Talk about chronic and low level Inflammatory disease is everywhere. We all seem to have it to some degree. Any Inflammation is a known risk factor for disease.
German scientist Reber and American scientist Siebler say we have inflammation because we have lost touch with our “old friends” — trees, soil, and wild animals.
They say we don’t get around to these old friends much anymore. They say we need to be reintroduced to these old friends.
Old Friends: Our Microbial Community
Stefan O. Reber, Dept of Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Germany and , Department of Integrative Physiology, Bolder Colorado, led a huge study that showed we need to get closer to “microbiotica” near trees and in soil.
Microbiotica are our microbial community of organisms that live outside near trees and in soil.
Turns out these organisms are needed to regulate our immune systems. They call them “immunoregulatroy environmental microorganisms.”
In particular, the “Mycobacterium vaccae, prevents stress-induced pathology (disease).”
These diseases include but are not limited to: Lupus, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohns), digestive (gut) disease, allergies, and psychiatric disorders.
What The Study Shows About Stress and Microbiotica
This study shows that ” stress disrupts the homeostatic relationship between the microbiota and the host, resulting in exaggerated inflammation. ”
So stress breaks down the community of microorganisms in our bodies — and we get sick.
Further the study says ” An important determinant of immunoregulation is the microbial community occupying the host organism, collectively referred to as the microbiota.”
So in order to keep our immune systems healthy (we are the host), we need a microbial community.
What Can We Do?
We can get outside and visit our old friends to replenish our microbial communities. The answers are simple and free. We know what to do. Here are some ways to find your old friends again.
– Find new ways to get outside,
– Play with your kids/grandkids in the dirt,
– Garden, garden with your gloves off sometimes
– Walk and sit near trees.
If you know you want to get outside more often, but can’t seem to get there because you are too busy or too tired, join our Ditch Inside for Outside Facebook Tribe.
We help each other to get outside more often. We are looking at ways to get our brains to help us to do this. Please join us to get healthier and happier.
Say it with me “healthy tree, healthy me”,
Verla
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Wow, who knew. I hate wearing gloves. I love the feeling of dirt on my hands, and it is easy to wash off.
Very interesting about the inflammation, immune system and microbiotica. How something so simple as playing with dirt and spending more time with our old friends can help us. Thank you, Verla.
Such great advice! Nature is our friend! We shouldn’t cover up to avoid it!
I LOVE THIS! What a great reminder to get ourselves outside. SO informative. Thank you.
Ha truth be told we need to get back to our old ways. Thanks
So much fun learning from your posts!!
I can’t wait until we move and are able to have a garden, I love digging my hands in dirt and feeling the different parts of plants.
That is great you mention about this , I sometime garden without gloves, my kids mostly like to help me garden without gloves, it is fun for them too.
Such wonderful and informative information, Verla. Thank you. It gives me even more reasons to be outside and close to nature…touching it, too, with bare hands sometimes.
Interesting post! I certainly could spend more time outside. I’ll keep this in mind to remind myself to go out more.
love this! We need to embrace nature more and not be so afraid to get our hands dirty. 🙂
Wooow! What an interesting post, and YES, it makes perfect sense! I honestly believe that everything that is good and healthy for us is out there, provided by Mother Nature. We just need to spend more time with Her! 🙂
I had no idea about microbiota before reading this post. Great, helpful information and reminders about how trees and being outside are so important to our overall health!
I agree! People need to get outside more often!