to learn how to differentiate

> between

> > real threats and benign invaders, such as ragweed pollen or food.

> Or

> > perhaps because they are not busy fighting real threats, they

> overreact or

> > even turn on the body's own tissues.

> >

> > " Our immune systems are much less busy, " said Jean-Francois Bach

> of the

> > French Academy of Sciences, " and so have much more strong

> responses to much

> > weaker stimuli, triggering allergies and autoimmune diseases. "

> >

> > Several lines of evidence support the theory. Children raised

with

> pets or

> > older siblings are less likely to develop allergies, possibly

> because they

> > are exposed to more microbes. But perhaps the strongest evidence

> comes from

> > studies comparing thousands of people who grew up on farms in

> Europe to

> > those who lived in less rural settings. Those reared on farms were

> > one-tenth as likely to develop diseases such as asthma and hay

> fever.

> >

> > " The data are very strong, " said von Mutius of the Ludwig-

> Maximilians

> > University in

> > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Munich?

> tid=informline>Munic

> > h. " If kids have all sorts of exposures on the farm by being in

> the stables

> > a lot, close to the animals and the grasses, and drinking cow's

> milk from

> > their own farm, that seems to confer protection. "

> >

> > The theory has also gained support from a variety of animal

> studies. One,

> > for example, found that rats bred in a sterile laboratory had far

> more

> > sensitive immune systems than those reared in the wild, where

they

> were

> > exposed to infections, microorganisms and parasites.

> >

> > " It's sort of a smoking gun of the hygiene hypothesis, " said

>

> > of

> > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Duke+University?

> tid=informl

> > ine>Duke University.

> >

> > Researchers believe the lack of exposure to potential threats

> early in life

> > leaves the immune system with fewer command-and-control cells

> known as

> > regulatory T cells, making the system more likely to overreact or

> run wild.

> >

> > " If you live in a very clean society, you're not going to have a

> lot of

> > regulatory T cells, " said.

> >

> > While the evidence for the hygiene theory is accumulating, many

> say it

> > remains far from proven.

> >

> > " That theory is so full of holes that it's clearly not the whole

> story, "

> > said Wood of the

> >

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/s+Hopkins+Medici

> ne?tid=

> > informline>s Hopkins School of Medicine.

> >

> > It does not explain, for example, the rise in asthma, since that

> disease

> > occurs much more commonly in poor, inner-city areas where

children

> are

> > exposed to more cockroaches and rodents that may trigger it, Wood

> and

> > others said.

> >

> > Several alternative theories have been presented. Some

researchers

> blame

> > exposure to fine particles in air pollution, which may give the

> immune

> > system more of a hair trigger, especially in genetically

> predisposed

> > individuals. Others say obesity and a sedentary lifestyle may

play

> a role.

> > Still others wonder whether eating more processed food or foods

> processed

> > in different ways, or changes in the balance of certain vitamins

> that can

> > affect the immune system, such as vitamins C and E and fish oil,

> are a factor.

> >

> > " Cleaning up the food we eat has actually changed what we're

> eating, " said

> > Platts-Mills of the

> >

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Virgin

> ia?tid=

> > informline>University of Virginia.

> >

> > But many researchers believe the hygiene hypothesis is the

> strongest, and

> > that the reason one person develops asthma instead of hay fever

or

> eczema

> > or lupus or MS is because of a genetic predisposition.

> >

> > " We believe it's about half and half, " Cookson said. " You need

> > environmental factors and you need genetic susceptibility as

well. "

> >

> > Some researchers have begun to try to identify specific genes

that

> may be

> > involved, as well as specific components of bacteria or other

> pathogens

> > that might be used to train immune systems to respond

> appropriately.

> >

> > " If we could mimic what is happening in these farm environments,

> we could

> > protect children and prevent asthma, allergies and other

> diseases, " von

> > Mutius said.

> >

> > Some researchers are trying to help people who are at risk for

> allergies or

> > already ill with autoimmune diseases.

> >

> > With new research suggesting that food allergies may be occurring

> earlier

> > in life and lasting longer, several small studies have been done

> or are

> > underway in which children at risk for milk, egg and peanut

> allergies are

> > given increasing amounts of those foods, beginning with tiny

> doses, to try

> > to train the immune system.

