Ever notice that getting your hands dirty makes you feel better?! This might explain why…deep within ordinary garden soil is found this bacteria called Mycobacterium Vaccae, which has these amazingly powerful properties that profoundly influence the human brain in POSITIVE ways!!
They discovered in animal studies that contact with this soil bacterium appears to help “train” the immune system so it doesn’t overreact to stressors and inflammatory triggers. In lab studies, immune cells exposed to M. vaccae produced fewer inflammatory signals when challenged. The study does not prove that simply touching dirt cures disease, but it does support the idea that interaction with nature may have measurable effects on inflammation and stress resilience.
Animal studies showed that exposure to M. vaccae:
- Reduced anxiety-like behaviors
- Improved stress resilience
- Reduced inflammatory activity in the brain
- Prevented some stress-induced changes associated with PTSD-like responses
- Helped the brain maintain a calmer immune environment during stress
One study found that M. vaccae actually prevented stress-induced increases in anxiety-like behavior while reducing neuroinflammation in key brain regions involved in mood and stress regulation.
Spend at least 20 minutes outdoors every day this week. Garden, walk, play with your children/grandchildren, or simply sit in the sunshine and reconnect with the LORD through His creation.