Essay about The Hygiene Hypothesis - 1083 Words

Our bodies are ecosystems that have evolved over time to deal with a variety of infectious agents and microorganisms, such as worms and other parasites. The hygiene hypothesis states that although we have shifted rapidly into a clean, modern and civilized state, our bodies have not yet adapted, and our immune system is responding inappropriately with an increased susceptibility to allergies and autoimmune diseases. The main premise is that humans are mismatched to modernity. (Stearns, 2009) Our civilization has changed rapidly and we now readily have access to modern hygiene, clean water, and antibiotics but our bodies have not yet evolved to adapt with its new environment. Our immune responses are still based on the assumption that we†¦show more content†¦(Stearns, 2009) Autoimmune diseases are almost non-existent parts of the world where infectious diseases and worms are common. All this data suggests that there is a strong link between the relatively clean environments in developed countries and the rise of autoimmune diseases. Worms are big multicellular parasites that have to live in our bodies for a long time to reproduce successfully. In order to do this, they have evolved mechanisms for surviving in our body without being destroyed by our immune system. Worms produce molecules that interfere with our signalling pathways in order to block immune responses that would kill or expel them. The pathways that they use are the same ones that elicit allergies and asthma. (Stearns, 2009) Our bodys immune system wants to react to the worms with a big inflammatory response, but due to their highly evolved mechanisms in dealing with these attacks, we are unable to get rid of them. Inflammatory responses are one of the most dangerous effects of degenerative disease and are prevalent rheumatoid arthritis and arterial sclerosis. Our body cannot maintain an inflammatory response without causing serious cellular damage. (BBC News, 2009) As a result, our immune s ystem down regulates our inflammatory response in the presence of worms, in order to prevent damaging ourselves. Thus, both worms and humans have evolved to dampen these inflammatory responses. Both sides of thisShow MoreRelatedEvaluating Predictors Of Hand Hygiene At The Era Of Alcohol Based Hand Rinse877 Words   |  4 Pages 18. What is the purpose of the study? The purpose of the study is to re-evaluate predictors of hand-hygiene in the era of alcohol based hand rinse (ABHR). 19. What quantitative research design is used? The research design used is non-experimental. 20. Is the type of design used appropriate? This type of design is appropriate because non-experimental research looks at prediction and causality and does not use manipulation of variables. The researcher studies what naturally occurs. 21. 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