As we’ve been saying in NLP for decades, our immune systems need to be educated. An allergy is really a mistake made by a poorly educated immune system (See: “Heart of the Mind” Chapter 5).
Now the New York Times in this amusing article substantiates our position with new research verifying that theory:
Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You
By JANE E. BRODY
The hygiene hypothesis suggests that organisms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system.
Ask mothers why babies are constantly picking things up from the floor or ground and putting them in their mouths, and chances are they’ll say that it’s instinctive — that that’s how babies explore the world. But why the mouth, when sight, hearing, touch and even scent are far better at identifying things?
When my young sons were exploring the streets of Brooklyn, I couldn’t help but wonder how good crushed rock or dried dog droppings could taste when delicious mashed potatoes were routinely rejected.
Since all instinctive behaviors have an evolutionary advantage or they would not have been retained for millions of years, chances are that this one too has helped us survive as a species. And, indeed, accumulating evidence strongly suggests that eating dirt is good for you. (click here to read the rest)
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