Let
me first start with this fundamental key:
One
Bizarre Theory Replaces Another
In
the early 19th century, a few scientists extrapolated a new and
bizarre theory: that disease was caused by tiny organisms and each illness had
a corresponding germ.
After
a few years of examining sterile
cultures slides and a bit of playing around with vaccines, these scientists
were able to convince the world that their germ
theory of disease was, indeed, true.
This
outlook was convenient (and perhaps, perfectly poised to take root at this time
in history during America’s industrialization) because it was methodical and specialized in its
approach to understanding both the cause and treatment of disease. It allowed
us to breakdown, the cause of an ailment to one small, fundamental unit which
provided us a simpler way to understand
a disease (ex. one germ for each disease). [*]
A
treatment was then established based on this approach allowing generalized (‘one size fits all’) and
massive quantities to be produced at an
industrious scale. This approach was able to keep cost and time at a
minimum while treating an increasing population. [*]
However,
this mechanical approach to health is now diminishing…
Some
biologists have even begun to speculate a new
theory (I imagine just as absurd as germ theory was originally thought
of back in the early 19th century): that humans are not individual entities, but rather
complete ecosystems dependent on
billions (100 trillion +) of bacteria and viruses (quadrillion +) to establish,
maintain and actively influence health.[*][*]
Much
of this information would have Pasteur rolling over in his grave…. who would
think that viruses would be shown to
help keep people disease free?[*][*]
Enter
the field of Microbiomics.
If
you have not heard of the human microbiome or microbiomics then, with great
reverence, let me provide some mind
blowing information for you to digest (no pun intended).
Microbiomics
(….and why it’s absolutely mind blowing)
The
‘specific causes’ of diseases that revolutionized medicine a century ago is
going through a conceptual evolution (time to get on board) – the way
scientists think about disease and normal physiology is transforming. [*]
When
I was in 7th grade, I remember the Human Genome Project being the next biggest and greatest thing
science had going on…. now that it has been completed, however, a new phase has
emerged: the Human Microbiome Project
(HMP)….and it is changing everything. [*]
The
HMP is an initiative to sequence the genomes of all the microbiological flora
for a variety of body sites which play a “vital
and interactive role” with our human DNA, immunity
and disease.
As bacteria, microbes and viruses in our bodies are modified under
environmental pressure (ex. antibiotics and cesarean section birth), so is the
regulation and replication of our genes (yes, our DNA). The two are intimately
connected. [*]
Far
from being the ‘master molecule’ in our physiology, our DNA is demoted to simply another set of cellular genomes jostling
for influence within us, reacting to and
being regulated by, a set of microbial genomes that outnumber our own 10
to 1. [*]
Try
to think of the bacteria, microbes and viruses that reside in our bodies as it’s own sensory motor organ which
reacts much like our own nervous or immune system.[*]
Our
microbiome encodes physiological traits that we were
able to bypass in evolution; for example, the ability to “harvest certain nutrients
and energy from food that would otherwise be lost because we lack the necessary
digestive enzymes”. [*]
The
Death of Germ Theory
The
major conceptual doctrine of Pasteur’s germ theory is the role of causal pathogenic agents in disease.
For example, diseases are separable from
the patient and bacteria or virus in a human host equals disease. [*]
Even
before the study of Microbiomics, it was clear that many individuals harbor
dangerous bacteria (even at in large quantities) and suffer no ill effects.[*]
Certain
diseases, such as herpes virus infection, which seem to fit neatly in the germ
theory framework began to reveal a beneficial
relationship that conferred immune advantages:
After
clearance of acute infection, latent herpesvirus confers resistance to bacterial infection. To be specific,
protection correlated with 100-fold
reduction in bacterial burden in the spleen and liver.
“We
now demonstrate that herpesvirus infection triggers systemic, PROFOUND IMMUNE MODULATION, with the
potential to alter significantly the kinetics and nature of host response to
foreign antigens.
Thus,
whereas the immune evasion capabilities and lifelong persistence of
herpesviruses are commonly viewed as solely pathogenic, our data suggest that
latency is a SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
with immune benefits for the host.”
