I've got this rash....

One of my Gran's sayings was "You've got to eat a peck of dirt before you die". It was usually trotted out when my Mum expressed horror at me coming home filthy dirty after a day playing in the nearby fields (which are now all housing estates!). I was reminded of this the other day when one of TV's resident doctors was discussing the fact that so many people - children particularly - are plagued these days by allergies. The suggestion is that there may well be a connection with our current obsession with cleanliness - daft though it may seem, this may result in our bodies' natural defensive systems not getting enough early "practice" in developing resistance to potential allergens, so that when we are eventually exposed to them, we get the type of extreme reaction which causes problems. More words of wisdom from Gran?