Probiotics, Bacteria, Humans - Whose Planet is This Anyway?

Well, put it this way, if there was a referendum and just the bacterial flora living on our body alone could vote, we would not stand an inkling of a chance! On and in our body alone there are Trillions of them and cell for cell they way out number us! Bacteria swarm every nook and cranny of our body they can and counting all bacteria on the planet they far outnumber us by sheer mass too.
Germs, Bacteria, Pathogens, Bugs. Normally people can’t wait to wash them away and when you see pictures of them you can understand why. But should they!?

Fossil rock specimens show they’ve been here a few Billion years, unlike human beings’ possible fleeting one Million years. Indeed Bacteria were the first species known to inhabit Planet Earth and it was these bacteria that prepared the planet for us by releasing oxygen into the atmosphere so all other life may grow.

They are so much a part of us that an established theory exists that shows that their DNA can even be found in our own DNA, and it is in the most important structure in our cells, the Mitochondria. Mitochondria are the intracellular structures that take oxygen, 80 to 90 % of all we breathe in fact, and convert it into energy to fuel our body. They’ve been doing this for time immemorial and every living complex organism now depends on them to produce their energy. This ability to use oxygen to create energy as opposed to sunlight gives us and animals a distinct advantage over plants.

So what else besides this bizarre theory do these beneficial probiotic bacteria do for us? Well it’s a two way street. Infection, with bad bugs, generally requires a hole to enter the body. An ear is fine, an eye will do and a large wound is fabulous. Did you notice, last time you looked in the mirror though, that there was a enormous hole just below your nose that runs for several meters down through your body to your rear end .A hole we put the most extra ordinary things in and as if that was not enough it’s almost always open! This hole is a bad bugs ticket to paradise .There’s lots of space down there ( spread the small and large intestines out and you’ll more than cover a Football field) it’s nice and warm and gets food very regularly. Cross the gut wall and its green rolling pastures as far as they can see and we get seriously sick.

Enter the Probiotic Bacteria: Lactobacillus acidophilus; Bifidobacter bifidum; Bifidobacter longum and friends (about 400 to 500 friends in fact). Acidophilus and the Bifidobacter are our knights in shining armor. Of the about 1.5kg of bacterial flora that live in our intestines alone, 80 to 90 % are these probiotic or beneficial flora. By covering every microscopic space, they make sure that the few real nasties that come down the tube don’t find real estate to settle on and pass on out next time you sit on the loo to make a number two.

But that’s not all probiotics like Lactobacillus acidophilus and the Bifidobacter do (AB bacteria).They help digest our food, especially lactose containing dairy products. They are critical in balancing and maturing our Immune system, exclude other harmful micro-organisms like Candida, help prevent/treat food allergies and suppress inflammation in the intestines. Probiotics also produce Vitamin B6 and B12 for us and help absorption of Calcium and Magnesium, reduce blood cholesterol, remove cancer causing substances, correct constipation and diarrhea.

So sure it’s their planet, there is no doubt about it. Most species survive about 10 Million years, so far we’ve made about 1 million and that’s not too bad. I would say though that we still need to give a lot more consideration and show sufficient respect both for those probiotic bacteria that can help us so much and those bacteria that can harm us.

Guy Wood is a Registered Pharmacist who practices and has a special interest in Anthroposophy, Integrated, Natural and Evolutionary medicine. He talks for radio on trends in healthcare and is a partner
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