Erin, thanks for posting this interesting article. I personally don't buy the hyper-cleanliness thing as a catch-all but I absolutely think in some cases of autoimmune disorders, an allergic reaction might be at play as a trigger of some sort. This has come up in many other things I've read.

My MS became known to me after I discovered I'd been living with mold in my apartment for 7 years and ironically, my recent blood work showed allergies. I don't think I've been tested for that regularly but this is the first time it's ever come up. I am actually on a mission right now to take out the horrible carpet in my bedroom that was left by the previous tenant!