One of the most frequent questions asked is "Why are allergies on the rise?"  One theory, called the Hygiene Hypothesis, blames clean water, clean homes and clean hands.  The theory is that reduced exposure to harmful germs has confused our immune systems, causing a rise in allergies.

A recent report from the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) urges families not to worry about this being the cause of allergies because parents may needlessly expose their children to harmful microbes in an effort to avoid allergies.

Professor Sally Bloomfield, Chairman of the IFH, stated, "The key here is that we need to stop talking about being 'too clean' and confusing cleanliness with hygiene...we should encourage children to play and interact freely with each other and their environment, but rigorously enforce the need for actions such as hand washing after visiting the toilet, before eating food, after farm visits and so on."

Read the full article at Science 2.0.