“I haven’t been sick since 2019,” said a patient of mine recently.

No one likes getting sick, and you may think that this is something to celebrate. However, this is actually something I worry about hearing. I don’t believe that our immune system is healthy if we don’t get sick every once in a while. Getting sick is an innate part of being human, and our immune system has evolved to account for this. My patient’s statement has me thinking about the downstream consequences of avoiding illness.

An Epidemic of Absence by Moises Vasquez-Manoff provides an insightful exploration of the hygiene hypothesis: that the modern-day sanitization practices may be causing immune dysfunction underlying the current rise in allergies, asthma, and autoimmune conditions.¹ Considering that the immune system has tight links with the endocrine and nervous systems, this discussion also begs an even bigger question...

What exactly does illness do to us as humans – physically, mentally, and developmentally?

While there’s still so much we don’t yet understand about immunity, it’s worth exploring how extreme attempts to protect ourselves from pathogens may have big-picture consequences.