Kids Who Suck Their Thumbs, Bite Nails Have Fewer Allergies: Study

MELBOURNE:  Children who bite their nails or suck their thumbs are less likely to develop allergic sensitivities, a new study suggests.

And, if they have both ‘bad habits’, they are even less likely to be allergic to such things as house dust mites, grass, cats, dogs, horses or airborne fungi, researchers said.

“Our findings are consistent with the hygiene theory that early exposure to dirt or germs reduces the risk of developing allergies,” said Malcolm Sears, formerly from Dunedin School of Medicine in New Zealand and currently with McMaster University in Canada.

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