> >

> > " I'm very encouraged, " said Wesley Burks, a professor of

> pediatrics at Duke

> > who has done some of the studies. " I'm hopeful that in five

years,

> there

> > may be some type of therapy from this. "

> >

> > Another promising line of research involves giving patients

> microscopic

> > parasitic worms to try to tamp down the immune system.

> >

> > " We've seen rather dramatic improvements in patients'

conditions, "

> said

> > Summers of the University of Iowa, who has treated more than 100

> people

> > with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis by giving them

> parasitic worms

> > that infect pigs but are harmless to humans. " We're not claiming

> that this

> > is a cure, but we saw a very dramatic improvement. Some patients

> went into

> > complete remission. "

> >

> > Doctors in

> > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Argentina?

> tid=informline>Ar

> > gentina reported last year that MS patients who had intestinal

> parasites

> > fared better than those who did not, and researchers at the

> >

>

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Wiscon

> sin?tid

> > =informline>University of Wisconsin are planning to launch

another

> study as

> > early as next month testing pig worms in 20 patients with the

> disease.

> >

> > " We hope to show whether this treatment has promise and is worth

> exploring

> > further in a larger study, " said O. Fleming, a professor of

> neurology

> > who is leading the effort.

> >

> >

> >

> > --------------------------------------------------------

> > Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

> > Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales

UK

> > Vaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Vaccine

Dangers

> &

> > Childhood Disease & Homeopathy Email classes start in March

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I wish

there was anyone interested in researching this. I

have only anecdotal evidence, but my 7 children are unvaccinated and everyone,

including physicians, comments on how healthy they are. No asthma, no eczema,

no allergies, no ear infections, no chronic conditions of any sort. But then

again, we don’t view the occasional virus or illness as a terrible thing.

When someone gets sick, I just take care of them like our parents took care of

us. Good hygiene, good nutrition, adequate rest, ensure hydration. I think because they have uncompromised immune systems, they

recovery quickly from illness and heal quickly and easily when injured. Sadly, many

of my friends still chalk it up to being lucky rather than question the wisdom

of vaccines in the numbers and the schedules recommended by their

pediatricians. It would be great if there were any real studies done.

Terry

Re: Re: Immune

Systems Increasingly On Attack

At 11:51 PM 3/4/2008 -0000, you wrote:

>I'd be curious to know if people who have had childhood illnesses

>have stronger immune systems vs. people who have been vaccinated

>against every little thing. I think we're going to find these

>childhood illnesses serve a purpose.

>

> R

I have a little on that but you won't find research on it.

But I know hundreds of unvaccinated children as patients and thru my lists.

They are the healthiest children that I know, in most caes.

Sheri>

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

$$ Donations to help in the work - accepted by Paypal account

Voicemail US 530-740-0561

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

or

http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm

Vaccine Dangers On-Line courses - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccineclass.htm

Reality of the Diseases & Treatment -

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccineclass.htm

Homeopathy On-Line courses - http://www.wellwithin1.com/homeo.htm

NEXT CLASSES start by email March 12 & 13

[Guest guest]

But these food allergies are also a result of genetically modified foods. Partially the vaccies, partly the sanitary conditions, but mostly the genetically modified foods.Sheri Nakken <snakken@...> wrote: and why do you say that?SheriAt 11:37 PM 3/4/2008 -0000, you wrote:>This better hygiene theory is baloney ...>>>>>>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp->dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR200803030>> 3200_pf.html>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp->dyn/content/article/2008/03/03>> /AR2008030303200_pf.html>> >> Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack>> >> By Rob Stein>> Washington Post Staff Writer>> Tuesday, March 4, 2008; A01>> >> >> First, asthma cases shot up, along with hay fever and other common >allergic>> reactions, such as eczema. Then, pediatricians started seeing more >children>> with food allergies. Now, experts are increasingly convinced that a>> suspected jump in lupus, multiple sclerosis and other afflictions >caused by>> misfiring immune systems is

real.>> >> Though the data are stronger for some diseases than others, and >part of the>> increase may reflect better diagnoses, experts estimate that many >allergies>> and immune-system diseases have doubled, tripled or even >quadrupled in the>> last few decades, depending on the ailment and country. Some >studies now>> indicate that more than half of the U.S. population has at least >one allergy.>> >> The cause remains the focus of intense debate and study, but some>> researchers suspect the concurrent trends all may have a common >explanation>> rooted in aspects of modern living -- including the "hygiene >hypothesis">> that blames growing up in increasingly sterile homes, changes in >diet, air>> pollution, and possibly even obesity and increasingly sedentary >lifestyles.>>

