conditions such as day cares or farm life have a much better immune system growing up and are less susceptible to allergies and things like asthma later on in life.
This author seems to be quite positive of the benefits this dust can have on infants in homes with dogs. Some points the author makes are that they are just now discovering this as we speak, so what if it has negative effects as well as positive ones? They claim that the chances of developing asthma and allergies later on in life is lessened due to the exposure to certain particles. What if it does not have anything to do with these particles at all? What if children just naturally develop these on their own? This new found discovery is supposed to be wonderful, but further research definitely should be done to back up the claim. I understand that being exposed to what is seen as "less than sanitary" conditions is supposed to boost up your immunity as a child and carries on into your adult life. After all, you are being exposed to millions of viruses and germs in those situations which makes it better for you in the long run when exposed to them again. I definitely think the author has a good point in this discovery. Especially throwing in legitimate names of microbes that help fight off certain illnesses such as pneumonia in babies. Also that when dogs bring the outside into a home that everything the dog was exposed to floats around in the air. Who knows what Fido could have drug in? Maybe it is quite beneficial to your household members. This is useful information to know when you begin to start new families. When your child asks "Mommy/Daddy can we get a dog, PLEASE?" Think of their health!
Lactobacillus Johnsoni
Credit:
Article: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.libproxy.unm.edu/ehost/detail?vid=5&sid=9b1e681a-a0cf-4818-a6f7-f0466a140a57%40sessionmgr4001&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=93648353
Picture: http://news.ifr.ac.uk/2013/03/poultry-probiotic/
I found this article to be interesting because I have often heard people say that living in less sanitary conditions is a good way to build up your immunity. We personally have a friend of the family who is homeless, and he is one of the healthiest people I know. So in that aspect, I believe the author has a point. However, my family has always had animals ever since my sister and I were born, and as well as that, we’ve also always had terrible allergies. I’ve found the allergens that dogs and cats carry are often what set off my sister’s allergies, and lately, it’s been bothering me as well. On the other hand, my aunt’s baby seemed to experience really terrible allergies whenever she kept her away from the dogs. Once my aunt exposed her to the dogs, her stuffy nose and sneezing seemed to go away. This makes me wonder how much testing they have really done. What age groups have they tested, and does it make a difference to their levels of tolerance to such 'dust'? It's all so mysterious.
ReplyDeleteI love this article you chose and I hadn't seen this research. What about the cats?
ReplyDeleteRachel, you raise some good questions to consider!
This is very interesting! It makes me wonder if about other animals hair and how that might affect our immune system as well. As a dog is a common house pet, they typically interact with the world inside a house and outside, I can imagine they pick up a lot of different microbes. I can see how their hair would help increase the immune system of a toddler, and how that would be beneficial. However, it makes me wonder about other pets in the house. Cats are obviously one of the most common household pets, so I wonder how their fur is different? There are a lot of outdoors cats, stray cats that people take into their homes. Would it really be any different with a cat? It makes me curious about other animals as well, like fish, reptiles, and even birds. These kept as pets, often come from different places (unless you know a specific local breeder). They come from pet stores, or even from adds on craigslist. What kind of new microbes could you be bringing in your home by bringing a new pet? How could this affect a toddler differently, or similarly, an adult? Since this research seems quite new, I'm sure researchers will come up with more answers, hopefully.
ReplyDelete