elev8 wellness
  • Elev8 Wellness
    • About
    • Meet the team
    • Classes >
      • Women's Wellness Series
      • Elev8 Yoga
      • Elev8 Dance
      • Elev8 Kids Programs >
        • Elev8kids Summer Camp
        • Toddler Classes
    • Our Studios >
      • Rent Our Studio
    • Elev8 Recipes
  • WellBlog
  • Services
  • Virtual Coaching
  • Contact
    • Take a Tour

wellblog

Childhood Infection Exposure Hypothesis Is Unscientific

5/21/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
There is no defined health detriment to home-schooled children: https://news.rice.edu/.../home-schoolers-see-no-added.../. Researchers have been trying to unpack this mystery for decades. Even in mental health and social development, there appears zero significant advantage for kids in typical daycare and standard schooling environments: https://www.nheri.org/home-school-researcher-the-social.../. Other findings are more jarring, showing that homeschooled children may, in fact, be healthiER (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.20610 ), and more academically advanced and emotionally more stable (https://www.tandfonline.com/.../10.../15582159.2017.1395638).

We may have all let a single facet of an old wive’s tale misguide our understandings. Just because a little of one thing can be beneficial does not mean that a lot of it MUST be great for total wellness.

Rightly, we all reason that childhood exposure to illnesses is part of immunity development. It is. Wrongly, we conclude that high frequency or any ol’ frequency of exposure is a good idea. That has no scientific support. Moreover, the exact opposite appears closer to the truth.

As of 1980, a comprehensive national survey found that young children developed up to 8 colds per year, up to 3 stomach flus per year, and witnessed up to 30 illnesses among peers and family per year: ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_statistics/NCHS/Dataset_Documentation/NHIS/1980/MEDMAN80.pdf. That was 1980, before the daycare and preschool boom. From 1984 to 2004 parents in the US had to work more hours for less real wages than any prior period of the modern era: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi.... This trend continues.

Thus, averages went up at least some, placing frequency of childhood illness at roughly once every 4-5 weeks. Outliers on the low end will be closer to once per 6-8 weeks, which may end up seeming like “never.” Outliers on the high end will be closer to once per 2-3 weeks, which may end up seeming like “always.” Personally, our first 3 years with our firstborn was closer to every 4 weeks, which did seem like “always.” However, in the past 15 months of distancing, both of our children have experienced none at all. And though this dramatic shift in frequency might strike some people as a disadvantage to immune development, there is actually no supporting evidence anywhere in existence for that pseudoscientific hypothesis. In fact, it doesn’t even move them outside the 1980s survey averages at all.

Of course, none of this tells us what “should” be, only what has been on average. Almost the entirety of human history was insular, tribal, even emphasizing that peoples should not commingle with outsiders and foreigners. But that too doesn’t really tell us what “should” be, only what most people decided was most beneficial for most of time.

What we do know is that in comparative studies home-schooled children don’t have any health disadvantage, especially as we assess long-term adult outcomes. Their reduced-frequency exposure to infections shows no negative impact to adult health and wellness. If anything, they may have an advantage. Some exposure may be good. A lot isn’t better. Less may be more. And more may be none.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Elev8 Wellness
    ​wellblog

    We strive to provide the latest articles and commentary on health, fitness, nutrition and vitality strategy.

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    Categories

    All
    Active Memory
    Age
    Business
    Cancer
    Coaching
    Dementia
    Diet
    Dna
    Elev8 Wellness
    Family
    Fat
    Fish Oil
    Genetics
    Gut Health
    Health
    Jonathan Watters
    Ketosis
    Leadership
    Life
    Memory
    Muscle
    Nutrition
    Optimisim
    Parkinsons
    Pessimism
    Probiotics
    Sales
    Spatial Intelligence
    Strength Training
    Weight Loss
    Weight-loss
    Wellness

    RSS Feed

Picture

LIVE. AWESOME.

We offer the highest quality in personal  fitness, nutrition, and mindset coaching, helping you achieve your fitness, health, wellness and performance goals no matter the obstacle. With virtual online training and private, in-studio training we make it easier to reach your wellness goals safely.

​No more can't. No more not good enough. If you compete in a sport, let your mind no longer hold you back from being the greatest. If you don't, let your mind no longer hold you back from being the best version of you that you can be.

Sign-up for a Tour
Covid Screen Waiver
​Elev8 Waiver
Become an Elev8 Instructor
Space Rental
LOGIN / MEMBER REGISTER

6244 lyndale ave. s., minneapolis, mn 55423
CONTACTUS@ELEV8WELLNESS.COM
612-440-4584

© 2021 Elev8 Wellness LLC.  All Rights Reserved.                                              site map  |  contribute  |                                                           SITE BY  Sproute Creative
Photos used under Creative Commons from benzado, frankieleon, hatcher10027, Sterling College, OakleyOriginals, rawpixel.com, quinn.anya, allispossible.org.uk, wuestenigel, jeffdjevdet, Brian Legate
  • Elev8 Wellness
    • About
    • Meet the team
    • Classes >
      • Women's Wellness Series
      • Elev8 Yoga
      • Elev8 Dance
      • Elev8 Kids Programs >
        • Elev8kids Summer Camp
        • Toddler Classes
    • Our Studios >
      • Rent Our Studio
    • Elev8 Recipes
  • WellBlog
  • Services
  • Virtual Coaching
  • Contact
    • Take a Tour