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Stress Prevention Vaccine On the Horizon

stressed out woman

Story Highlights

  • Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder say that a vaccine to prevent stress is on the horizon.
  • According to the study, a bacterium found in soil called Mycobacterium vaccae injected into rodents showed that the injections reduced stress in the rodents.
  • The medical literature shows that spending time in nature and handling soil significantly lowers stress hormone levels without artificially manipulating the immune system.

The American Institute of Stress notes that 55 percent of American people are stressed throughout the day, which makes Americans among the most stressed out population in the world. Work related stress is at an all time high with 83 percent of American workers suffering from job related stress.1

Chronic stress is shown to negatively affect all parts of the body’s systems leading to a higher risk for heart attacks, stroke, depression, etc.1 According to a news report, the most stressed out workers are police officers, airline pilots, fire fighters and military personnel.2

A new vaccine using a soil-based bacterium is being developed to help people deal with stress.2

Stress Vaccine to Use Bacteria Living in Dirt

A study published in 2018 in Brain, Behavior and Immunity showed that a soil-based bacterium called mycobacterium vaccae decreased stressful reactions in mice. The researchers injected the rodents with M. vaccae prior to exposing them to a stressful event and the results showed that the injections prevented a PTSD-like syndrome in the short-term and reduced reactions to stress in the longer term.3 The 2018 study results prompted researchers to propose the hypotheses that M. vaccae contains compounds that reduce the flight-or-fight response in mammals; however, the exact mechanism was not known at the time.

The following year, in 2019, the same researchers conducted another study published in Pyschopharmacology in which they identified and isolated a fatty acid in the bacterium that appeared to be responsible for the stress reduction effects. The research team was able to chemically synthesize the lipid to deconstruct how it interacts with immune cells.4

According to the study’s research team lead Dr. Christopher Lowry who is an Integrative Physiology Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, “It seems that these bacteria we co-evolved with have a trick up their sleeve. When they get taken up by immune cells, they release these lipids that bind to this receptor [in the immune cells] and shut off the inflammatory cascade.”4

Dr. Lowry adds, “This is just one strain of one species of one type of bacterium that is found in the soil but there are millions of other strains in soils. We are just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg in terms of identifying the mechanisms through which they have evolved to keep us healthy. It should inspire awe in all of us.”4

A Healthy Dose of Soil Bacteria Reduces Stress Hormone Levels

It has been well documented in the literature that spending time in nature and handling soil significantly lowers stress hormone levels. Contrary to what many people have been taught, researchers are finding that getting our hands dirty in soil can actually be a good thing because the more soil that gets under our fingernails, the more we expose ourselves to bacteria, the more robust our immune responses will be.5 6

Not only does spending time outdoors and handling soil expose people to nature’s beneficial microbes, but it also provides an opportunity for physical activity, such as planting a garden, and getting controlled natural exposure to the sun to increase vitamin D levels, and a chance to relax the mind and the body.5 Encountering beneficial M. vaccae bacteria in soil can be as simple as stepping out into the backyard or going for a walk in a park.7

Additionally, not all stress is bad. Sarah Pressman, an associate professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California, Irvine says, “Stress as stress is functional.”

A study by Dr. Monika Fleshner, a neuro-immuno physiologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder suggested that short-term stress can even boost immunity.8 One of the body’s natural defense systems to deal with stress is to mount a protective immune response. If the immune system is critical for how the body processes chronic stress, short-term stress might help build the body’s defenses against stress itself, and completely cutting off a person’s stress response could prove to be counter productive.8


References:

14 Responses

  1. Sounds like something the military would use on their soldiers to allow them to ignore their own stress within battle situations. Typical pharma approach to natural conditions. Rather than address the cause of the stress, bury the symptoms with another drug/vaccine.

  2. This truly is ridiculous and almost laughable. Go out and spend time in nature, get your hands dirty and leave the hand sanitizer in the trash. Did none of these people have a childhood? Did none of these people have a wise older person in their life to tell them you sometimes have to get dirty and expose your self things so that you can have a better response to life in every way? Good grief!!! You don’t need a stinking vaccine!! The insanity level has reached an insane level! Sheesh!!

