Our dog is always in trouble for shedding hairs. Her constant shedding has resulted in her being banned from the more public places of the house, because the old vacuum cleaner just doesn’t have the ability to slurp up those fine white hairs that stick like glue to EVERYTHING.
Dog hairs sticking around
But those sticking dog hairs ensure that the developing immune system learns that “a dog” is something that is likely to be encountered regularly.
Since the dog is part of the furniture so to speak, barking at its presence would be a serious waste of effort. Dog allergens should be classified as normal i.e. NO THREAT.
This is what usually happens in children who are exposed to pets during their time in the womb.
Prenatal pet exposure protects against allergy
Researchers from Henry Ford Hospital have discovered that being exposed to pet allergens during development, decreases the chances the immune system will react aggressively.
The bite of the immune system, is typically measured by the levels of a troublesome antibody called immunglobulin E or IgE. High IgE levels are linked to the development of allergies and asthma.
The study compared IgE levels between babies born into homes with pets and those born into homes without. Blood samples were collected from 1 187 babies when they were born, then again at six months, twelve months and 24 months.
Dog dander dials down immune system
Pet free homes produced more allergic types.
The pattern held true for babies across races, although the protective effect was more prevalent in children of European and Asian descent.
Not dog power but dirt power
You probably don’t need to bring home a dog to protect your baby-2-be from developing allergies.
The protection is not the dog hairs per se but the DIRT that is why little girls need to wallow in dirt to grow up healthy.
The developing immune system needs to be trained to recognize threats. Just like modern day armies learn through war games, the immune system learns through experience.
Immune systems that don’t see much action, tend to over react to the smallest thing, resulting in inappropriate responses to everyday items, so a pimple on peanut causes a full scale war.
Start dog training for the immune system today
Don’t be afraid to hug your furry hair ball and begin the immune system training programme.
PS. Once baby has arrived make sure they get enough sun !
Further reading
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| Dust might not be as big a health hazard as you think | Bacteria help keep the airways open holding back asthma | How does your body know who the good bacteria are ? |
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Did you learn something new or do you have a different perspective ? I’d love to hear from you so post me a comment below.