Our bodies are ecosystems that have evolved over time to deal with a variety of infectious agents and microorganisms, such as worms and other parasites. The hygiene hypothesis states that although we have moved rapidly towards a clean, modern and civilized state, our bodies have not yet adapted and our immune systems are responding inappropriately with increased susceptibility to allergies and disease autoimmune. The main premise is that humans are mismatched to modernity. (Stearns, 2009) Our civilization has changed rapidly and we now have easy access to modern hygiene, clean water and antibiotics, but our bodies have not yet evolved to adapt to the new environment. Our immune responses are still based on the assumption that we will always have worms and bacteria in our bodies. Due to modern hygiene and clean drinking water, many of these infectious microorganisms have no way to enter our body, and our immune system often responds inappropriately to different agents such as mold, dust or pollen, increasing its response immune. (Mirkin, 2009) While infectious disease epidemics have declined over time, an autoimmune disease epidemic is spreading. (Bach, 2002) Autoimmune diseases such as asthma, type 1 (early onset) diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and Chrohn's disease are on the rise. The data also shows that type 1 diabetes is common in Europe, Australia and Saudi Arabia, while worms and leprosy are common in the tropics. In areas where type 1 diabetes is common, the incidence of tuberculosis is very low and the opposite is also true. (Stearns, 2009) In Germany and other European countries, farm children have fewer allergies than city children. This suggests a connection between cleaner city life and… a paper center… university: Open Yale Courses), http://oyc.yale.edu/ (accessed November 4, 2009). License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0Mirkin, G. (2009, December 20). The hygiene hypothesis. Retrieved from http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine122009.htmlBach, J. F. (2002). The effect of infections on susceptibility to autoimmune and allergic diseases. New England Medical Journal, 347(911-920) BBC News. (2009, November 23). Dirt can be good for children, scientists say. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8373690.stmHunter, M.M., & McKay, D.M. (2004). Helminths as therapeutic agents for inflammatory bowel disease. Pharmacology and patient therapy, 19(2), 167-177. Constantinescu, C. (2009, March 3). Parasitic worms can lead to treatment of multiple sclerosis. Retrieved from http://www.news-medical.net/news/2009/03/03/46407