Understanding Our Microbiome

Join Ronnie Landis as he discusses the microbiome: its needs, history, and life-saving benefits.

The microbiome is the internal terrain of the body that houses over 100 trillion microorganisms commonly referred to as beneficial bacteria. It was once thought that approximately seven trillion cells made up the structure and biological functionality of the body. It has now been learned and widely accepted that the macrobiotic organisms of the body are the dominant factor in all areas of health revival and sustainability.

Beneficial Bacteria

Beneficial bacteria outcompete our cells by a factor of ten to one for residence in our inner terrain. Our microbiome is like a biological garden affected by endogenous (internal) and exogenous (external) influences. This includes food choices, supplements, thought patterns, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, inorganic clothing, chlorine, vaccines, prescription (and non-prescription) drugs, etc.

In my health lectures, I often point out the word biotic translates into life, therefore antibiotic is an anti-life technology where a probiotic is a pro-life technology. The cornerstone concept that supports my work is the act of moving away from a culture invested in death technologies and cultivating a culture of life affirming technology. Probiotics, as an example, are one of the great technological innovations that support all functions of the life cycle, as bacteria are responsible for life first and foremost.

Dangers of Being Too Clean

One of the grand miseducation of the twentieth century was the model of pasteurization brought forth by Louis Pasteur in the mid 1800’s. He believed that microbes (germs, bacteria) were solely responsible for all states of disease, so he set out to eliminate bacterial influences through the process of high heat treatment.

This was during a major turning point in American history where the chemical model of medicine was becoming dominant, and all forms of vitalism (healing through food & herbs) were being discredited. Scientists such as Claud Bernard and Antoine Bechamp voiced that if one could alter the pH (potential hydrogen) of the inner environment, opportunistic organisms could not proliferate.

Pasteur ignored these notions and continued to focus on killing bacteria rather than trying to understand their role in the body. The philosophy that created pasteurization is the same that created the antibiotic industry.

Importance of Probiotics

Probiotic supplements, fermented foods, and kefir beverages are a foundational strategy for health. Up to 80% of the immune system is governed by our gut flora (beneficial bacteria). When the delicate balance between beneficial bacteria and non-beneficial bacteria becomes inverted, our immune system is the first thing affected. This homeostatic balance of bacteria is called a biosis. When we have an imbalance it’s called a dysbiosis. The most common symptoms associated with chronic dysbiosis are sluggish digestion, constipation, cloudy thinking, excessive bad breath (halitosis), achy joints, low energy, and overall decreased motivation.

Many people who have been born by caesarean section or were raised without their mother’s direct milk are missing critical material that negatively impacts their immune function. This leaves someone susceptible to developing pathogenic infections over time, such as viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic. Probiotic therapy is one of the best biological defense weapons nature has allowed us in the age of abundance. A primary philosophy of these teachings is every problem that shows up in our world contains the seed of its very solution. One of the biggest health challenges everyone faces is immunological collapse, and the solution has been presented.

The Change in Biotics

Research has revealed that our current modern day phenotype (human expression) has produced a genetic inferiority in comparison to our pre-neolithic ancestors. The work of Dr. Westen Price in the 1930s revealed that the more civilized humans become the more age-associated breakdowns they develop in the form of osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and dental problems. What has now been brought to the surface is humans in the twentieth century showcase an entirely different microbiotic inner ecosystem than our ancestors.

The extreme sanitation and germ phobic model western medicine currently operates under has caused the biotic strains of past generations to be lost. This means that our ancestors had a completely different diversity of bacterial species or varieties living within their gut-rainforest, so to speak.

It is often thought that children who play in the dirt, spend time in nature barefoot, do not use excessive hand sanitizers, eat organic non-sterilized produce, are breast fed, and receive no antibiotics are supremely healthier than their more domesticated counterparts (medically maintained children).