Are dogs a cure for hayfever?
So the science behind this theory is that dogs bring germs inside on their coats and in their mouths, thus exposing kids to them and boosting the child's immune system. Older generations were often exposed to more dirt and germs as children (you know, because kids used to actually play outside instead of sitting indoors playing video games), and therefore developed a greater resistance to many allergens than kids today.
This study in particular has taken blood samples from 3,000 six-year-olds and will test the samples for hints that the child might become allergic to things like pet hair, dust mites, and pollen. The children will be retested at age 10, but the lead researcher has already stated with confidence that, "Our results show clearly that the presence of a dog in the home during infancy is associated with a significantly low level of sensitization to pollens and allergens."
Gallery: Are these kids less likely to develop allergies?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-07-2008 @ 5:55AM
starwxrwx said...
I got a cat at 23 and it has helped a lot with my allergies. We had a dog when I was very little, but at around age 5 or 6 she died and wasn't replaced. From then on my allergies got worse (not suggesting it is related) and I used to get very sneezy around cats. But my love of them eventually overtook common sense and I got a (short hair Burmese, typically lower-allergen) cat. I couldn't be happier! My sister gets hayfever at my place, yet I was the one who used to have all the worst allergies!
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