So
long we’ve swallowed the metaphor of an
endless “war” on infectious diseases which involved a search for the microbial ‘cause’ of each and every disease (of course, followed by the anti-microbial cure). This ideal has
served its purpose and now we can no longer allow it to be our sole guide in
medicine. [*]
“A
new paradigm is needed that incorporates a more
realistic and detailed picture of the dynamic interaction among and between
host organisms and their diverse populations of microbes, only a fraction of which act as pathogens.” (Forum on Microbial
Threats, 2006) [*]
A
New Understanding of Disease
Quick
Personal Backstory:
My recent “antibiotic debacle”
About
a month ago, my two year old was sent home from daycare for pink eye. I was
expected to get a prescription for antibiotics for her to return. I was
hesitant to say the least, my daughter has never received antibiotics and I
wasn’t certain that all cases of conjunctivitis were caused by a bacteria. When
we visited the nurse, she instructed me that only bacteria cause pink eye and my concern on delaying antibiotics
was not sound. She went ahead and prescribed antibiotic eye drops.
Within
10 minutes of doing my own research once I returned home, I found this to be completely untrue. In fact, the
majority of conjunctivitis cases are caused by a virus (NOT BACTERIA). Not to
mention, the data very clearly illustrates that antibiotics for conjunctivitis
is a complete over kill and often
times does more harm than good.[*][*]
I
made a deal with my husband, let’s wait one day before we administer the
medication. We waited and her condition improved on its own. I suspect if we
used the antibiotics, we would attribute her recovery to the drugs – luckily,
we waited.
Medication
we use via the ocular route (via eye drops) is just as important to research as
ingested or injected drugs. Eye drop medication enters the bloodstream via mucous membranes lining the surface of
the eye, the tear drainage system, and the nose. Once in the bloodstream, the
medication can cause side effects in other parts of the body, including slow
heart rate, dizziness and headaches.[*]
The
outdated, traditional interpretation of disease correlates health as a matter
of being “clean” and in order to obtain and maintain health we are advised to completely obliterate anything that’s
not a human cell. [*]
Now,
of course, microbiomics does not suggest health is all rainbows, ponies and
singing kumbayah - our bacteria
ecosystem can (and does) go awry. Certain species within us can overpopulate, resources decline,
diversity is reduced (via antibiotics) and the interdependent processes can
collapse.[*]
A
new metaphor replaces the old – an
understanding of ‘balance’ and ‘harmony’ supersedes the traditional thought of
specific causation (one germ for
each disease). Rather, human health is a matter of “having ones physiological
process and predispositions aligned to
promote homeostasis”. [*]
“It
may turn out that diseases caused by microbial pathogens are best seen not so
much as an invasion by a hostile organism, but rather as a kind of holistic dysfunction of the microbiome.” [*]
Simply
revolutionary.
The
greatest benefit to the health and wellness of a human body is not sterility,
but rather “on maintenance of the
symbiotic relationship between the host and the intestinal microbiotia”.[*]
This
model, based on the latest science has to offer, suggests there are no diseases that exist separate from
ourselves (ex. viruses floating around getting people sick) – only sick
people whose processes within the body are not in balance. Recovering our
health, therefor, is a matter of controlling the forces that influence the
homeostasis within us. Our health
becomes a matter of our own
responsibility. [*]
Antibiotics
–Use with Extreme Caution (better
yet, don’t use at all)
Our
internal bacteria (particularly those located in the intestines) are essential
to our health and “play an active role
in nutrition, development, metabolism, pathogen resistance, and regulation of
immune responses”. Antibiotic use, even for a short duration, has been
“shown to disrupt these coevolved interactions
leading to acute or chronic disease”.[*]
For
every one human cell, there resides 10 bacteria cells within the human body
(with viral particles expected to be a hundred times greater). Science,
research and data continue to reaffirm that they play an active role in not only maintaining our normal physiology
but also protecting us from: [*][*][*]
-respiratory
infections
-acute
intestinal infections
-allergies
-autism
-obesity
-type
II diabetes
-cardiovascular
diseases
-several
forms of cancer
In
addition to being numerous, our microbes are also “enormously varied” – with over 1,000 bacterial species residing
within us. [*]
In
fact, all plants and animals can be considered superorganisms; composed of a variety of species –
bacterial and viral. [*]
This
variation in species is critical to
health and is why antibiotics have been
shown (repeatedly) to be permanently harmful (especially to
children).
