Who Knew? Dirt and Roaches Are Good For Newborns
I suppose Phillip is lucky I was not a good housekeeper when he was born. Not that I let the formula sit out all night or put it in a dirty bottle. But I just didn't worry about spotless floors (hey, the five-second law), or sparkling windows or even, clothes neatly folded and put away. Now a new study says I may have been right, all along. Newborns need to be exposed to a lot of dirt to build up their immune systems, it seems. Infants exposed to rodent and pet dander, roach allergens and a wide variety of household bacteria in the first year of life appear less likely to suffer from allergies, wheezing and asthma, according to newswise.com. Hmm.... Phillip did develop asthma. Previous research has shown that children who grow up on farms have lower allergy and asthma rates, a phenomenon attributed to their regular exposure to microorganisms present in farm soil, the Web site reports. "Other studies, however, have found increased asthma risk among inner-c...