Posted by Ines on April 2, 2007, at 15:02:55
In reply to Re: Dirt exposure 'boosts happiness', posted by Meri-Tuuli on April 2, 2007, at 13:30:08
Meri,
When I first got here I noticed that too- the houses are very messy actually, and they feel unclean. And carpets in the bathroom and mouldy bathtubs- yes, I agree, unbelievable. I was discussing this with an immunologist a while ago,re: allergies, and he said that wasn't really the point- the issue is with all the antibacterial products in the kitchen. In other countries they're more obsessed with cleanliness, but not with sterility in the kitchen. Here (and in the US apparently) semi sterility, particularly for baby products, has become an obsession. You can get antibacterial everything- even vegetable wash. Which means the immune system of children is not challenged as it should be, particularly when it comes to bacteria that one would normally ingest, resulting in T1 helper cells not developing properly (they are the cells that provide cellular immunity). There's research showing people who suffer from ashma and eczema have less efficient T1 cells...Anyway, that's not relevant to depression, but I thought it was interesting that the 'dirt' issue cropped up again... there are a few studies showing better immune systems in children that grow up on farms, for e.g.- I remember one study that specfically relates to being exposed to cow poo at an early age and how that can be beneficial for the immune system! So this study just makes me wonder even more if the majority of us are not just living in conditions that are actually unatural to us humans (from an evolutionary perspective) and how that affects us
Ines
poster:Ines
thread:746199
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070402/msgs/746319.html