Perhaps there is no more beautiful feature of our wondrous bodies than the immune system. Precisely calibrated and exquisitely sensitive, it works overtime to protect us from a very hostile environment. It is a lot sturdier than we give it credit for; our fearful attitude toward "dirt and germs" has created a generation of children with immunity problems they would not have had they been treated as the hardy organisms they really are. Peanuts, gluten, milk, eggs--these have been part of the human diet for millennia and only recently have we seen children crippled by overprotective doctors and parents. The data shows that babies are born with their mother's immune protection and have an organ--the thymus--that is specifically evolved to develop immunity in infancy. Not allowing this organ to do its work damages the human body forever. As we discussed in class, "dirtier" children are healthier children! And a whole lot easier to maintain.
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