To boost your immune system and stay healthy, make friends with dirt! Do you believe the best way to protect yourself and your family from germs is to clean everything with antibacterial soap? If so, get ready to be surprised, informed, and entertained! In "Why Dirt Is Good", immunologist Dr. Mary Ruebush shows you why our obsession with cleanliness may be making us more vulnerable to disease and creating a new generation of superbugs! In these pages, you'll discover: why everyone needs a little dirt in their lives; the downside of antibacterial cleansers and hand sanitizers; the 5 Rules to boost your immune system - and make your kids stronger and healthier (Rule #1: Let them eat dirt!); why sometimes the best way to treat an illness is to do nothing (especially with kids' ear infections!); how a little dirt may help protect your child from allergies and asthma; what you can do to prevent so-called superbugs - by avoiding the unnecessary use of antibiotics and antibacterials; and, entertaining cartoons, irreverent (yet medically sound) advice, and expert tips on vaccinations, medicines, staying healthy, and much more. Mary Ruebush, PhD, is a microbiology and immunology instructor for Kaplan Medical. She has taught immunology, infectious disease, and pathology in medical school settings for over 30 years. Her studies on viruses, parasites, and bacteria have been published in scholarly journals. She is the mother of two children and lives in Bozeman, Montana.