Hygienic
The strong increase in
hygiene in our modern society appears to play an
important role in inducing allergies. At birth, our immune system
is still entirely 'pristine'. As it becomes exposed to all manner
of foreign and harmful agents while the body grows, it is activated
and strengthened. Of course, our resistance is not stimulated
nearly as much as it used to be in the past, as we are living in
much cleaner surroundings. It is increasingly likely that the more
'hygienically' children are raised, the more prone they are to
developing an allergy. A good example are children who grow up on
farms: they generally have very few allergies at a later age.