>> "We have dramatically changed our lives in the last 50 years," said>> ez, who studies allergies at the>> ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Arizon>a?tid=i>> nformline>University of Arizona. "We are exposed to more products. >We have>> people with different backgrounds being exposed to different >environments.>> We have made our lives more antiseptic, especially early in life. >Our>> immune systems may grow differently as a result. And we may be >paying a>> price for that.">> >> Along with a flurry of research to confirm and explain the trends,>> scientists have also begun testing possible remedies. Some are >feeding>> high-risk children gradually

larger amounts of allergy-inducing >foods,>> hoping to train the immune system not to overreact. Others are >testing>> benign bacteria or parts of bacteria. Still others have patients >with MS,>> colitis and related ailments swallow harmless parasitic worms to >try to>> calm their bodies' misdirected defenses.>> >> "If you look at the incidence of these diseases, a lot of them >began to>> emerge and become much more common after parasitic worm diseases >were>> eliminated from our environment," said Summers of the>> ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Iowa?>tid=info>> rmline>University of Iowa, who is experimenting with >whipworms. "We believe>> they have a

profound symbiotic effect on developing and >maintaining the>> immune system.">> >> Although hay fever, eczema, asthma and food allergies seem quite >different,>> they are all "allergic diseases" because they are caused by the >immune>> system responding to substances that are ordinarily benign, such >as pollen>> or peanuts. Autoimmune diseases also result from the body's defense>> mechanisms malfunctioning. But in these diseases, which include >lupus, MS,>> Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, the immune system >attacks>> parts of the body such as nerves, the pancreas or digestive tract.>> >> "Overall, there is very little doubt that we have seen significant>> increases," said Syed Hasan Arshad of the Hide Asthma and >Allergy>> Centre in>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/United+Kingdom?>tid=informli>> ne>England, who focuses on food allergies. "You can call it an >epidemic.>> We're talking about millions of people and huge implications, both >for>> health costs and quality of life. People miss work. Severe asthma >can kill.>> Peanut allergies can kill. It does have huge implications all >around. If it>> keeps increasing, where will it end?">> >> One reason that many researchers suspect something about modern >living is>> to blame is that the increases show up largely in highly developed>> countries in>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Europe?>tid=informline>Europ>> e,>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/North+America?>tid=informlin>> e>North America and elsewhere, and have only started to rise in >other>> countries as they have become more developed.>> >> "It's striking," said Cookson of the Imperial College in>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/London?>tid=informline>London.>> >> The leading theory to explain the phenomenon holds that as modern >medicine>> beats back bacterial, viral and parasitic

diseases that have long >plagued>> humanity, immune systems may fail to learn how to differentiate >between>> real threats and benign invaders, such as ragweed pollen or food. >Or>> perhaps because they are not busy fighting real threats, they >overreact or>> even turn on the body's own tissues.>> >> "Our immune systems are much less busy," said Jean-Francois Bach >of the>> French Academy of Sciences, "and so have much more strong >responses to much>> weaker stimuli, triggering allergies and autoimmune diseases.">> >> Several lines of evidence support the theory. Children raised with >pets or>> older siblings are less likely to develop allergies, possibly >because they>> are exposed to more microbes. But perhaps the strongest evidence >comes from>> studies comparing thousands of

people who grew up on farms in >Europe to>> those who lived in less rural settings. Those reared on farms were>> one-tenth as likely to develop diseases such as asthma and hay >fever.>> >> "The data are very strong," said von Mutius of the Ludwig->Maximilians>> University in>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Munich?>tid=informline>Munic>> h. "If kids have all sorts of exposures on the farm by being in >the stables>> a lot, close to the animals and the grasses, and drinking cow's >milk from>> their own farm, that seems to confer protection.">> >> The theory has also gained support from a variety of animal >studies. One,>> for example, found that rats bred in a sterile laboratory had far

