Stephen has a bit of a sniffle from his daily visits to the playroom last week. It’s unaccompanied by any other symptom, so I’m not particularly concerned. If anything, I would like him to go to the playroom and muck about outside more. More studies are showing that early exposure to allergens seems to prevent allergies.

Scientists in Denmark found that the more pets a child has, the less likely he or she is to develop allergies later in life. Having siblings, living on a farm, or spending time in a daycare center also reduces allergies. Why? Presumably because exposing still-developing immune systems to allergens primes the body to recognize them as harmless.

– Time, December 6 2004

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