The hygiene hypothesis is the idea that being too clean or living in very clean environments can actually make our immune system weaker and more prone to allergies and certain diseases. Full definition
There's a big hygiene hypothesis that as the infections go down, you use vaccinations, you have fewer viral infections, antibiotics [inaudible 00:50:26] fewer bacterial infections, and the parasites are removed, that also in that same sequence of time lies a dramatic uptick in the autoimmune problems. (blog.bulletproof.com)
But it seems the hygiene hypothesis can't explain everything about the increase in pollen allergies, because researchers found that specific sensitivity to ragweed pollen, which up to 20 % of Americans are allergic to, increased by 15 % over a four year period. (businessinsider.com)
Allergies in general are on the rise possibly because of what's called the hygiene hypothesis. (businessinsider.com)