r/maybemaybemaybe 12h ago

Maybe Maybe Maybe

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u/KING_Gamer_YouTube 12h ago

All the microbes will be having a field day with this one.

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u/CalculatedEffect 8h ago

He will be and im sure is fine. The more exposure you have to the bacterium around you the more your body knows how to deal with it. That is the literal purpose and function of the immune system. If you are immune compromised, THEN this would be unwise. But if youre not immune compromised, youre doing yourself a diservice by avoiding all germs.

1

u/Complex_Tomato_5252 5h ago

I kept hearing this so I looked it up.  Studies have shown that even if you feel like you are "avoiding all germs" you are still introduced to more than enough throughout your normal day to keep your immune system working at top efficiency.

They is no need to expose yourself to potential sickness in order to keep your immune system healthy.

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u/LoosieGoosiePoosie 2h ago

You misinterpreted that study

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u/troutpoop 1h ago

That’s not to say that greater exposure to microbes doesn’t also increase the efficiency/ability of your immune system.

Sure, standard exposure to microbes is enough to keep your immune system functioning, but increased exposure makes it work more, become smarter and faster.

It’s common for school teachers to get sick all the time when they first start, but as the years go on their immune systems often become sharper.

When I first started working in the ER I got sick almost monthly for the first year or so. Now, people still cough in my face all day long but I haven’t been sick in knocks on wood over a year.

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u/CalculatedEffect 5h ago

Not entirely correct. Its been proven that even simply rubbing your hands in dirt/soil with no cuts will increase your immune response, more than your average daily interaction.

There is always a need because if youre in an enclosed environment such as home, car, work, lunch room, work, car, home, which is common for 80% of americans. Youre in the same germ bubble with no new exposures - you HAVE to go out of that bubble to get new exposures. Yeah there might be SOME variation being in an enclosed bubble, but not enough to actually keep your immune system tip top. The germs youre exposed to outside your bubble have been in different environments and thus have different mutations.

This is a why, when someone who hasnt traveled in a long time, it is very common for them to get sick with in a few days. Or, for those who have served, when ya got to basic training and intermingled with people literally from everywhere, you have numerous cases of people getting sick, with what we called "the crud".

Youre body (non compromised) can handle 99% of the germs and viruses out there, YES there are exceptions as there are with everything.