The diverse array of bacteria, fungi and other microbes present in mud and soil play a crucial role in our health and is key to what immunologists call 'immune training'. This is the process by which the immune system learns to distinguish between harmful pathogens and benign environmental substances.
According to the 'hygiene hypothesis,' as societies become more urbanized and sanitized, our immune systems are deprived of microbial challenges they need to develop properly. This may cause the immune system to become hypersensitive, mistaking innocuous substances - such as pollen or dust - for dangerous invaders.
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