I just saw this article in the Star*Advertiser that we got this morning. It's written by Brian Nearing of the Albany Times Union. Here are some excerpts from the article:"Playing in the dirt is actually good for you, with brain boosting effects caused by naturally occurring bacteria in the soil, according to recent research from the Sage Colleges.
By studying how quickly mice negotiate a maze, associate biology professor Dorothy Matthews found that mice did better and showed less stress after eating snacks containing the bacteria, which earlier research shows can increase levels of serotonin, a brain chemical linked in humans with increased learning ability and mood...."
The article closes with:
"And being too clean by disinfecting everything a person comes in contact with could reduce or eliminate exposure to helpful bacteria, and it might be actually making people feel worse, not better, Matthews said."
I find this all so interesting because I remember my mother telling me a long time ago that she'd read in her Japanese research magazines that children should play in dirt to remain healthy and smart. Therefore, she made sure my brother, Dennis and I always played in the dirt everyday...not too hard to do in old Hawaii.
With my older daughter, Tiffany, we cleaned everything she used as a baby. We disinfected and boiled everything. Not to say we were fanatical about it... well... maybe. We were first time parents. We didn't even know how to diaper a baby since Tif was born early, and we'd never completed our Red Cross Child Care course we were taking. We attended the conception part, but gosh, we already knew how to do that. We may not have been experts at diapering, but we knew how to keep her clean and we did!
By the time Jon was born, we were pretty darn relaxed. When his pacifier fell out of his mouth, we dusted it off and gave it back to him. If he fell in the dirt, ah well, dust him off, too.
Today, Tif has a ton of allergies... dust, pollen, all melons, tomatoes. Jon, not much. He's even lived in the poorest villages of Mali, West Africa for over two years without a problem. (Ummm... he did get malaria, but that wasn't from dirt.)
I've seen Tif keeping KC clean all the time much as I did her. Now that I've read this article, it's made me see that... hmmmmmmm... maybe my mother was right after all.
Should I tell her?
MUCH LATER: OK, OK... I told my mom and she did laugh and say, "I read and knew about this 60 years ago!" (Is this the same thing as I told you so?)
I would take this article with a grain of salt. After all, if you don't wash your hands after making a B.M., you will get sick from e. coli, sometimes resulting in death.
ReplyDeleteThere was an e.coli outbreak from unwashed, contaminated lettuce a few years ago. Remember that? Pretty scary!
Definitely! I have always believed that a dirty child is a happy child - in moderation. It has to be 'clean' dirt i.e. you wouldn't let children play in a sand pit that the cat had been using. I have never overdone it with the cleaning chemicals and we may be scruffy but none of us has allergies, etc.
ReplyDeletehttp://thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com
You know, most kids figure out that mom was smarter then they thought right about the time they have kids of their own! ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, tell her! It'll give her a chance to say, "I told you so," which is always fun. Isn't this interesting, though? I played in the dirt around our family's farm when I was a child and had no allergies. My city cousin, who was coddled beyond belief, was allergic to just about everything.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that is why digging in the dirt, doing archaeology, gives me such a good mood.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this.
definitely tell your mom, we older ones needs all the compliments we can get. Although I do think there are more pesticides and bacteria in dirt today...lol!
ReplyDeleteIf you are a mother, living in the Midwest, then you surely know the snot-nosed kids, and those who look like they just crawled out of the mud hole never get sick. Honestly. They never do. That's what a little dirt will do for you.
ReplyDeleteWe were not born with wash rags, my mom used to say. Taking a bath or washing off private parts is something we were taught to do but that was in the day. The day before bath tubs, plumbing and showers.
You should Google Bath or Bathing and find out that just a little over 100 years or so, ago, people didn't take baths.
And the priests were forbidden to take baths before the nuns did. Because the nuns got pregnant in their bathwater.
I did a post, some time ago, about bathing and dirt and came to the conclusion that besides body odor and armor, the knights and the ladies of the court got a way with a lot, in terms of smelling ripe.
I stopped worrying about a little dirt and germs many years ago and the fanatacism that many people had/have regarding germs. I have been extraordinarily healthy all my life as have my children. Here in the states it seems that so many people are obsessed with the idea of cleanliness to the point it's obsurd. Nothing wrong with a little common sense -- another thing that seems rather sadly lacking in many these days. Have a delightfully messy day, Kay!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
She was definitely right. I was a big one that dirt is good for you. I made many a mud pie when I was little and I made sure my kiddos did too.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher you must have noticed that the 'less cared for' kids, were never off sick, much as you'd have like a break from them for a day or two! There's an old proverb that says 'you've got to eat a peck of dirt before you die' I'm not too sure what it means but I've always taken it to mean that a bit of dirt in moderation isn't going to hurt.
ReplyDeleteI think playing in dirt works like a 'natural-vaccination '.If we observe some basic hygiene rules ,it is enough to keep us safe .
ReplyDeleteI was extra cautious with my first born and a lot more relaxed after my second child.His(my son) immunity is better than my daughter's.
Thanks for sharing this.
Yes. Do send it to her, or maybe she reads your blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree totally with your mom. Dirt is a natural "vaccination" for kids. It´s so great to see them play with sand and let their fantasy´s go. Having lived in this country for so long, I see it everyday, that a little dirt never hurt anyone!
seems right, to embrace the Earth!
ReplyDeletekeep feeling better!
Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
Kay;
ReplyDeleteVery interesting article.
I know when Bob was born, we were cautious but if his pacifier dropped on the floor we would rinse it off and stick it back in.
With Kevin, like tou said, not so much. Julie got by with even less, I think.
Bob had a lot of problems with his ears and rose fever and strep. Kevin and Julie were pretty darn healthy! Hmmmm?
It wouldn't hurt to run the idea by her...food for thought if nothing else
ReplyDeleteYes I have read similar things and I think they'res alot to what you say. So many of the kids at school these days seem to have allergies galore. I'm sure all the cleaning chemicals also don't help.
ReplyDeleteTell who, Mom or Tif? Both of them. And you should get a good laugh out of at least one of them. It's true, you can be too clean.
ReplyDeleteGlad Mom didn't "rub it in."
ReplyDeleteMother's are always (almost) right. I agree with the article, thanks for bringing this to light. Thank you for coming by, have a nice weekend.
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