>more>> sensitive immune systems than those reared in the wild, where they >were>> exposed to infections, microorganisms and parasites.>> >> "It's sort of a smoking gun of the hygiene hypothesis," said > >> of>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Duke+University?>tid=informl>> ine>Duke University.>> >> Researchers believe the lack of exposure to potential threats >early in life>> leaves the immune system with fewer command-and-control cells >known as>> regulatory T cells, making the system more likely to overreact or >run wild.>> >> "If you live in a very clean society, you're not going to have a >lot of>> regulatory T cells,"

said.>> >> While the evidence for the hygiene theory is accumulating, many >say it>> remains far from proven.>> >> "That theory is so full of holes that it's clearly not the whole >story,">> said Wood of the>> ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/s+Hopkins+Medici>ne?tid=>> informline>s Hopkins School of Medicine.>> >> It does not explain, for example, the rise in asthma, since that >disease>> occurs much more commonly in poor, inner-city areas where children >are>> exposed to more cockroaches and rodents that may trigger it, Wood >and>> others said.>> >> Several alternative theories have been presented. Some researchers

>blame>> exposure to fine particles in air pollution, which may give the >immune>> system more of a hair trigger, especially in genetically >predisposed>> individuals. Others say obesity and a sedentary lifestyle may play >a role.>> Still others wonder whether eating more processed food or foods >processed>> in different ways, or changes in the balance of certain vitamins >that can>> affect the immune system, such as vitamins C and E and fish oil, >are a factor.>> >> "Cleaning up the food we eat has actually changed what we're >eating," said>> Platts-Mills of the>> ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Virgin>ia?tid=>> informline>University of

Virginia.>> >> But many researchers believe the hygiene hypothesis is the >strongest, and>> that the reason one person develops asthma instead of hay fever or >eczema>> or lupus or MS is because of a genetic predisposition.>> >> "We believe it's about half and half," Cookson said. "You need>> environmental factors and you need genetic susceptibility as well.">> >> Some researchers have begun to try to identify specific genes that >may be>> involved, as well as specific components of bacteria or other >pathogens>> that might be used to train immune systems to respond >appropriately.>> >> "If we could mimic what is happening in these farm environments, >we could>> protect children and prevent asthma, allergies and other >diseases," von>> Mutius said.>> >> Some

researchers are trying to help people who are at risk for >allergies or>> already ill with autoimmune diseases.>> >> With new research suggesting that food allergies may be occurring >earlier>> in life and lasting longer, several small studies have been done >or are>> underway in which children at risk for milk, egg and peanut >allergies are>> given increasing amounts of those foods, beginning with tiny >doses, to try>> to train the immune system.>> >> "I'm very encouraged," said Wesley Burks, a professor of >pediatrics at Duke>> who has done some of the studies. "I'm hopeful that in five years, >there>> may be some type of therapy from this.">> >> Another promising line of research involves giving patients >microscopic>> parasitic worms to try to tamp down the immune

system.>> >> "We've seen rather dramatic improvements in patients' conditions," >said>> Summers of the University of Iowa, who has treated more than 100 >people>> with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis by giving them >parasitic worms>> that infect pigs but are harmless to humans. "We're not claiming >that this>> is a cure, but we saw a very dramatic improvement. Some patients >went into>> complete remission.">> >> Doctors in>> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Argentina?>tid=informline>Ar>> gentina reported last year that MS patients who had intestinal >parasites>> fared better than those who did not, and researchers at the>> ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/University+of+Wiscon>sin?tid>> =informline>University of Wisconsin are planning to launch another >study as>> early as next month testing pig worms in 20 patients with the >disease.>> >> "We hope to show whether this treatment has promise and is worth >exploring>> further in a larger study," said O. Fleming, a professor of >neurology>> who is leading the effort.>> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------->> Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath >> Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK>> Vaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Vaccine Dangers > & >> Childhood Disease & Homeopathy Email classes start in March>>>>>>> >

[Guest guest]

While I am sure the GMOs are not good, I've had these problems all my life (and was overvaccinated and had a mother who kept the house immaculately cleaned and sprayed ["better living through chemistry"] and I'm too old for it to be the GMOs--I'm 63.)Peace,Kathy E.On Mar 5, 2008, at 9:49 AM, izvestiaca wrote:But these food allergies are also a result of genetically modified foods. Partially the vaccies, partly the sanitary conditions, but mostly the genetically modified foods.