2007
The ISME Journal, Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology
Long-term and
persistent impact on human intestinal microbiota is a direct response
from antibiotic exposure which never return to its original composition (during the 2 years of the
study period). [*]
Antibiotics
use in Children and Immune-mediated Disease
Antibiotics
hold the possibility to be useful in
some cases, but must be used with caution to
protect long term health.
If
you take anything away from reading this collection of data, please:
Several
studies of antibiotic treatment has shown that the gut microbiota is profoundly and persistently
altered by broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. Data has shown that bacteria
communities do not return to
their initial state even after antibiotic treatment is withdrawn. [*]
During
infancy and childhood, appropriate microbial stimulation and colonization is
required for the development of a healthy, functional immune system. [*]
It
is “well known that early life events occurring during critical windows of immune
development can have long-term impact on immune-mediated disease.
Antibiotic use in children has been shown, with significance, to increase such
diseases as: diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma (requiring the use of
inhaled corticosteroids), eczema. [*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*]
Antibiotic
use must be critically evaluated, not just for ourselves but especially for
children. Each time we administer
antibiotic medication it results in a
ten-fold reduction in the amount of beneficial intestinal bacterial present.
[*]
With
the use of antibiotic drugs, “significant
alternations are seen in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines” and Th1 immune maturation which has profound effects on our immune
system. [*][*]
Take
Care of Your Health by Giving Your Microbiome Some Love
My preference is to eat and drink foods that promote a healthy
flora (versus relying on supplements) while being mindful of the lifestyle
choices that can hurt me (moderation is key, of course)….
Focus on
Prebiotics
-Foods with prebiotics are garlic, onions, almonds and asparagus.
-Foods with the fiber inulin
promote beneficial flora: bananas, high-fiber veggies like peas and beans.
Avoid Sugar (especially
artificial sugar)
-Sugar and starch promote the growth of harmful bacteria in the
body
-Yogurt may have probiotics, but they are often LOADED with sugar.
Be careful!
Eat more
Fermented Foods (just a quarter to a half cup per day will do ‘ya)
-Homemade sauerkraut, kefir (watch the sugar here too), kombucha, miso
soup
Lifestyle
-Smoking, caffeine, alcohol, consuming heavily-processed foods
Conclusion
It
may go completely against what we all have been taught in high school biology
class, to think that bacteria and viruses make our immune system function
better, but the science is becoming evident: A healthy, mature immune system
depends on the constant intervention
of beneficial bacteria.[*]
Humans
(all mammals, in fact) have co-evolved over millions of years to establish a dynamic,
complex check-&-balance system with our microbiota. It shouldn’t be all
that surprising that our immune system (particularly our mucosal immune system)
has developed an intricate connection that mediates the balance between health
and disease.[*][*]
Both
innate and adaptive immune function has evolved to require microbial interactions during their development. [*]
The microbiota provides critical signals that promote maturation
of immune cells and tissues, leading to protection from infections by
pathogens. [*]
We must become more aware of our symbiotic relationship with the
bacteria within the body (especially our children’s). This starts with not
stereotyping all bacteria as bad. In fact, although a few may be problematic,
these account for far less than 1% that
exist in our body.[*]
Take care of your ecosystem – it sure takes care of you!
You can't learn everything
from the laboratory, that's what he used to say. The whole is more than the sum
of its parts, he told us. The whole behaves differently from the parts, and has
different properties. That's what he taught us, and he was right. It's out of
fashion to say these days, when we spend our time scrutinizing the interactions
of eukaryotic microbes, but it's true, nevertheless. It's still true.
(M. Drabble, The Sea Lady, 140–1)
