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Suffering From Allergies, Or PTSD? Someday You May Take A CU Professor’s ‘Farm In A Pill’

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"Take two farms and see me in the morning," may not sound catchy, but a University of Colorado professor's research could make it the future.

Chris Lowry, an associate professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder, is studying bacteria that live in soil from rural areas. He believes exposure to that bacteria helps explain why people who live outside of cities have better immune systems.

Research shows people with poorer immune systems tend to overreact to triggers like allergens, causing inflammation that has been show to be a risk factor for depression and PTSD.

Lowry is overseeing a clinical trial now with Denver-area veterans who have PTSD. His ultimate goal is a medicine that would prevent or ease a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions.