Using the Internet of Microbes to Survive the Assault on the Human Microbiome |Biomedgrid

The past several years has seen what has amounted to an assault on the human microbiome. Public health institutions tasked with protecting the public from hazardous toxic exposures have failed to either remove hazardous products or adequately alert the public to the presence of dangerous microbial toxicants in specific pharmaceuticals (e.g., proton pump inhibitors), food (e.g., emulsifiers), and household products (e.g., many household cleaners). This lack of attention to the microbiome in general (i.e., as per the need for a robust microbiome to facilitate pathogen colonization resistance) and to microbiome safety specifically was compounded by Covid-19 pandemic-related mandates. Several Covid-related mandates further degraded the human microbiome by restricting supportive microbial exchanges involving human-human contact, human-nature emersions (e.g., closed beaches and restricted park access), and even seed-based gardening (as occurred in Michigan). In the absence of a much-needed medical and public health focus on our microbiome, this article provides examples for self-empowerment in which connecting to the internet of microbes can be both health promoting and self-supporting. The examples described concern a) The benefits of soil-plant-human activities such as gardening and traditional farm activities as well as b) Exposure to animals as might occur on a farm resulting in microbiome-immune driven protection against some chronic diseases.