Natural Immunity

By Dr. Steven Visentin

My mother was desperate to reform my brothers and me. She was certain if she didn't, we were destined to become dirty, lying savages, which seemed to be our very nature. Everything we wanted to do, every natural inclination we had, aroused a deep concern inside her and a determination to save us before it was too late! My mom didn't understand that every attempt to help us was undermining what Mother Nature had preplanned for our development.

Our Daily Ritual

Every day, my older brothers and I would play in a dirty alley in Queens, New York. I was 4 and remember staring for hours at bugs and worms. I played with water, dirt and mud. I looked through the neighbors' garbage for anything of interest. Like other children my age, I ate dirt and thought nothing of it.

It was glorious. I never felt so relaxed or carefree as during those innocent days. Everything fascinated me with wonder.

My mother was busy in the kitchen preparing mashed potatoes, canned vegetables and meatloaf. In those days, this was healthy food for growing boys. When she was done, she'd call us in from the alley.

We would march in reluctantly; filthy from playing in dirt all morning. In stark contrast to her perfect white mashed potatoes, we were almost black with dirt. We would sit down to eat and before she served us, she'd always ask the same question, "Did you boys remember to wash your hands?"

We'd look at each other, then back at our mom, and reply without thinking, "Yes!"

To which she would respond "Liars, you little liars. You didn't wash your hands."

She was right, as always, and she'd march us off to the bathroom sink. Washing our soft little hands with hot water, Borax hand soap and a stiff brush, she would admonish us with "Wait! Wait till your father gets home!"

There would be a long, disturbing silence, but our memories were short. Halfway through lunch, we would forget the lesson and be anxious to go back to the alley, where we could play in and eat dirt.

Thinking back, I'm sure my mom couldn't fathom why anyone would prefer eating dirt to clean white potatoes. Science is often more fashion than fact. At that time, doctors felt a child's environment couldn't be too clean. Mothers were being taught to keep everything clean, even sterile, for the sake of the child.

Science Catches Up

Scientists and doctors now believe exposure to germs in soil reduces lifetime risks of allergies, asthma, diabetes, and autoimmune conditions, such as Crohn's disease.

Who knows how the natural tendencies of children might influence their development as healthy adults? All our handling of them is contrary to what they naturally do to develop a healthy resistance to disease.

Dirty, Lying, Little Savages

One day, my mom fed us a large can of franks and beans. Each of us had a huge bowl and she insisted we clean our plates. Later, we piled into the family station wagon to go to Grandma's house. My mom and dad sat on a bench seat up front; my two brothers and I were in the back.

After about 30 minutes, those beans caught up with me and I farted. My mom turned around and glared, asking, "Who did that?" No one responded. She looked irate; so I said nothing. My mom smoked and it seemed unfair that I couldn't even fart.

She barked, "Liars! You are all little liars. At least, you could own up to it." She was determined to teach us a lesson and explained "In polite society, they say, ‘excuse me, I let gas.'" Then, she turned to stare out the windshield, crossed her arms, and seemed self-satisfied.

The lesson wasn't lost on us. A few minutes later, it happened again and I raised my little hand. In the meekest voice, I said, "Excuse me, I let gas." There was a short pause and my brothers started to laugh.

Next, my brother Bob chimed in. He was rather proud of what he'd done, as it was noisier than my own and his hand immediately shot up. He said clearly, "Excuse me, I let gas." We all laughed as the oldest, Tom, erupted, too. It was a giant, disgusting gas attack. We never laughed so hard or so long. Our eyes teared and our guts ached. My father stared straight ahead at the road and said nothing, but rolled his window down to air out the car. We knew our parents were angry.

I lied, but my mom lied, too. Nowhere in "polite society" have I ever heard anyone say, "Excuse me, I let gas." I've been in fancy office-building elevators and whenever someone passes gas, everyone just holds their breath until the doors open again. It's normal, but bottling it up creates problems with the bowels. It requires no comment afterward. We don't have to guess what happened, and it's really unimportant who did it.

My Mom vs. Mother Nature

Emphasis on bodily functions, hygiene and etiquette was confusing to me as a child. As an adult, I understand that my mom was trying to teach us to become polite gentlemen. The nature inside of us wasn't going to be contained. Every urge she tried to thwart was designed to allow us to develop a strong natural resistance to disease of all kinds. Our activities as children were part of a grand design by Mother Nature to be healthy. Eating dirt and even letting gas was a path toward fighting an onslaught of trillions of bacteria, viruses and parasites over a lifetime. Like most moms, she was trying to help nature. In the end, "Nature needs no help, just no interference."

Steven Visentin,DC, a 1982 graduate of National College of Chiropractic, is a solo practitioner and clinic director at Care Chiropractic in Denver.