Good bacteria

I opened up the paper today and right there on the front page of the Washington Post (Oct. 11, 2011) was the headline that screamed, "'Good bugs'  may be the key to staying healthy."

What a way to start the morning... good news all around!  For years, clinicians have been touting the significance of the beneficial bacteria in the body.  We are still very far from knowing the details and all the benefits they bring, but it was so good to see a very main stream outlet think this news worthy of the front page.  Not that long ago, the folks that advocated probiotics and yogurt consumption were thought of as grungy, granola-loving, hippie health nuts.  In less than a decade, that has turned around to the point where there is genuine interest from conventional health care professionals, doctors and researchers alike.  The article quotes Rob Knight, a professor at the University of Colorado as saying,

"In terms of potential for human health, I would place it with stem cells as one of the two most promising areas of research at the moment."

The author of the piece, Rob Stein, writes,

"Moreover, scientists are becoming more convinced that modern trends — diet, antibiotics, obsession with cleanliness, Caesarean deliveries — are disrupting this delicate balance, contributing to some of the most perplexing ailments, including asthma, allergies, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, cancer and perhaps even autism."

These bacteria are so important.  It leads to the question, what is causing a disruption in the balance, health or functionality of these populations of bacteria.  If these bacteria are potentially involved in all these diseases, then what causes their dysfunction?

When you take a step back from this piece and assess it in its entirety, it paints a very clear picture that most chronic diseases process are multifactorial. If most chronic diseases have a multifactorial origin, then shouldn't the therapeutic effort also be multi-pronged? 

To say it differently, while many pharmaceuticals have enormous potential, doesn't it stand to reason that in the absence of healthy lifestyle, even the most powerful drug will be handcuffed in terms of efficacy.   If Mr. Stein is reporting accurately and many scientists are concerned that diet and other variables are disrupting the delicate balance, then how can we restore health in the absence of a healthy diet?

Science will always reveal greater insight into the mysteries and complexities of our physiology.  But while we are waiting for more and more truth to emerge, let's also keep in mind that science also often validates "common sense" principles as it pertains to health.