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it's not that good hygiene is bad for us, it's that all these lysol etc are bad for us. i ate dirt as a kid and now the only thing i get sick from is sinus infections and maybe a cold once every couple years. kids raised in immaculate houses haven't built their own immune systems up. but these are not likely to result in germ cell changes, only somatic. but it could still kill a great number of us.
Do you have kids? I had a cold once every 3 to 4 years (food poisoning once which I don't count) from middle of grade school on. And even then it didn't last long. I was so rarely sick that people had literally asked me if I ever got sick. Cold going around the office? I never caught it. As a child my environment was fairly pristine. I was fastidious about keeping my hands and face clean (almost compulsive).
BUT, since I've had kids of my own things have changed. There's much more stress in my life (not just because of the stresses of parenthood but other factors as well) and it seems about half the time that my kids catch something I get to "share" in their new experience.
I'm not an expert on the immune system but it seems logical to me that exsposure amount can play a big role in infection. Your body can fight off a small amount, while an exposure to a larger amount will cause you to succumb. When your kids are sick you know you should restrict your exposure but it simply doesn't work like that. They don't feel good and they want you to hold them, so you hold them. That's how I explain the sudden failings of my immune system anyway.
Any other sample points out there?
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