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May 07, 2013

The Not-So-Dirty Truth About Dirt

Stop! You’re getting grass stains all over your pants!”
“Dear, please get that mud off your hands!”
“What are you doing?! No, you can’t eat mud pies!”
How many children have heard these words? From an early age, we are trained to be clean, learning to destroy dirt and microbes with an arsenal of various chemical soaps, wipes, and anti-bacterial sanitizers to make our living conditions as sterile as possible. We try to banish signs of dirt at all costs in westernized culture, making that dirt caked underneath your fingernails after gardening taboo. Have we really become that detached from the ground beneath our feet; the life-giving earth that sustains our very existence? Theoretically, by keeping clean, a person was once able to give the appearance of a being of a higher social standing (think lords vs. peasants during medieval times). Ironically, in our modern age of science, we have realized that dirt harbors many benefits, so our normally pristine well-off pay hundreds of dollars to lay on a sterile, white table and have their body smothered in only the finest exotic mud. Yep, plain ol’ microbial mud. Luckily, you don’t have to pay hundreds to smear mud all over your body.
Are you curious as to why anyone would smother themselves in mud? Here are some of mud’s not-so-dirty secrets…

Strengthen the immune system. Playing in dirt and being exposed to the millions of tiny microbes that thrive in it can actually boost the immune system – especially a child’s. Humans that live in a sterile environment are less able to combat harmful bacteria when they come across it, due to seclusion from any bacteria. Why? Well, our gut is filled with pounds of microbes that carry intrinsic value in helping our bodies function smoothly. If you are unfamiliar with the workings of your little gut hitchhikers, this article provides good context in relation to weight loss. Your health relies on the presence of microbes more than you would think. Immune-wise, being exposed to these microbes actually allows the body to build up anti-bodies to the harmful ones, while reaping countless benefits from the good ones. Children, and even adults, who are too clean are actually at a greater risk for developing allergies, asthma, and other auto-immune diseases.

Boost happiness. Mycobacterium vaccae, a soil-dwelling bacteria, was shown to increase the brain’s production of serotonin, as much as exercise and anti-depressants, according to a study by Bristol University. Plus, it’s just plain fun to play in the dirt, young or old!

Detox the body. Certain clays, when ingested, can actually pull toxins out from the body. Many animals practice geophagy after eating highly toxic plants, which is the act of eating clay or soil as self-medication. These healing clays, being negatively-charged, magnetically draw in the toxins, which are almost always positively-charged. The clay is then excreted, with all of the toxins bound up in its swelled, sponge-like interior. Need a real-world example? Here are some of the benefits of clay. Also, check out this study involving Peruvian parrots, their toxic diets, and geophagy. Clay is also great for the skin, minimizing the size of and drawing impurities from pores. Try a mask of equal parts calcium bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar for 15-20 minutes to cleanse and soothe the skin.

Some dirty activities include hiking, gardening, yard work, camping, or whatever else you can think of. Mankind has been rolling in and eating dirt for thousands of years. There are many healthy cultures that benefit from a close connection to dirt to this day. So what are you waiting for? Get outside and go get dirty!

9 comments:

  1. There.......WAS....... nothing wrong about get dirt it was good.........today noway pesticides Germ War fare in one country carries around the world into trees plants grass soil - Experiments carried out on the population in ALL countries deliberately releasing of virus and bacteria into the air to see what happen CIA CHINA Britain’s Germ Warfare unit Russia etc all guilty - Pollution from Aeroplanes Cars seep into the soil - DIRT TODAY IS NOT THE SAME AS DIRT 50 YEARS AGO - THIS THE REAL REASON WHY HEALTH IS DETOTIATING – DIRT TODAY IS A DIRTY BUSINESS

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    1. You are correct, anonymous. And you did not even mention that in large swathes of the Europe soil has been "dusted down" with radioactive fallout from Chernobyl and some other military "experiments" with the weather by chemicals put in con-trails.

      Bear in mind also that due to pollution of one sort or another, and chemical additives to food, food containers, hormones from birth control pills not filtered from drinking water, -- that in general our immune systems are not as strong as our grandparents' were-- the reason we have many more allergies and immune systerm disorders than they did. I not longer swim in streams or ponds because of unknown pollution ( "flesh eating bacteria" and menengitis is rare but real).

      Additionally, since we now live in a global society, increased ease of travel has brought new exotic diseases and parasites to infest our soils. Walk barefoot anyplace where dogs or cats roam and you risk getting histoplasmosis, hookworm, threadworm, roundworm, etc. If you are one who likes to run barefoot, it would be prudent to take a wormer about twice a year.

      I'm another "anonymous" but also a retired biologist (not a "godless scientist" :-) ; I believe in a merciful God, but also that God expects us to use our brains and avoid imprudent behavior according to our knowledge-- so if I "play in dirt" (gardening) I'm careful to wash my hands afterward; and I don't walk barefoot except in my house.

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  2. Ha! I'll take my chances! Put your faith in God not man and all these scientist that try to scare us. God created this world for us to enjoy. Yes even the dirt. The real reason why health is going down is the condition of our souls. I have been swimming in creeks, running the woods and rolling in dirt for 38 years and now my kids do. I don't stress over all the stuff the scientist put out there. I have true Freedom in Christ! Camping anyone?

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    1. Used to work on tomato harvester,without cloves,ate my lunch with dirty handsnever worried about it,and thank you God,never have been sick in my live..and did my lunch taste good.I am a mother grandmother and great grandmother,still work in the garden,without cloves ,chicken poe,and cow poe,and have a Cupertino and bikky while I am on the go..How did Moses,get his people through the dessert ,for forty year,??Don't worry,be happy...

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    2. wilhelmina vredenburgMay 7, 2013 at 2:47 PM

      Yeh camping great,way to get dirty,love it,and so do the kids.Working on the harvester ,no cloves ,and having lunch ,never worried about it,how did Moses get his people through the dessert for forty years ?Thank you God for never being sick ,ln my live.Be hppy and don't worry..

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  3. "The real reason why health is going down is the condition of our souls."
    BRAVO ! BRAVO ! BRAVO ! BRAVO !
    And the truth shall set you free ! I wish you would have added your name to the profile. I will says some prayers for you.. God Bless !

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    1. I couldn't agree more. God is the master of creation, but when we separate ourselves from Him by sin, we separate ourselves from all of Him, including His Hand which keeps His creation in check.

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  4. Humankind’s Disconnect from the Good Earth

    http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/could-lack-of-grounding-be-an-underlying-factor-in-most-chronic-disease/

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  5. Agree 100%!!!! When the world was not filled with sin, man lived in harmony with all of creation.

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