SBO = Soil Based Organisms - As the name implies, soil-based organisms are bacteria (and other life forms) that live in the soil.
Let me start here first... thanks to modern hygiene and sanitation over the years we have seen lower rates of many illnesses and health problems. Unfortunately, too much of a good thing can have it's problems especially when we are fighting something new and those in power put the fear of false flags in place that make many question what they've done for almost their entire life to keep bad health at bay, Simple-Wash with soap and warm water. So many scared into thinking they need to over do what they think is good but actually it is harming them and their families. Over cleaning and disinfecting to the point you are actually killing off the good microbiome with the bad stuff!
We have antibacterial soap, anti bacterial wipes, antibacterial spray, and a myriad of cleaning and disinfecting products. Kids are growing up in clean, disinfected, sterile environments. We go to great lengths to make sure we are protected from germs. At the same time, we have rising rates of allergies, autoimmune problems and gut related disorders especially in children but also in the times we are in right now many Adults are coming into things they never had, such as allergies and auto immune problems.
In fact, some research says that widespread use of disinfecting and antibacterial products and removal/avoidance of dirt is preventing proper formation of healthy gut bacteria and that restoring this beneficial bacteria could be the key to boosting immune function, reducing rates of allergies or digestive issues and something so simple as improving ones mood!
So where are these healthy bacteria and how can we benefit from them? Probiotic rich foods and supplements are a great start, but they are missing an important factor: SBO's Soil Based Organisms. These soil based organisms have stronger strains of beneficial bacteria that can survive through the digestive system and provide the most benefit. While fermented foods and probiotic supplements can also be very beneficial,
Soil based organisms are microorganisms found in soil. Various cultures have known the health benefits of dirt for centuries and there is an old saying that “You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.” It seems there is wisdom in this old saying…
As the National Library of medicine link speaks of: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5622781/
As PubMed answers the question, stating "Soil and the human gut contain approximately the same number of active microorganisms"...
As this article explains:
As Heather (from Mommypotamus) talked about the benefits of these types of organisms for people with IBS or digestive disorders in this post
Plus, in this double-blind, placebo controlled study researchers found that IBS patients who took a soil-based probiotic experienced a significant reduction in symptoms after two weeks. A follow-up study found that the patients were still experiencing these benefits one year after discontinuing the probiotic, presumably because the beneficial bacteria stays in the gut and continues to function.
So some may still be asking~ what am I talking about and what does this mean for our kids? ... It means that all of our cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing could be doing more harm than good at times.
Much to the chagrin of their mothers and fathers, babies have a natural desire to play in the dirt and put dirty objects in their mouth. Turns out, this could have an important immune developing.
What a child is doing when he puts things in his mouth is allowing his immune response to explore his environment,” Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, wrote in her book, Why Dirt Is Good: “Not only does this allow for ‘practice’ of immune responses, which will be necessary for protection, but it also plays a critical role in teaching the immature immune response what is best ignored.
Children raised in an ultra clean environment, are not being exposed to organisms that help them develop appropriate immune regulatory circuits. After one study it was found that kids who grew up on farms or with a dog in the house had fewer allergies, research started to explore the importance of the organisms found in these less-than-sanitized environments and how they impacted health. ~info Courtesy of WellnessMama
Allergies is one
Additionally:
“In the June 2012 issue, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a study that demonstrated that Amish children who grew up on farms in northern Indiana had significantly lower rate of allergies than non-farm populations (5.2% for Indiana Amish populations, 11.3% for non-farm Swiss populations). This is called “the farm-effect” and has been documented in farm populations across North America and Europe, with a 50% reduction in allergic occurrence in farm children.
In the United States, the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found 54.3% of the study population to have evidence of allergic sensitization to at least one thing.
A recent study shows that the Amish have a lower incidence of asthma and allergies than non-farm populations.
Add to that the results of a study American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine published in 2007 that shows the use of cleaning sprays 4 times a week caused an increase in asthma and you can start to see the problem. Sprays that were included in the increase in asthma were glass-cleaning, furniture and air freshening sprays.”
The natural organisms in dirt serve an important purpose for people of all ages, but babies have a specific and additional need for interaction with dirt.
Breast milk lacks Iron and with important reason. Pathogens like E.Coli (which can cause severe digestive problems in newborns) needs Iron to thrive, as do other pathogens. These low iron levels can help protect newborns from these bacteria.
Around 6 months, a baby’s need for Iron and other nutrients increases, but breast milk doesn’t increase its levels of these nutrients and with good reason. At this stage in life, babies spend more time on the ground. In the past, this meant they spent more time interacting with dirt, which is a good source of Iron and minerals like Zinc, magnesium, etc.
As Science of Mom Explains:
“Most babies are born with enough iron stores to meet their needs for about the first 6 months of life [1].
Breast milk contains very little iron (~0.35 mg/liter). The Institute of Medicine recommends that infants 6-12 months old get 11 mg of iron per day [1]. By this age, most babies’ iron stores have been depleted, so this iron needs to come from complementary foods, in addition to breast milk or formula. If you try to meet your infant’s iron requirement on breast milk alone, she would have to consume between 4 and 13 liters of breast milk per day, depending on your baby’s efficiency of iron absorption from breast milk (estimates range from 15-50% absorption). Most exclusively breastfed babies don’t consume much more than 1 liter of milk per day.
Iron deficiency during infancy increases the risk of cognitive, motor, and behavioral deficits that may last into the teens, even with iron treatment. Specific deficits that have been identified include impaired motor development at 18 months [2], mental retardation at 10 years old [3], increased need to repeat a grade, and increased behavioral and attention problems [4]. When I hear parents say that they declined the test for anemia at their baby’s 9 or 12-month check-up, I have to assume that they don’t know how serious iron deficiency can be for their child’s future.”
