Amish allergies

I have written before about the new findings on the complexities of our interactions with microbes in and around our bodies.  Here is another article for the same file, about the apparent links between exposure to a rich microbial environment, such as that found on working Amish farms, and the virtual non-existence of allergies seen in agrarian peoples.  This is especially interesting for me, who on the one hand have terrible allergies and on the other work with farms (where my allergies tend to be blessedly absent), especially as we begin to raise our sons, one newborn, in a highrise of synthetic carpet and canned air.  Our new living environment is drastically different from the old buildings, mud plaster, and frequent farm trips into which my first son (who shows no signs of allergies) was born, and I hope it doesn't negatively impact our little Paulo.