Like many of you, I have been a passionate gardener for a long time. I’ve often said, “I’m heading out for some dirt therapy!” I thought it was a combination of fresh air, a creative outlet and a little exercise that cleared my head and lifted my mood. After reading this article, I’ve learned it’s also about the good bacteria in a healthy dose of dirt!
“In the 18 years since he first heard the story of M. vaccae, Christopher Lowry has published a series of ground-breaking papers suggesting that exposure to it, and other beneficial bugs in our midst, may have a profound impact on not only our physical health, but also our mental wellbeing.
The more we depart from the rural environments in which we evolved and the more sterile we make our surroundings, the more we risk missing out on the gifts of these microbial “old friends,” he warns. In the meantime, he’s forging ahead with studies aimed at someday harnessing those gifts, in the form of probiotic treatments for mental illness—or even a “stress immunization.”
To read the entire article, click here .
Stalking the Dirt Vaccine
