Cleanness In Excess Can Cause Allergy
By Anita Morris, Thu Dec 8th

About two billion people have allergic complications, accordingto estimates of the American Academy of and Immunology.Not any other illness, at any moment of history, affected asmuch people. Specialists start to face it as an epidemic. Onlyin the United States, each year 5 000 people die suffocatedduring asthma crises, and 90 million Americans deal daily withthe discomfort of rhinitis and dermatitis, the more commonallergic varieties. Finding the cure or the causes for thisbecame, thus, a challenge that involves more than interests ofpublic health.

An allergic person that takes remedy against his type of allergywill be able to prevent the misfortunes of the reactions of hisimmunological system to an allergenic (examples of allergenics:dust, milk, peanut, insects, pets' hair, etc.). However, theorganism will continue producing defensive substances that cancreate an allergic reaction later on, by getting stronger thanthe medicine or generating unknown effects to the person whotakes it. This is extremely related to the causes of theallergies, another shady area recently illuminated by newresearches.

During a lot of time, allergies were thought as hereditary,given that evidences show that the probability of children whohave allergic parents to develop the illness is of 70%. However,the advance of the allergic processes in the rhythm of thetechnological development and the improvement of the lifeconditions made the scientists consider other hypotheses. Theunderprivileged populations of the East of Russia, India,Indonesia and Africa register 50% less incidence of cases ofallergies than rich countries - over all when compared to theinhabitants of the great European and American metropolises,where there is more asepsis and medical care. This leads to ahypothetical explanation to the causes of the allergies, the socalled "hygienical hypothesis". When observing children who livein farms of Germany and Austria, where they drink raw milk andhave contact with the land and fertilizers, it was proved thatthe incidence of allergic complications among them is 75% lessthan in the boys who live in the cities.

Another research,involving 480 cadets of the Italian Air Force disclosed that therespiratory allergies are less frequent between military that intheir childhood had been exposed to microbes transmitted throughdirty water and meals cooked with this water. It's unusual, butdealing with these facts, scientists are tempted to concludethat the suppression of illnesses as measles, mumps and evendiseases caused mostly in children by viruses and worms, - allpractically eradicated in the developed countries - can alsohave its harmful side, since this makes the immunologic systemidle.

The acceptance of the "hygienical hypothesis" is growing in themedical community and this can lead to adjustments in the wayparents raise their children. Even children who have flues withmore frequency in the first years of their life seem to tendless to develop allergies.

Super protective parents that do not allow the children to walkbare-footed, have contact with animals or that only bathe theirbabies in mineral or boiled water would be, therefore, producingnegative and contrary consequences to their children.

This thesis is based on the hypothesis that the exposure to themicrobes in infancy strengthens the lymphocytes - white cells ofthe blood that act in the defence against parasites, embryos,etc.

Obviously, this doesn't mean that you must give in when your sonrefuses to take a bath. But it is probable that the human bodyis not changing so quickly as the civilization. For millenniumswe have coexisted with viruses and bacteria, and suddenly webecome highly aseptic. Also, our alimentary habits had neverbeen modified so radically, nor had we as much access tochemical remedies and other products as we have now. Probably,in the future, people will try to treat allergies with a healthydiet and less drug prescriptions.

About the author:If you are interested in more information and resources aboutallergy related themes, visit: "Allergy Fit"