There are several theories to why it is that people develop allergies. Why is it that the body fights harmless substances like pollen or cat dander? This article is intended to explain how do allergies develop.
Allergies in childhood
Allergies are often developed in childhood. Both genetics and surrounding s are factors in this. If your parents are sufferers of allergies, you are more likely to be affected. The development of allergies is often dependant on what you are exposed as a child. Therefore, if you are exposed to different allergens like dust or hay in your childhood, you are less likely to suffer from allergies later in life. According to this theory, your body learns to tolerate the allergen when it becomes used to it in childhood when the immune system is developing. The development of the immune system, therefore, requires exposure to allergens. If you live in clean environment as a child you may not get enough exposure to allergens. This theory is called the hygiene hypothesis.
Are dirty homes good for children?
It has been found that people who grew up in farms are less likely to suffer from allergies. It might be that the exposure to allergens that people in farms get, with the animals and the surrounding nature, helps in developing resistance to allergies. Therefore, it might be that the clean homes in the developed world are not the best environment for children to grow up in because of what the hygiene hypothesis teaches. Therefore, it might actually be that dirty homes are healthier.
How to find a balance between hygiene and exposure to allergens?
It would still not be advisable that you make your home dirty just to expose children to as many allergens as possible. Doctors often recommend a middle ground between a dirty home and overly hygienic one. This means that the best environment for a growing child is something in which she can have some degree of allergen exposure, without being inundated with dust and bacteria. Therefore, you can have a clean home, just as long it is not completely allergy proof.
