Browse: Home / Bacteria / Little girls need to wallow in dirt to grow up healthy

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Better Body Chemistry School
  • Book a health conversation
  • Speaking query
  • The “Big” Spoons
Header image

BBC

Small things can make a big difference to your health

advertisement

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Free Resources
    • 31 days to Better Body Chemistry
    • Willpower Report
    • Weight loss e-course
    • Better Body Chemistry for Expecting Moms
    • The ups and downs of insulin resistance
    • Candy Floss Boards
    • Weight tracker
  • Library
  • Shop
  • Lucky dip
  • Sound bites
  • Buy me a coffee
  • Contact

Little girls need to wallow in dirt to grow up healthy

Posted by Dr Sandy on in Bacteria | 621 Views | Leave a response
Share
WhatsApp
Reddit
More
Tweet
Pin
Share

Personally never had a problem “getting dirty” as a child.  The behaviour contrasted strongly with what my mother desired – she expected her little girl, to be nealittle girl avoiding dirtt and tidy,  “all ribbons and curls”.

She actively encouraged more girly pursuits, by kitting out a beautiful “Wendy House” in the backyard, but hosting tea parties, was quite low on the agenda. Nothing has changed.  My childhood was spent outdoors – tormenting the garden residents and building cities, with complex road networks, in the mud.

My mother’s failure may have been a health triumph for me.

The hygiene hypothesis

The hygiene hypothesis is not a new idea.    Simply stated, if you don’t get exposed to “enough germs and things”, your immune system becomes hypersensitive,  over reacting  with a massive immune response to a non-existent threat which ultimately leads  to an autoimmune disease.

Big girls are suffering from autoimmune disease

 Little boys are encouraged to get dirty, while little girls are expected to avoid the dirt.

 So what happens when those squeaky clean little girls reach adulthood.  They’re developing autoimmune disorders.   Women have far higher rates of allergies, asthma and autoimmune disorders than men.

 Diseases showing a gender bias include

  • Crohn’s disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Lupus 

 It’s hard to blame it on genes – both men and women have the X chromosome.  Researchers from Oregon State University are blaming the way little girls are raised.

 Society socializes young girls to “be clean”

  • Girls tend to be dressed more in clothing that is not supposed to get dirty
  • Girls tend to play indoors
  • Girls playtime is more likely to be supervised by an adult
  • Hygiene products target little girls

 The average little girl, is not being exposed to as many bacteria,  as the average little boy.

Girls need to socialize with germs

Just one gram of ordinary uncontaminated soil contains 10 billion microbial cells.  So little girls don’t need to actually eat dirt,  but baking a mud pie or two, will inevitably cause a couple of bacteria to rub off and so improve their bacteria zoo.

So turn off the TV,  shut off the Xbox and send the kids (both girls and boys) outside, to add a few facebook  “germs” to their list of friends.

Gender and the hygiene hypothesis
Social Science & Medicine, Volume 72, Issue 4, Pages 486-493
Sharyn. Clough

Know someone who will find this post useful ?   Share it on facebook,  linkedin,   twitter

Further reading

 

thumbnail peeing in the pool  thumbnail nerd  gut bacteria controlling brain 
 Eating a tub of yogurt or two does change the gut zoo  Does sun aversion trigger allergic reactions ? How do you plead ? Not guilty – my bacteria made me do it… 

These are the 7 Big Spoons™….. master switches that turn health on.

balance eicosanoids rein in insulin dial down stress sleep vitamin D microflora think
Balance Eicosanoids Rein in insulin Dial down stress Sleep ! Increase vit D Culivate microflora Think champion

Sign up for the E-spoons E-zine  to get a monthly compilation of the posts from 7 Big Spoons delivered to your inbox.

Hire Dr Sandy from a Spoonful of Science to  be the keynote speaker at your next event.

Did you learn something new or do you have a different perspective ?   I’d love to hear from you so post me a comment below…..

Share Button
Share
WhatsApp
Reddit
More
Tweet
Pin
Share
Posted in Bacteria | Tagged allergy, asthma, autoimmune disorders, crohn’s disease, facebook friends, girls, hygiene hypothesis, lupus, multiple sclerosis

Connect with us

facebook you tube pinterest 40 google plus 40 Linkedin

FEELING….

sign posts then you need better body chemistry.

Grab our free E-course

“31 days to better body chemistry”

The advice is simple to follow and based on REAL science, not hype

Need more information ? Click here

  • Popular
  • Featured
  • Recent
  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20078 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19377 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    18934 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16675 views / Posted
  • carbonated water bubbles fill you up

    Fizzing up the water flattens your appetite

    15462 views / Posted
  • sun extracting cholesterol

    Make sure you have your “annual” check-up in the summer time

    / Dr Sandy
  • sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity

    Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

    / Dr Sandy
  • cholesterol at the scene of the accident

    Bone cells are stiffening up your arteries not cholesterol

    / Dr Sandy
  • brain size the problem in ADHD

    Are kids with ADHD just acting according to their brain age

    / Dr Sandy
  • plastering the blood vessel with calcium

    Calcium supplements are building bones and breaking hearts

    / Dr Sandy
  • If you’re glucose intolerant ALWAYS carry an apple with you for EMERGENCIES

    / Dr Sandy
  • sandman whipping up a fall asleep potion

    Hot eyes fall asleep faster

    / Dr Sandy
  • HOT or COLD – which is better metabolically speaking ?

    / Dr Sandy
  • A eye healthy diet should include eggs

    / Dr Sandy
  • It’s official – you cannot out run a bad diet, your biology won’t let you

    / Dr Sandy

RSS Recent posts

Dr Sandy Dr Sandy Evans, PhD

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa

Book an appointment with Spoonful of Science using SetMore
Disclaimer : The stories and articles are provided as a service. Dr Sandy's opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
 
 

Connect with Dr Sandy

facebook 40
you tube 40
pinterest 40
google plus 40
linkedin 40
meetup 40
 

Categories

Featured posts

  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20078 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19377 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    18934 views / Posted
 

©2011-2022 Spoonful of Science

Menu

  • Meet Dr Sandy
  • Disclosure/disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Comment policy
  • Contact
Redirect Stakk
Thank You

Beat your SUGAR CRAVINGS, using biology, NOT psychology

Download our FREE REPORT entitled, "How to get the Willpower you Need to Trump Sugar's Power"

  • Do you have a sugar gremlin ?
  • Discover the biology behind sugar gremlins
  • Learn about the 10 weapons you can use to TAME YOUR SUGAR GREMLIN

Get instant access

Share
WhatsApp
Reddit
More
Tweet