[Guest guest]

kathleen, my mom is 60 and she has asthma, lupus, food allergies,

excema, and i never thought about what could be the environmental

cause. now she has to live right next to the biggest air purifier

i've ever seen. sitting on a new couch can send her into a 3 week

illness, tho. her parents had tons of health issues (start with

dad's undiagnosed lupus, glass eye, mom's " nervous " issues)...the

only way i've ever thought about it is in that " genetic

predisposition " way for my son.

>

> > But these food allergies are also a result of genetically

modified

> > foods. Partially the vaccies, partly the sanitary conditions,

but

> > mostly the genetically modified foods.

>

[Guest guest]

Try Googling Liver Cleanse, colon , cleanse, kidney cleanse, if you considered all of these you may be surprised at a possible positive difference. ng

Re: Re: Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack

While I am sure the GMOs are not good, I've had these problems all my life (and was overvaccinated and had a mother who kept the house immaculately cleaned and sprayed ["better living through chemistry"] and I'm too old for it to be the GMOs--I'm 63.)

Peace,

Kathy E.

On Mar 5, 2008, at 9:49 AM, izvestiaca wrote:

But these food allergies are also a result of genetically modified foods. Partially the vaccies, partly the sanitary conditions, but mostly the genetically modified foods.

[Guest guest]

Nora, We use these in our house too and they work great, but I wish they would

ditch the

lovely diagram of the GI tract on the bottle! They would probably get more

sales!

>

>

> But these food allergies are also a result of genetically modified foods.

Partially the

vaccies, partly the sanitary conditions, but mostly the genetically modified

foods.

>

[Guest guest]

Well, my mother is one of seven sibs and they have lived a long and healthy life compared to the next generation. I may have said this already, but they were not immunized except for smallpox.I don't get new carpet, I have a big air purifier in my bedroom, the lupus is in remission since I've been on gamma globulin infusions. I can't walk into the barn where my grandson goes for therapeutic horseback riding without getting brain fog at least, and at worst migraine with aphasia for three days...Peace,Kathy E.On Mar 5, 2008, at 11:13 AM, kimsense wrote:kathleen, my mom is 60 and she has asthma, lupus, food allergies, excema, and i never thought about what could be the environmental cause. now she has to live right next to the biggest air purifier i've ever seen. sitting on a new couch can send her into a 3 week illness, tho. her parents had tons of health issues (start with dad's undiagnosed lupus, glass eye, mom's "nervous" issues)...the only way i've ever thought about it is in that "genetic predisposition" way for my son.

[Guest guest]

Thanks but I was under the care of a very well known environmental medicine doctor for years. Also, I have CVID and IgA deficiency. I already take a lot of supplements. Had a positive RBC mercury in the 80s and now my porphyrin profile is normal.Peace,Kathy E.On Mar 5, 2008, at 11:58 AM, Nora Gottlieb wrote:Try Googling Liver Cleanse, colon , cleanse, kidney cleanse, if you considered all of these you may be surprised at  a possible positive difference.  ng

[Guest guest]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/3/20/immune-systems-increasingly-on-attack.aspx Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack Increases in immune system disasters have greatly increased in recent years. Asthma cases, hay

fever, eczema, food allergies, lupus, multiple sclerosis and other afflictions are all on the rise.Asthma, hay fever, eczema and food allergies are all "allergic diseases" caused by your immune system responding to substances that are ordinarily harmless, such as pollen or peanuts. Autoimmune diseases, which include lupus, MS, Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, also result from your body's defense mechanisms malfunctioning, causing your immune system to attack parts of your body such as your nerves, pancreas or digestive tract.Experts estimate that many allergies and immune-system diseases have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled in the last few decades. Some studies indicate that more than half of the U.S. population has at least one allergy.Many researchers suspect the increase has an explanation rooted in aspects of modern living -- including the "hygiene hypothesis," which blames growing up in increasingly sterile homes.

