Who do we think we are?

As the hygiene hypothesis predicts, (in a nutshell) – we are healthier when we are surrounded by the bacteria we have co-evloved with through our species evolutionary development. Yet why in contemporary society are we obsessed with antibacterial products which we spray to eliminate 99.9% of all bacteria in our homes. When did bacteria and other microbes get such a bad image? How do we find our way out this complicated paradox, and what might a counter reaction to the antibacteria era look like? Below are some notes from a Wired article called Hacking Your Body’s Bacteria for Better Health:

In sheer numbers, bacterial cells in the body outnumber our own by a factor of 10, with 50 trillion bacteria living in the digestive system alone, where they’ve remained largely unstudied until the last decade. As scientists learn more about them, they’re beginning to chart the complex symbiosis between the tiny bugs and our health.

“The microbes that live in the human body are quite ancient,” says NYU Medical Center microbiologist Dr. Martin Blaser, a pioneer in gut microbe research. “They’ve been selected (through evolution) because they help us.”

And it now appears that our daily antibacterial regimens are disrupting a balance that once protected humans from health problems, especially allergies and malfunctioning immune responses.

“Many of the most difficult problems in medicine today are chronic inflammatory diseases,” says Blaser. “These include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, atherosclerosis, eczema and multiple sclerosis. One possibility is that they’re autoimmune or genetic diseases. The other possibility is that they are physiological responses to changes in microbiota.”

Blaser’s specialty is Helicobacter pylori, a strain once common in every human stomach but now rare in the West. Its disappearance may have benefits: H. pylori-related inflammation is associated with peptic ulcers and some stomach cancers. However, H. pylori also reduces acid reflux, which in turn is associated with asthma and esophageal cancers.

To more precisely hack the gut bacteria, Blaser calls for a Gut Genome Project, modeled after the Human Genome Project. It’s a daunting task: The human genome, mapped to great fanfare but still dimly understood, contains a tenth of the genes believed to be in our gut bacteria. But though difficult, such research could prove vital.

“The world is very aware of the concept of global warming, which is a macro-ecological change,” Blaser says. “I postulate that there are similar micro-ecological changes going on inside us.”