Why Dirt Is Good: 5 Ways to Make Germs Your Friends

This is a very good book. I really liked the information in it and it was easy to read. It is a helpful book.

I've always told my in-laws that I ate more dirt as a child than they did, and that is why I don't get as many minor colds and ills. Now I've got the science to back up my claim!

In this book, Mary Ruebush makes the case that we need to get a little "dirtier" if we want to improve our health and the health of generations to come. Laid out in 5 different sections, this book explains how we have created "super-germs" and have actually lowered our immune response with our use of anti-bacterials and our hyper-cleanliness and how a little dirt and allowing our immune system to actually do its job will make us healthier in the long run. She shows that the use antibiotics, except in the most serious cases, actually weakens our immunity and how your immune system tends to become lazy and ineffective if it isn't given a job. She also explains the importance of vaccinations. Explained in simple terms and accompanied by cartoons, this book is a super quick read and based in solid scientific evidence. I give it four stars only because it is less an actual book and more like a hard-bound essay it is so short. After taking an hour to read this book front to end, I found myself taking a deep breath and resolving to follow the advice laid out in this book, despite my germ-o-phobia, that is how convincing and solid this book is. I would recommend this book to anyone curious about "Why dirt is good", but particularly those with babies or parents-to-be, as that is the primary audience that this book is aimed at. Not only will you find yourself having a better understanding of how our immune system works, you will find yourself better armed to deal with the day to day life with germs.