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2024-11-11

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Playing in mud and dirt can boost your child’s immune system – here’s how (theconversation.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Anecdotes: my neighbors used to let their baby crawl around the gravel parking lot, neighborhood cats and dogs hanging out, and I was like "Those are good parents."

Meanwhile a neat freak surgeon and nurse couple raised kids that are allergic to nearly everything in the world (ex used to babysit the allergic kids).

Something good about growing up with cats and dogs in the house and playing in the mud. (If you're in an area without parasites in the ground)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Since we are talking anecdotes: i have a skin condition, should have lots of allergies and whatnot. I grew up on a farm with cat & dog & cows, i have one small one on the foot since i moved out.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

I'm the type of person who touches everything, bites their nails, eats food from the floor and rarely washes their hands. I have zero food allergies and I'm almost never sick.

Maybe I'm just lucky or maybe these are related. Who knows.

EDIT: Don't remember ever taking antibiotics either

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

there is also a causation question. I'm similar to you, I don't get sick much so I don't have much reason to be obsessive about cleanliness (of course I am hygienic and practice normal food safety). but my wife gets sick often and that causes her to be extra super careful about foods she eats, cleaning, hand sanitizing, etc.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

I was growing up with my grandparents, who still had a few pigs, chickens and I always had cats. I was always outside and in the forest, but I'm still allergic to pollen of grass, flowers and trees, also surprisingly to cats and dogs - and, which is more shit - to bees, wasps etc...

Although from young on I just ignored the allergy regarding cats and dogs. Now I'm still having a cat (a rescue, who lives in my apartment) and besides some heavier reaction to scratches, I don't have any problem with cuddles and sleeping in bed with him.

I think my overly concerned mother (young single mother) just went to the doctor with every little thing I had, and all the antibiotics I've got, have fucked up my immune system.

With the pollen thing I've got syringes as a child, so at least I got rid of the allergic asthma. And the older I get, the better it seems to get.

But with cats and dogs, I was just stubborn and it seems it worked out ;⁠-⁠)

Still, I was always outside playing in the dirt and still got a shitload of allergies...