Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Does dirt help keep us healthy? children's health andover ma
A recent article in the New York Times entitled, "Babies Know: A Little Dirt is Good for you," says that babies know an important truth—eating dirt is good for people. As the author, Jane E. Brody discusses in the article, this illustrates an instinctive behavior that still exists because it has helped us survive as a species. New studies are exploring why immune system disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and allergies have risen significantly in the United States and other developed countries. Massachusetts attorney Thomas M. Kiley, http://www.tomkileylaw.com, concentrates on children’s health issues in his law practice in Boston.
Researchers are exploring what they call the hygiene hypothesis that concludes that the bacteria, viruses and worms that enter baby’s bodies through eating dirt help them develop a healthy immune system. Some other studies suggest that some immune systems that develop autoimmune disorders, allergies, or asthma may benefit from worms. According to a new book entitled, "Why Dirt is Good" by Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, babies who put things in their mouths are allowing their immune response to explore their environment. She suggests that this is practice for a child’s immune system to adapt to the environment. Another researcher, Dr. Joel Weinstock, director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston said the immune system at birth is like an unprogrammed computer needing instruction.
Dr. Weinstock says that children raised in an ultraclean environment are not exposed to those organisms that can help them develop appropriate regulatory circuits. Although public health measures that help clean contaminated water and food have saved many lives, a certain amount of dirt and worms are beneficial. Dr. Weinstock cited studies he has conducted with Dr. David Elliott, a gastroenterologist and immunologist at the University of Iowa, that indicate that worms help regulate the immune system to respond appropriately. Bacterial and viral infections also influence the immune system in the same way, but not as forcefully. Dr. Weinstock said worms give people few diseases and humans have adapted to their presence. Some researchers are even using worms to both prevent and reverse autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Elliott said pig whipworms, which actually reside briefly in the human intestinal tract, have had a good effect when treating inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Dr. Elliott suggests immune regulation is known to be more complex than scientists thought when the hygiene hypothesis was first introduced by British epidemiologist, David P. Strachan, in 1989. Dr. Strachan noted an association between large family size and reduced rates of asthma and allergies.
Dr. Ruebush, the "Why Dirt Is Good" author, points out that bacteria are everywhere: on us, in us and all around us. Most of these micro-organisms cause no problem. Some of the ones that normally live in the digestive tract and produce life-sustaining nutrients, are essential to good health. She said the 90 trillion microbes the typical human harbors help keep us healthy. Dr. Ruebush suggests using plain soap and water and that the current anti-bacterial washing products are not necessary. She offers the usual advice—wash hands after using the bathroom, before eating, after changing diapers, and before and after handling food. When no water is available, she recommends an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Dr. Weinstock goes even further; he suggests children be allowed to go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt, and not have to wash hands when they come in to eat. He and Dr. Elliott point out that children who grow up on farms and are exposed to worms and other organisms from farm animals are less likely to develop allergies and autoimmune diseases. He also suggests that kids be allowed to have dogs and cats in the house, which exposes them to intestinal worms that promote a healthy immune system.
An international study of allergies, conducted by Dr. Xiaobin Wang and Dr. Jacqueline A. Pongracic of Children’s Memorial Hospital, is looking for the causes of food allergies by looking at families in Boston, Chicago, and Anhui Province in China. In an article in the New York Times, the researchers are using questionnaires and interviews to gather data on environmental, genetic, and health factors, including diet, hygiene, number of pets, and the children’s prenatal and postnatal medical histories.
Eight foods account for 90 percent of all reactions — milk, eggs, peanuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, and nuts like cashews and almonds. Up to 200 deaths each year are attributed to the most severe reaction, food-induced anaphylaxis, and there are 30,000 trips to the emergency room. Although some experts suggest that children who are exposed to fewer germs through use of anti-bacterial products deprive the immune system of its germ-fighting job and lead to food allergies. Other researchers say the causes of food allergies are highly complex, and the "hygiene hypothesis" is not the only explanation.
Researchers in the international study have found that food allergies only affect 1% of people in China, but 4% or 12 million people in the U.S. They want to find out why these differences exist. Health care workers see an increase in the number of food allergies as an emerging health challenge. Researchers hope this new comprehensive study will lead to the discovery of ways to predict which child is likely to outgrow food allergies, as well as develop therapies that can lessen and protect against the severity of allergic reactions.
