by Thomvis on 3/15/25, 8:23 AM with 95 comments
by justaj on 3/15/25, 8:45 AM
I've read the gist of this article in my local news org feed. What it basically comes down to is that Finnish scientists noticed that Russian children who grew up in rural areas usually had way less asthma cases than Finnish city children, and thus began to research why this was the case. They hypothesized that early (first 10000 days) exposure to micro-organisms might play a key role in training the immune system not to over-react to (harmless) micro-organisms later on in life, and thus "train" the immune system better. Their hypothesis now seems to have been validated.
Basically this comes down to the hunch I had for quite a long time: Isolating children into an almost clinical environment is not a great way to boost the immune system. This might explain why there are so many people with allergies. People living too cleanly and not getting exposed to (benevolent) micro-organisms so that their immune system prepares them when exposed to later in life. I think that's one of the reasons that kids that are around pets early in life usually have lower risk of developing allergies later on.
The reasoning went like this: We've spent most of our evolution in caves digging in dirt, and now (relatively) recently we have been transported into an environment where we can pretty much have the cleanest settings. What do you think this will do to our immune system?
by throwawayabcdef on 3/15/25, 12:12 PM
The also have had eczema since birth and one developed life threatening asthma at one year old. His trigger is the normal cold virus which he is constantly exposed to.
With that said, however, my kids are filthy all the time and play outside constantly in the dirt. One of the seven allergies has resolved completely and one appears to be resolved (haven't done a full challenge yet). No luck with the other five foods yet though.
We don't know about the asthma. Seems better but its managed with meds. Its also way scarier than anaphylaxis (and will be triggered by anaphylaxis and gets worse over the course of a week until he is in the hospital unless we aggressively treat it the moment he has breathing symptoms). The eczema comes and goes. Sometimes it responds to various treatments but usually it doesn't.
Its complicated. But kids should be filthy most of the time.
by aklemm on 3/15/25, 1:06 PM
by Sharlin on 3/15/25, 11:36 AM
by keming on 3/15/25, 10:35 AM
by echelon on 3/15/25, 11:06 AM
Let kids play in the dirt, otherwise they'll develop severe allergies to innocuous substances. Early development is when the immune system trains on what is actually harmful. If you don't stimulate it, you wind up with pollen and peanut allergies instead of parasite and bacteria immune responses.
From the paper:
Primary prevention
Support breastfeeding, with solid foods from 4–6 months onwards
Do not avoid exposure to environmental allergens (foods, pets), if not proven necessary
Strengthen immunity by increasing contact with natural environments (e.g. by taking regular physical exercise and following a healthy diet such as a traditional Mediterranean or Baltic diet)
Antibiotics should only be used in cases of true need (the majority of microbes are useful and build a healthy immune function)
Probiotic bacteria in fermented food or other preparations may balance the immune function
Do not smoke (parental smoking increases the risk of asthma in children
by fred69 on 3/15/25, 1:45 PM
And my anecdotal input: grew up on a livestock farm, also spending a lot of time in woods and river. No allergy problems at all. Moved to a city and had annoyance-level problems ever since. Decades of observation lead me to suspect particulates (engine soot, tire dust, etc.) as significant antagonists beyond the more commonly cited biological villains. Any chemical with a big-enough stretch of molecule to match what an immune cell is using as its search key.
by thrance on 3/15/25, 11:37 AM
by jetrink on 3/15/25, 1:41 PM
My mom is a family and children's photographer. She likes to photograph kids in their backyards or in local parks, sitting in the grass. She often encounters small children who are unnerved by the feeling of grass as they have never touched it before. Also, parents will ask if their child could sit on a blanket, because the ground is dirty. I'm really curious how this attitude started. It is so alien to me.
by ainiriand on 3/15/25, 11:22 AM
by apwell23 on 3/15/25, 11:26 AM
Now what will happen to my son?
by a99c43f2d565504 on 3/15/25, 11:25 AM
by m3kw9 on 3/15/25, 1:50 PM