the more you are kept away from germs and bacteria the less your immune system builds up.

( The Mock Turtle ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Thu 2 Feb 2012, 19:48, 2 replies)

I bet you're one of those people
that thinks taking your kids to a chickenpox party is a good idea.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Thu 2 Feb 2012, 22:36, closed)

Enzyme.
I take them to aids parties as well.
( The Mock Turtle ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Thu 2 Feb 2012, 22:58, closed)

Wish I'd been to one as a kid... I caught it when I was 33 - was bedridden for three days.

It hits adults much harder than it affects children, who seem to shrug it off easily. Fortunately my own children have already had it, so won't suffer as I did in later life.

(Edit: Chicken pox that is, not aids)
(Freakmandu, Fri 3 Feb 2012, 9:26, closed)

Heaven forbid that they should be given the vaccine.
Much better to expose them to a disease in an uncontrolled manner. After all, it's only a third of childhood strokes that are attributable to chickenpox. And who cares if they should pass it on to others?
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Sat 4 Feb 2012, 9:54, closed)

My understanding is that it's the overuse of antibiotics
that's caused many of our immune system maladies. & given rise to super-bugs etc.
So - subjecting your kids deliberately to germs, bugs and virii is just silly and mean.
Not dosing them with antibiotics when they get a sniffle, smothering them in steroidal creams cause they get itchy or letting them suck on steroidal puffers is a really good idea.
*Actual results may vary*
(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Thu 2 Feb 2012, 23:15, closed)

Ah... No.
You're mixing in immune disorders with superbugs, but the two are not related. MRSA and related infections are almost certainly products of the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Most people only take antibiotics until they feel better, but if you don't complete the course (which often means taking them for some time after feeling fully recovered) the bacteria which survive can adapt and resist.

The rise of immune conditions (and, I think, some sorts of allergy) has been suggested to be linked to much greater cleanliness in our homes. We need a certain amount of exposure to dust and dirt and germs in order to build a healthy immune system. The parallel is in how vaccines work - a weak or inactive form of the disease is used to train the body's immune system to fight off the stronger types.

Think of the ending of War of the Worlds if you want another example...
( MatJ LOOK, Fri 3 Feb 2012, 8:20, closed)