Hygiene Hypothesis
A friend pointed out this interesting article today that I thought I would share. It’s not like I’m not hygienic but I’m also not super worried when the boys eat dirt, put an occasional shoe in the mouth or otherwise do something “gross”. I don’t encourage that behavior and I stop it when it starts but it doesn’t freak me out. We have three cats and there is cat hair everywhere. Anya loves to sleep in Forest’s crib during the day, on top of his sleep sack even. I remember when they were babies we noticed that the cat hair made them sneeze, not any more. Anyway, it’s an interesting read about The Hygiene Hypothesis.
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i have to admit, dawn, i have always felt this about hygiene and our immune systems. sure, the boys are clean, but i never sterilized anything nor do i freak out about their exposure to dirts/germs/etc. their bodies do have to learn somehow that there are good/bad/ugly things and then learn what to respond to. i take them to my doctor of eastern medicine when they are having any real issues and he gives them a herbal patch to stimulate their immune system, but i really would like to avoid any medicines for as long as possible. granted, i think there are miracle performed by our health system every day, but there is a limit to it too. our boys have sported dog hair since they were born, there is just no keeping up with a german shepherd and hardwood floors.