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There's a flip side to this story. While it's true that rates of certain acute diseases have gone down since NYC has gotten cleaner, rates of chronic diseases s

by shanev 13y ago

There's a flip side to this story. While it's true that rates of certain acute diseases have gone down since NYC has gotten cleaner, rates of chronic diseases such as asthma have gone up. There's a school of thought that thinks our modern city existence is too clean, and we're no longer exposed to "old friends" that keep asthma and other chronic illnesses at bay. Check out the book "An Epidemic of Absence" for more details: http://amzn.to/12Blhij http://amzn.to/12Blhij. In ten years from now, we may be taking pills for "beneficial parasites" as we do now for beneficial bacteria.

nooneelse 13y ago
Instead of pills, what about little wet-wipe like rags bearing germs in packaging labeled with the age at which one should have one's child play with the rag (or wipe it on their favorite toy) in order to safely, effectively expose them and work-out/teach their immune system.
- shanev 13y ago
  Even better. Doesn't necessarily have to be in pill form. Alternatively you can have your kids visit a farm every weekend, although that might be leaving too much to chance.
- lostlogin 13y ago
  Daycare. These hotbeds of disease are to be avoided by adults however. I'm fit and healthy are rarely get sick. This year, thanks to my daughters daycare, I have had chickenpox (god awful, getting it as a child doesn't prevent an adult dose I now know), some kind of deathly vomit bug (first time I've had such a thing), about three colds, and sinusitis. The little girl has a minor sickness and I nearly die.
tomkarlo 13y ago
There's some debate about this: asthma rates in cities tend to be worse in poorer neighborhoods where there's greater exposure to pollution and toxins. Some studies have also suggested there are particular allergens in inner-city neighborhoods that trigger it, from vermin, etc. Also: it's not clear that there's more asthma, or we're just diagnosing it more often, especially in poorer neighborhoods where folks might not have had much health care a hundred years ago.

by shanev 13y ago

nooneelse 13y ago

Instead of pills, what about little wet-wipe like rags bearing germs in packaging labeled with the age at which one should have one's child play with the rag (or wipe it on their favorite toy) in order to safely, effectively expose them and work-out/teach their immune system.

shanev 13y ago
Even better. Doesn't necessarily have to be in pill form. Alternatively you can have your kids visit a farm every weekend, although that might be leaving too much to chance.
lostlogin 13y ago
Daycare. These hotbeds of disease are to be avoided by adults however. I'm fit and healthy are rarely get sick. This year, thanks to my daughters daycare, I have had chickenpox (god awful, getting it as a child doesn't prevent an adult dose I now know), some kind of deathly vomit bug (first time I've had such a thing), about three colds, and sinusitis. The little girl has a minor sickness and I nearly die.

tomkarlo 13y ago

There's some debate about this: asthma rates in cities tend to be worse in poorer neighborhoods where there's greater exposure to pollution and toxins. Some studies have also suggested there are particular allergens in inner-city neighborhoods that trigger it, from vermin, etc. Also: it's not clear that there's more asthma, or we're just diagnosing it more often, especially in poorer neighborhoods where folks might not have had much health care a hundred years ago.