From The Week magazine:
More germs, please
Keeping your kids mildly dirty may help them lead healthier, allergy-free lives, says the London Guardian. While microbes found in dirt can pose a health hazard when they enter the body, new research suggests that those living on our skin may be doing us a favor. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, found that staphylococcus bacteria, commonly found on the skin, can help prevent inflammation when a person is injured. The bugs apparently impede overactive immune responses that can cause cuts and scrapes to swell, and can lead to rashes. “These germs are actually good for us,” says lead researcher Richard Gallo. The finding appears to bolster the “hygiene hypothesis”—the notion that kids who are insufficiently exposed to microbes and dirt are more susceptible later to allergies and infections, including hay fever, eczema, and food allergies. Parents “are constantly bombarded with advertising telling them they have to buy antibacterial products,” says consumer activist Margaret Morrissey. “Hopefully research like this will help parents realize that it’s natural and healthy for children to get outdoors and get mucky.”
