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from SAT 12:00 PM MST until SAT 10:00 PM MST, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, White Mountains of Graham and Greenlee Counties including Hannagan Meadow, Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains including Mount Graham, Chiricahua Mountains including Chiricahua National Monument, Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains including Bisbee/Canelo Hills/Madera Canyon, Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains including Mount Lemmon/Summerhaven, Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak, Kofa, Central La Paz, Aguila Valley, Southeast Yuma County, Gila River Valley, Northwest Valley, Tonopah Desert, Gila Bend, Buckeye/Avondale, Cave Creek/New River, Deer Valley, Central Phoenix, North Phoenix/Glendale, New River Mesa, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, Rio Verde/Salt River, East Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Superior, Northwest Pinal County, West Pinal County, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Tonto Basin, Mazatzal Mountains, Pinal/Superstition Mountains, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, San Carlos, Dripping Springs, Globe/Miami, Southeast Gila County

The secret to allergy prevention

In recent decades, the prevalence of asthma and allergies has increased threefold in the United States. These days one in twelve children have asthma. Even more suffer from allergies.

These numbers started to rise in the late 20th century. But it was in the 19th century that their was a hint of a population wide affliction among the American and British upper classes. Hay fever so closely hewed the class lines that it was practically seen as a mark of refinement. Farmers, the people who most often were in contact with pollens and animal dander were the ones least likely to get it.

Then, just a few years ago, researchers found a modern American example of the phenomenon: The Amish. Amish children are among the least allergic subgroup ever measured in the developed world.

So why is that? Well the answer seems to lie in the Amish Cowshed. The Amish community keeps their cow shed right next to their homes, unlike similar communities like the Hutterite who keeps their cows miles away. By living so closely to these cowshed, and the fathers working and the children playing in them, they are more likely to bring more microbes into the home.

So it seems like if you want your kids to grow up without allergies it's up to you to take the bull by the horns.