Stay dirty

“Children should be allowed to go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt, and not have to wash their hands when they come in to eat,” [Dr. Joel V. Weinstock, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston] said. He and [Dr. David Elliott, a gastroenterologist and immunologist at the University of Iowa] pointed out that children who grow up on farms and are frequently exposed to worms and other organisms from farm animals are much less likely to develop allergies and autoimmune diseases.