So funny. I taught school for over a decade, in a Title One school, where most of the kids were eligible for free lunch and breakfast, and also in a very exclusive private school, where I had to sign a ",Confidentiality Agreement".
Kids in the Title One school never had allergies. Kids in the private school, generally had a whole file of allergies.
As for vaccines, we had a public nurse at the Title One school, who vaccinated all of the kids, right at school, the parents signed a paper, it was done. No one "opted" out.
The private school, it seemed like more than half had medical or religious waivers exempt from vaccines.
There are some reasons the low income students didn't get sick with allergies or so much seasonal rhinitis, what we call " colds".
They were likely EXPOSED to common allergens from a very young age. What I am about to post leaves out the children with CF, the immunocompromised child who was premature or has a disease which includes immunocompromised states. Just normal kids who play in the dirt or are changed when their shoes are a bit dusty. Those sorts of childcare differences and hovering.
For example, I have a photo of me sitting in the saddle of a fine Arabian horse when I was not even walking age. The horse was my Daddy's, and I grew up on the type of farm we call a " gentleman's farm" in the U.S. South.
It means we didn't raise any animals for slaughter, but did have a fruit orchard and a huge vegetable garden, and horses for pleasure riding.
So, I was desensitized to horses very early in life- which means I shouldn't have issues with the old vaccines made with horse serum if life got that dire again.
Likewise, I am not allergic to dogs, having grown up with my Daddy's GSH Pointer, a most magnificent girl who saved my life twice, she was so bonded to the tiny creature her humans brought home to her one day, and who stayed.
I still dream about that darling great hunter and companion, my first attachment to an animal.
I would do whatever it took to become desensitized to a dog allergy!!!
We children of the 60's ate peanut butter joyfully. Try and pry that Reese's cup from my hands!
So, people in my age group can usually eat foods containing peanuts or peanut butter safely. People half my age likely have quite a few peanut- allergic adults in any randomized group. Peanut butter is a staple food for low income families, so those children likely eat peanut butter early in lilfe and often. And drink cow's milk from the grocery store instead of a specialty oat milk.
What I personally didn't get exposure to and am allergic to:
Cats: I have near anaphylaxis when in the same house as a cat. I stayed sick when dating a guy with a cat and the man's beard caused rashes on my face. I broke up with him because of the debilitating cat allergy I have.
How did this happen? Remember the story of my grandmother's stay in a cave when she was a little girl? She was extraordinarily afraid of cats. We did not know why. So, I was not ever around a cat as a child- NEVER. I lacked passive antigen/ antibody response to cats. I had hyper acute allergies instead.
Evergreens: Living in the deep South, evergreens were not prized trees and had no role in our forested land of 40 acres. I was exposed to pines, but that was all, and do not have allergies to pine trees. Just everything else. Texas Cedar just about puts me to bed.
The point is that if a child in the school was around mouse droppings, roaches, 5 sibling children, a herd of cats, diversity in outdoor flora and fauna with outdoor campouts. then those children were desensitized to the allergens which usually bother young children. They are hardy because of their diverse living situations which likely changed often. The wealthy students live in climate controlled houses, the windows sealed shut, and likely, no indoor pets. There is also the peanut butter issue.
Peanut butter is a hot topic issue and I do not mean to ignite any flame wars about it, except to say it may save childrens' lives to have enough peanut butter to not react violently to nuts with an allergic response later in childhood. I'd give it to my child here and there just to keep them from full anaphylactic reactions from accidental exposure.
