We pay lip service to the importance of a healthy life-style and a balanced diet but it is clear that the general population and the medical communities in most developed countries are focused on “cures” for our ailments rather than their root causes. While statistics show that afflictions such as obesity, asthma, autism, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, auto-immune diseases and even cancer occur in affluent western societies at a much higher rate than they do in the developing world, only a tiny fraction of our medical spending is devoted to finding and eliminating the root causes. Of the root cause research that is being done, much of the focus is on cellular malfunctions rather that the failure to address unhealthy cells and invasive microbes before they can cause major problems.
As we gain a better understanding of the Micro Biome and how it interacts with our bodies and, in particular, with our immune systems it is clear that our failure to cultivate and nourish our Micro Biome has been a major contributor to the rise of western afflictions. Our Micro Biome interacts with the bacteria that we ingest every day and in the process it learns which are benign and which need to be suppressed. Research has shown that this learning is then passed along to the immune system to assure that hostile microbes are effectively confronted wherever they appear.
Unfortunately, our widespread use of antibiotics and increasing preference for Caesarian Section births have dramatically reduced both the diversity and health of our Micro Biomes. We have further aggravated the situation by substantially reducing our consumption of the dietary fiber that provides the nourishment that our micro biome needs to flourish. As a result, western Micro Biomes are in general much less diverse and much less healthy than those commonly found in the developing world. The unfortunate result is that those of use that live the “western lifestyle” have become much more susceptible to diseases that share the common thread on an under populated, under fed Micro Biome and an under performing immune system.