Myth #10: The Cleaner, The Better

According to the "hygiene hypothesis," this is not necessarily true. In fact, recent epidemiological research seems to show that the more society adopts good hygiene, the higher the incidence of asthma and other allergic diseases gets.

The proponents of this hypothesis, which is rapidly gaining popularity among physicians, believe that excessive cleanliness wreaks havoc on our immune system by depriving our bodies of the natural stimuli that would otherwise elicit the powerful immune responses that protect us throughout adulthood.

While not yet generally accepted, this line of thinking does have merit. After all, experience shows that children who are more active and participate in outdoor sports tend to have fewer sick days in a year than those who stay at home most of the time.

This means our grandparents were right, after all. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. Just make sure you wash them before dinner, okay? Stay tuned.