Are Mud Pies the Prescription for a Healthy Kid?

Around the world, allergies are on the rise. The number of children in the United States with food allergies doubled between 1997 and 2002. In the UK, rates of allergies among children have tripled in the last decade.

Pinpointing a cause for this trend is difficult. Research has indicated that everything from climate change to invasion species, pollution to better diagnostic practices could be responsible for the increasing commonality of allergies. Now, new research suggests that excessive cleanliness at an early age could make children more susceptible to allergies later in life.