God made dirt
and dirt don't hurt.
It probably helps.
From the Arthur blog:
"A recent study has revealed that ingesting soil bacteria (or Mycobacterium vaccae) not only makes your immune system more capable of handling allergens like bee pollen and cat dander, but also increases the release of serotonin into your brain."
From the Discover Magazine article that was referenced above:
"Some studies have found that treatment with M. vaccae, the inoffensive soil bacterium, eases skin allergies, and other reports show that it can improve mood. Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol in England, had a hunch about how this process might work. 'What we think happens is that the bacteria activate immune cells, which release chemicals called cytokines that then act on receptors on the sensory nerves to increase their activity,' he says.
"The results so far suggest that simply inhaling M. vaccae — you get a dose just by taking a walk in the wild or rooting around in the garden — could help elicit a jolly state of mind. 'You can also ingest mycobacteria either through water sources or through eating plants— lettuce that you pick from the garden, or carrots,' Lowry says.
"Graham Rook, an immunologist at University College London and a coauthor of the paper, adds that depression itself may be in part an inflammatory disorder. By triggering the production of immune cells that curb the inflammatory reaction typical of allergies, M. vaccae may ease that inflammation and hence depression. Therapy with M. vaccae — or with drugs based on the bacterium's molecular components — might someday be used to treat depression.
"'It's not clear to me whether the way ahead will be drugs that circumvent the use of these bugs,' Rook says, 'or whether it will be easier to say, 'The hell with it, let's use the bugs.'"
[Or people could just go get dirty for free, without pharmaceutical intervention and expense. But they'd have to get used to the idea of being in a natural setting and touching "dirty" things. -- Ed.]
"A recent study has revealed that ingesting soil bacteria (or Mycobacterium vaccae) not only makes your immune system more capable of handling allergens like bee pollen and cat dander, but also increases the release of serotonin into your brain."
From the Discover Magazine article that was referenced above:
"Some studies have found that treatment with M. vaccae, the inoffensive soil bacterium, eases skin allergies, and other reports show that it can improve mood. Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol in England, had a hunch about how this process might work. 'What we think happens is that the bacteria activate immune cells, which release chemicals called cytokines that then act on receptors on the sensory nerves to increase their activity,' he says.
"The results so far suggest that simply inhaling M. vaccae — you get a dose just by taking a walk in the wild or rooting around in the garden — could help elicit a jolly state of mind. 'You can also ingest mycobacteria either through water sources or through eating plants— lettuce that you pick from the garden, or carrots,' Lowry says.
"Graham Rook, an immunologist at University College London and a coauthor of the paper, adds that depression itself may be in part an inflammatory disorder. By triggering the production of immune cells that curb the inflammatory reaction typical of allergies, M. vaccae may ease that inflammation and hence depression. Therapy with M. vaccae — or with drugs based on the bacterium's molecular components — might someday be used to treat depression.
"'It's not clear to me whether the way ahead will be drugs that circumvent the use of these bugs,' Rook says, 'or whether it will be easier to say, 'The hell with it, let's use the bugs.'"
[Or people could just go get dirty for free, without pharmaceutical intervention and expense. But they'd have to get used to the idea of being in a natural setting and touching "dirty" things. -- Ed.]
posted by mr damon at
8:33 PM
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