The topic of allergies came up in conversation the other day and it set me to wondering why it appears that so many more kids, and adults today, are experiencing this problem than others and myself when I was growing up. I found a program not long ago where this concern was discussed, and that medical scientists and investigators had found that one of the initiators happened during birth.
Good to know
Mostly associated with caesarean births, due to the fact that as baby did not go through the birth canal, (s)he did not get the immunity increase from mother. It was thought had a real effect on the odds of the child developing allergies. Another point raised was that there’s a lot of emphasis placed on cleanliness with ALL germs, good and bad, being zapped by whatever means at origin. Thus there is far less probability of natural immunity being built up through vulnerability of children during early childhood years.
I still recall, and actually used the phrase myself once I had my kids,”you must eat a peck of dirt before you die” quoted in my maternal grandmother who lived the mature age of 86. A phrase that eased my concerns when my daughter sat in the backyard with her mouth so stuffed with soil she could not close it. And when my son picked up disgusting (to me), worms and insects with the obvious intention of snacking on them.
Keep in mind
Thankfully, neither of my kids, OR their kids suffer with allergies, for which I’m profoundly grateful. Still, enough fluff, what are the proofs of all this? Research here I come! The newborn’s immune system develops fast from a small size at birth by exposure primarily to the intestinal microflora normally obtained in the mother at and after birth. The next mode of transport of resistance occurs via the mother’s milk.
Numerous major protective elements, including secretory IgA (SIgA) Compounds and lactoferrin, exist. The breastfed baby is better protected against numerous common infections than the non-breastfed. Breastfeeding also appears to actively stimulate the baby’s immune system by anti-idiotypes, uptake of milk lymphocytes, cytokines, etc.. Therefore, the breastfed child has been better protected against various infections for some years. In this study I read, they discovered that de novo creation of neonatal lymphocytes was associated with mode of delivery and other perinatal characteristics.
When compared with vaginal delivery, CS (Caesarean Section) was correlated with 32% greater risk of having a baby with a lower amount of recently formed T-lymphocytes (TREC values within the lowest quintile). Recent research have confirmed that CS is associated with a moderately increased risk for immune disorders later in life, also after taking possible confounders into consideration.
Immune system
Preterm born babies have practical deficiencies in their immune system and therefore are more vulnerable to infections. To summarize, I think this study provides another bit of knowledge on institution of immune function in birth and its connection to different perinatal risk factors, such as gestational age, mode of delivery and birth weight. The rapidly increasing rates of CS worldwide and the increased risk for immune disorders later in life include fuel to attempts attempting to resolve these difficulties.
Our analysis has identified several significant risk factors for reduced variety of T- and B-lymphocytes in newborn infants, and CS delivery with no clear medical indication might be the one which can be altered most rapidly. We are living in an era of cleanliness. Our soaps are antibacterial. Our family cleaners promise to kill 99.9% of germs. Microbes are poor, plain and simple.
But at exactly the same time, some scientists also tell us that being overly clean is also incorrect, as it may help cause allergies and asthma. Today, many scientists argue that individuals are becoming”too clean” for their own good. In 1989, the British epidemiologist David Strachan was the first to suggest that the vulnerability to diseases during childhood would offer a great defence against allergies in later life.
Allergies
An allergy is, actually, our immune system going haywire, by imitating a harmless substance as a significant attack. Our bodies, says Dorothy Matthews, biologist at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, may overreact to beneficial microbes, because our immune systems have forgotten how to live together. Take a baby’s dummy that has fallen to the ground. It’s better for the mother to suck it clean rather than supply a fresh sterile one, he says, since this has been proven to accelerate development of their baby’s microbiota, and reduces allergies.
And while we may think dogs are filthy, they also help most people to increase microbial biodiversity and reduce allergies. Around the home, the solution for combating the wrong type of bacteria isn’t excessive cleaning, but timely cleaning. Take chopping boards in the kitchen. If you cut your greens, then it is OK to wait until after dinner to do the washing up. Not so in the event you’ve chopped raw fish or meat. Instant action is needed, or you may put your family at risk of disease. After all, it is well established that about 70 percent of chicken are infected with Campylobacter, a bacterium which can cause food poisoning and will happily descend in your chopping board. Studies show that the benefits.
Final note
Children who grew up in an environment which wasn’t obsessively clean have reduced rates of asthma and allergies. And certain bacteria also actively protect us from bowel disease and even some kinds of depression and anxiety. On the other hand, says one commentator, you can take heart in knowing that each and every time you get a little sick, you get a bit stronger. That’s something to bear in mind the next time you are tempted to slather on the shower gel. With thanks to the following research articles.
