Disturbing news from a New Scientist article:
Babies given antibiotics during the first six months of their lives are far more likely to develop asthma, according to a US study. Why is not clear, but the team claims antibiotics might be partly responsible for the steady rise in asthma cases in western countries.
I totally believe it. So don’t buy anti-bacterial soaps, either. In a lot of ways, a dirty baby is a healthy baby. There are arguments that being around antibiotics and “too clean” environments turns immune systems into spoiled whiners, complaining about the slightest problem, like cat dander. The argument goes that if the immune system has to deal with real problems, it’ll be less likely to make a fuss over the small things.
If I have a child, she will roll with wild animals in muck puddles. Or at least domesticated animals in mud puddles.
Thus I am stealing KK and Chris’ forthcoming Sea Monkey to live at the barn with my horse. That kid will have the immune system of Superman!
Umm… Don’t I get something to say about that? We have plenty of dirt here at home. Save your exotic dirt for visits! :)
But the actual argument makes so much sense. People have been throwing the hygiene hypothesis around for a little while, and I hope some are listening to its ramifications.
BTW, perhaps we’ll be visiting Eric’s dog Toby on a regular basis…