  3. You’ve got to be kidding me!
    How can they consider this a vaccine!
    This is getting out of hand quickly.
    To me it sounds more like a medicine.
    If they call it a vaccine, they will be “immune “from litigation when people are getting injured using their so called vaccine.
    The fact that they are even now not responsible for their product is mind blowing.
    Big Pharma is greedy and immoral.
    Any person or institution that accepts donations from Big Pharma are also greedy and immoral.
    I pray that more and more people that are tied to this crime of playing with others lives, become more aware of what they really are doing and have the strength to say STOP ALL THIS NONSENSE!
    Many well respected doctors that used to buy into the vaccine culture have researched it and changed their minds.
    It is a difficult thing to do but until more doctors open their eyes and see the adverse effects vaccines have had on individuals and society, we are all at risk.

  4. I believe that we were meant to be in touch with the earth. As a child I loved to be outdoors, and felt an emotional and spiritual connection being out in nature. Eight years ago, I heard about earthing /grounding. Prior to that I always gardened barefoot and would feel like I was in my 30’s. In 2007 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. When fall would come, I would start to feel sick again and would deteriorate all through the winter. In the beginning I thought it was because I couldn’t be out in the sun, getting vitamin d naturally. I can’t take vitamin d without going into hypercalciumia, because of the type of autoimmune I have. When I learned about earthing, I began to sleep on an earthing sheet. 2011 was the first year that I had a good winter. It has been 5 years now that I test normal for my sarcoidosis. I credit earthing, reducing toxins (mercury amalgams safely removed and replaced with compatible porcelain fillings) and cleaning up my diet with my remission. And all with no medication. I now understand that the earth is not only healing emotionally, spiritually, but also physically. I have much to be grateful for.

  5. This will offer all adults the stress free experience of being forcefully injected with more and more mandated vaccines and the boosters required when those vaccines fail. Wake up world!

  6. Maybe we should all take up organic backyard/patio gardening instead! We could be naturally exposed to dirt again (which would help build our immune systems) while clearing our busy-buzzy heads and providing fresh and nutritious food (thus saving money–the source of most stress).

  7. This literally sounds like they are going to have a damn injection of some dodgy substance for every single little thing. I’m Stressed ‘there is a vaccine for that’ I’m going bald ‘there is a vaccine for that’ I’m depressed ‘there is a vaccine for that’ I’m too slim ‘there is a vaccine for that’ I am overweight…….you get the picture. Soon they are going to inject you with some monstrosity because basically you are alive ‘you are alive….we have a vaccine for that problem’

  8. Imagine how popular it would be to create a vaccine for alcoholism, drug addiction, workaholism, sex addicts, over shopping, tiredness, and sour moods. What a hit they would be.
    And how about a vaccine for those who do not want to give up their personal freedoms. Humans can then turn in to robots who never have to change, grow, or think for themselves.

  9. Grounding or touching the soil with skin is a healthy process that would reduce stress. Damp soil is especially good for grounding.

  10. Utterly ridiculous! A vaccine for stress? This has got to be a joke! It is a case of masking the symptoms but not curing the cause. Why not take measures to decrease the amount of stress exposure instead of giving them some artificial pharmacological whitewash (or should I say hogwash!) Better yet, if exposure to dirt is so good, why not let people dig in gardens or sell them some mud balls to massage and play with instead of squooshy plastic stress balls, or let them talk to a potted plant, or better yet take the vaccine and put it where the sun don’t shine — like buried deep in the compost pile.

  11. Why not work on reducing the stress exposure for people rather than inventing a vaccine, which incidentally was only tried on mice. What kind of stress are mice supposed to have? Humans have a whole lot more. Why does big Pharma think a vaccine is the solution to all problems? It’s magical thinking indeed.

  12. How about raising wages to $25-$30 hour? Money security is a great anti-stressor. Of course this would immediately be negated by parallel spike in prices. Workers just can’t win for losing.

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