I'm not so sure I'm buying this, but I'll let you be the judge. When I was a kid, I used to gnaw on my nails until all I had were stubby, sore fingers. And I still developed allergies. I've always been very sensitive to some types of pet dander as well as to mold and dust.

According to a study in this month's issue of Pediatrics, people who sucked their thumbs and bit their nails when they were young had less of a reaction to allergens compared to people who never sucked their thumbs or bit their nails.

Now, if you've got a kid who's both a thumb sucker and a nail biter, this study says they've got an even lower chance of dealing with allergies at only 31%.

The kids who were tested for this study at the age of 13 were tested again at the age of 32 and study author Bob Hancox says, "The findings support the 'hygiene hypothesis,' which suggests that being exposed to microbes as a child reduces your risk of developing allergies."

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