Teenager dies from peanuts

A teenager in Quebec died from allergic shock to peanuts. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10243950/

Experts I know (a microbiology professor and instructor at my medical school) tell me that the recent increase in peanut allergies among kids is a result of a over hygeinated society. We live too clean these days, if you can imagine that, and it is actually making us sicker by making us more vulnerable to disease and allergies.

The reason why is simple. Most of our immunity is acquired after we are born. Everytime we touch something, eat something, get a scrape, take a breath, etc. we expose our immune system to foreign particles - viruses, bacteria, yeasts, tiny parasites, environmental toxins. In turn our bodies create a sort of database of these things so that when they are exposed the second time around they can mount a swift attack to dispose of the intruder. We also have natural immunity against some stuff that we are born with, but it is very weak and nearly useless against most of the stuff that makes us sick these days.

You can see how our immune system is not unlike an army. For it be effective it must not only be ready and trained at all times, it needs immediate access to good intelligence about the enemy. For our bodies, this intelligence is gained from exposure, so when we purposely seal ourselves and children off from "the germs" with the intention of staying healthy, we are probably actually doing more harm than good.

Of course we need to be protective of babies, whose immune system is weak, and we should not be running out to eat just anything off the ground. There's a lot that can make us seriously sick, but peanuts and common viruses shouldn't.

In the NY Times on a Sunday in November there was a story about people in NY preferring to pave over their lawns. One advocate commented, "lawns have ticks and disease and worms and stuff. They way (paving), it's safe and sterile. It's a cleaner area for the children to play. I love nature and I love grass, but I don't want my family exposed to disease."

Kids have been playing on lawns for decades. I did too, and we all turned out just fine.