Others have pointed to changes in diet, air pollution, and even the rise in obesity and sedentary lifestyles.One reason that many researchers suspect something about modern living is to blame is that the increases show up largely in highly developed countries in Europe and North America. The illnesses have only started to rise in other countries as they have become more developed. Sources: Washington Post March 4, 2008 Dr. Mercola's Comments: As society in general becomes more “sterile,” it is causing real problems for your immune system, which is becoming increasingly unable to differentiate between real threats and harmless things like pollen and dust-bunnies.Think about it: how many people do you know who carry a bottle of antibacterial hand sanitizer with them wherever they go? Meanwhile, you’re exposed to antibiotics, in your

food and by prescription, while most of the food supply is pasteurized or otherwise treated to remove both good and bad bacteria.And this is the key: while everyone was so busy killing all of those “germs,” they didn’t stop to think about what this would mean for the future generations. Children are now growing up without being exposed to the bacteria, viruses and parasites that have existed throughout the world -- even in developed countries like the United States -- since the beginning of time. To some extent, this is a good thing. But to children’s immune systems, which are not being exposed to bacteria and viruses like they were in the past, it results in an excessive immune response against a routine thing, like a peanut, resulting in allergies and autoimmune diseases.An Overly Sterile Immune System is Not a Good ThingSimply speaking, your immune system is composed of two main

groups that work together to protect you. One arm of your immune system deploys specialized white blood cells, called Th1 lymphocytes, that direct an assault on infected cells throughout your body.Counterbalancing this, another arm of your immune system attacks intruders even earlier. It produces antibodies that try to block dangerous microbes from invading your body's cells in the first place. This latter strategy uses a different variety of white blood cells, called Th2 lymphocytes. The Th2 system also happens to drive allergic responses to foreign organisms.At birth, an infant's immune system appears to rely primarily on the Th2 system. But the “hygiene hypothesis” suggests that the Th1 system can grow stronger only if it gets exercise, either through fighting infections or through encounters with certain harmless microbes. Without such stimulation, the Th2 system flourishes and the immune system tends to react with allergic responses more

easily.In other words, the hygiene hypothesis posits that children not being exposed to viruses and other environmental factors results in their not being able to build up resistance. This could make them more vulnerable to illnesses later in life.A Little Bit of Dirt is HealthyNumerous studies have provided very compelling evidence that your body actually benefits from regular exposure to dirt. So when a child is exposed to a bit of bacteria, their immune system does what it’s supposed to: develop a tolerance to it. Here’s a summary of what has been found so far: Kids who are overly hygienic are at an increased risk of developing wheezing -- a symptom of asthma -- and eczema. A study in the Archives of Disease

in Childhood found that children with the highest degree of personal hygiene -- those who washed their faces and hands more than five times per day, cleaned before meals, and bathed more than two times each day -- were the most likely to develop eczema and wheezing. Kids who grow up in extremely clean homes are more likely to develop asthma and hay fever than kids who grow up on farms or in houses with a little bit of dirt, according to a 2002 study in The New England Journal of Medicine. Children who are raised with pets, or who have older siblings, are less likely to develop allergies, possibly because they are exposed to more bacteria.What Can You Do?Well, if you’re an adult who already has allergies, please read through my past advice on how to

get rid of your allergies for good. If you are a parent, please realize that the future of your child’s immune system is in your hands. You can help it to build up the resistance it needs by: Letting your child be a child. Allow your kids to play outside and get dirty. Not using antibacterial soaps. Simple soap and water is all you need. Serving locally grown or organic meats that do not contain antibiotics. Related Articles: Are Experts Finally Embracing the Hygiene Hypothesis? Bacteria In House Dust May Help Prevent Allergies The Dirty Truth About Allergies You Need to Know

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