So is breastmilk inadequate? Hardly…
This study shows that babies are capable of absorbing Iron from soil (which they are naturally in contact with at this age if playing on the ground). Other mammals have breast milk that is naturally low in Iron at the same developmental times and these mammals are also capable of absorbing Iron and other nutrients from the soil, indicating that there is a biological reason for this.
In the past, the umbilical cord also wasn’t clamped immediately after birth (and there is good reason to delay clamping it these days too) which allowed more of the umbilical cord blood (the baby’s blood) to flow in to the baby. This resulted in higher blood levels and higher Iron levels, which would also help baby maintain Iron levels for a longer time.
I also give liver as one of baby’s first foods to help with iron levels, but that is another post for another day.
How to make sure we get enough dirt...
Step 1: Go outside. Step 2: Eat some dirt…. Just kidding!!!
We don’t actually need to make an effort to consume dirt to get the benefits of soil based organisms and nutrients in soil, we just need to make an effort to come in contact with it and to have our babies and children come in contact with it.
I take the following steps to make sure we get the health benefits of dirt:
Encourage kids (including crawling babies) to play outside barefoot in the dirt as long as you know it is an area that hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals or contaminated in some other way. Gardening and being barefoot has its benefits too!
Let babies have an outside play area with organic dirt once they are 3-4 months or old enough to sit up or crawl. Yes, they get dirty. Yes, they put it in their mouths (that is the point). Usually, this area is just a small kiddie pool or pot or organic dirt with some toys in it to encourage play.
Let older kids help my in the garden, let them play in the dirt, make mud pies and otherwise get dirty. If they’ve been playing in clean dirt, I also let them eat outside without washing their hands so they can transfer small amounts of these soil based organisms to their digestive systems.
Consume probiotic rich foods and drinks like water kefir, homemade sauerkraut, kombucha, and other fermented foods to make sure you are exposed to a wide variety of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria.
Adults and Children canSupplement with a high quality probiotic/prebiotic blend that contains many of these same organisms. You can als0 sprinkle these on the foods to feed the little ones and even dump a capsule in to the play dirt.
Adults only-Supplement with a good Shilajit or Fulvic acid. Fulvic acid supplements and Shilajit, a natural substance that’s rich in fulvic acid, are popular for a variety of reasons, including potential immune and brain health benefits. There are however a few health conditions that some should not use either Fulvic or Shilajit because it may cause too much uric acid within the body. I also believe based on my studies it is a supplement to be used to boost immune and not be taken on a regular everyday regimen. Fulvic acid and shilajit, a substance high in fulvic acid, have long been used in traditional medicine. Both are sold in supplement form and said to treat numerous ailments.
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Herbomineral Note: I personally use Shilajit. Just a personal preference since I am Certified in Ayurveda Healing. Shilajit is a classic Ayurveda herbomineral with legendary adaptogenic properties. Helps reduce free radicals, and cellular damage in the body. The difference between the two: Fulvic acid is considered a humic substance, meaning it’s a naturally occurring compound found in soils, compost, marine sediments, and sewage.
Fulvic acid is a product of decomposition and formed through geochemical and biological reactions, such as the breakdown of food in a compost heap. It can be extracted from compost, soil, and other substances to be processed into a supplement.
Shilajit, a substance secreted by rocks in certain mountain ranges around the world, including the Himalayas, is particularly high in fulvic acid. Its common names include mineral pitch, mumie, mumijo, and vegetable asphalt.
Shilajit is blackish brown and comprises 15–20% fulvic acid. It also contains small amounts of minerals and metabolites derived from fungi. Shilajit has been used therapeutically for centuries in traditional healing practices, including Ayurvedic medicine, to treat conditions like diabete, altitude sickness, asthma, heart ailments, and digestive and nervous disorders. It has also been used to stimulate the immune system and enhance performance.
Fulvic normally has around 70 minerals and Shilajit has over 84 minerals. Fulvic acid is believed to be responsible for many of shilajit’s medicinal properties.
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Probiotic Note: I personally use a Probiotic that does not require refrigeration, has An Enzyme blend, Vitamin C, grapeseed extract and several Beneficial strains. Two in particular that I'd like to briefly talk about are the Bacillus strains and a Bifidbacterium.
Lactobacillus acidophilus balances potentially harmful bacteria that can otherwise flourish in the gut due to illness or antibiotics. Soil based probiotics are bacteria naturally found in the earth. One of the most common types of soil-based probiotics (bacilus) has been used for hundreds of years. ~>'Bacilus' strains produce antioxidants in the digestive system – where they can be best absorbed by your body. Balance your immune system, improves digestion, and so much more. Bifidobacterium, also known as lactic acid bacteria, supports the immune system by limiting the growth of bad bacteria in the intestine. Both help break down lactose. The probiotic formulation I take is all-natural, no fillers or preservatives, non-GMO, and made WITHOUT soy, dairy, sugar, salt, corn, tree nuts, or gluten. Each species in the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genus is broken down further into strains. Each strain is unique and will benefit different areas of the body. The specificity of these strains is essential because they may compete with each other and lose their effectiveness - this is why it is vital to research the companies and the specific strain(s) they are offering. I have done much research on Probiotics and because of this, I am able to better inform you as to how each strain interacts and why some probiotics are more successful than others. I have used my brand for over eight years now and it has helped in so many ways! If you are interested in trying or learning more about Probitics or the one I use please Email me and in the Subject line specify 'SBO' and I will share with you a discount code you can use to save $$!
