The “SOIL YOUR UNDIES” test: How is soil influencing our health?
The “SOIL YOUR UNDIES” test: How is soil influencing our health?
By Liz Moon, Nurse Practitioner
Check out this article from the Washington Post about how the soil our food is gown in may be affecting our health.
Bill Robertson, a soil scientist at the University of Arkansas plants a pair of men’s 100 percent cotton underwear to assess how healthy soil is. “If that soil is alive then, after five weeks, [the underwear] should fall apart like a wet newspaper.” If, on the other hand, the soil isn’t thriving, then what is left is a dirty, but intact, set of briefs.”
“Emerging research suggests that the soil microbiome might have an even more direct effect on our health by communicating directly with our own cells and by boosting the nutrient content of our food” than we thought. There is some research that some microbes in the soil might protect us and that we may have co-evolved allowing them to communicate with our own cells.
Cornell plant scientist Jenny Kao-Kniffin studies the underground interactions that take place between soil microbes and the roots of plants, a zone she refers to as the phytobiome. “Plants secrete compounds to feed nearby microbes and, in exchange, the microbes enable plants to capture essential nutrients (such as nitrogen) and manufacture a series of chemicals called phytonutrients or antioxidants. These plant chemicals directly benefit us by stimulating our immune system, regulating our hormones and slowing the growth of human cancer cells.”
“In response to promising research linking ‘health’ and soil microbes, soil-inspired probiotics are flooding the market. These products claim to contain earthy organisms that will protect us from disease and enhance growth and development. Donata Vercelli, professor of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of Arizona, said she believes it is far too early to be touting products for human health ‘we are just beginning to understand how these invertebrates work together and how they interact with their environment.’ Plus, she wonders if the symphony is more important than any lone player.”
If you are as interested in these microbes and their potential health benefits as we are, call to make an appointment today by calling 224-407-4400 or request an appointment on our website www.compgihealth.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!