Eat Dirt
Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2011
by Deborah Jackson
The Organic Garden
Recently I listened as a doctor said that studies have shown that children in rural areas are less susceptible to asthma and other types of viral or congestive diseases. He expressed surprise that this would be the case and feels that the logic was counter-intuitive.
Is he nuts!
A daily regime of running and stretching, slowly building up muscles and wind is what every long distance marathoner practices. Playing your sport of choice, practicing daily and longer is what every athlete practices and every coach preaches. Repetition of multiplication tables and reading every day is what every teacher and parent understands will help improve their childs’ skill in school and help them to be able to cope in the business world. Early exposure to the arts and music has been proven to increase the adult brains ability to be creative and think outside the box.
Of course, I’m not suggesting that you toss your kid in the first trash dump you see. But for heavens sake, stop protecting them from every little germ you hear about; stop fussing because he caught a cold from Timmy in day care.
I figured out years ago, why all my friends have developed allergies in their later years. It’s because they stopped going out to play. When my generation were kids, we spent every almost every waking moment outside playing. We had recess and gym in school. We breathed the air, we absorbed the sunshine, we scraped our knees and hands, we played on the monkey bars and fell face first into the dirt.We broke bones and had no flu inoculations or all of these other shots you can’t be without these days. By the time we were in the second grade, every single one of us had had the mumps, the measles and chicken pox. There were even a few of us with ringworm and impetigo. If food dropped on the ground, you had fifteen seconds to retrieve it before it was considered unclean. At the end of the day, we were dirty, smelly, raggedy, tired and hungry. But not one of us had asthma, allergies or autism.
As we aged all of that outdoor activity changed. The most exposure many of us had to anything resembling sunshine was on television, watching people frolic on the beach in a commercial for sunscreen. We paid someone to mow the lawn, our cars were run through automatic washes, we never walked or rode a bike and we even shopped at night after work to avoid the crowds. We watched in horror as scientists alerted us to the reality of dust mites and other microscopic vermin, and ran right out to get the latest and greatest antibacterial soap. We sanitized our pets, our children, our lives and our world and as we did, we weakened ourselves and the natural functioning of our bodies.
So I say eat dirt. Not really, but get out there. Sit on the front steps in the sun and talk to a neighbor. Mow the lawn for five or fifteen minutes. Walk to the corner store. Wash your car on a Saturday afternoon. Plant some flowers in the back yard. Walk with your son to T-ball practice. Let your daughter play in the yard and get her hands dirty. Throw out all the antibacterial everything. Eat dirt ......and live.
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