A frustrated Dr. Alexander Khoruts was out of alternatives for treating a woman with a vicious gut infection of Clostridium difficile. Antibiotics weren’t working so Dr. Khoruts determined his patient should have a transplant.  He transplanted some of her husband’s bacteria .

Prior to the transplant , they determined , her gut flora was brutally depleted . “The normal bacteria just wasn’t there in her,” said Dr. Khoruts. “She was inhabited by all kinds of misfits.” Two weeks after the transplant , the donated bacteria had taken charge . “That population was able to function and cure her condition quickly”

To state that the scientific community was surprised with the outcome is definately an understatement.  It shouldn’t be. Researchers are regularly astonished by the inter workings , impact , and sheer number of microbes that live in our systems . We have over 10 times more bacteria than cells.

Everyone ends up with populations of different species, but those species generally fulfill the same necessary chemistry that we need to be healthy . One of those functions is breaking down complex plant molecules.  We have a pitifully small number of enzymes encoded in the human genome, so we rely on microbes . In addition to helping us digest , the bacteria helps us in many other ways. The bacteria in our nasal passage , for example, make antibiotics that fight off the dangerous pathogens we sniff .

In order to work in harmony  with our internal flora own bacteria population , our immune system must tolerate thousands of harmless species , while attacking pathogens . Researchers are finding that the microbiome itself guides the immune system to the proper balance.  One way the immune system fights pathogens is with inflammation. Too much inflammation can be damaging , so we also have immune cells that produce inflammation-reducing signals. With their ability to contain unrestrained free radicals, antioxidant populations also support an inflammation fighting function.

Scientists are finding new links between our bacteria populations and our health. They’re also finding that many diseases are accompanied by dramatic changes in the makeup of our inner ecosystems. For example asthmatics have a different collection of microbes in their lungs than healthy people. Obese people also have a different set of species in their guts than people with normal weight.

Some studies indicate that babies delivered by Caesarian section are more vulnerable to skin infections because they might lack the protective covering of microbes from their mother’s birth canal. Caesarean sections have also been connected to a rise in allergies and asthma in children . So have the high use of antibiotics in the U.S. and other developed countries. Farm children — can pick up healthy dose of microbes from the soil — are less prone to getting autoimmune disorders than their peers who are raised in cities.

We consistently underestimate the importance of microbes and bacteria to our health and our medical profession has been too quick to take out their pads of paper and write up prescriptions for antibiotics and synthetic drugs.  Digestive Enzyme supplements , healthy bacteria and antioxidant supplements   might be a more thoughtful route to take in the future if we want to change this trend.