metagenomics

I was one of the pioneer clinical ecologists in the late 70s, early 80s, who found, purely empirically (trial and error) that probiotics help quell gut inflammation. It was easy to create a theory that matched: antibiotics had trashed our natural bowel flora, aliens had moved in and, by restoring the balance, using probiotics, we were able to bring about recovery. If you have been living on Planet Zod and not yet heard about probiotics, that means friendly germs, like the yoghurt bacteria, which are supposed to fill our and gut push out the unhealthy microbes. Antibiotics suddenly seemed not nearly such a good idea. I think we were a little smug, with hindsight. We scoffed at our orthodox colleagues, who just didn’t “get it”. Indeed, they reciprocated by being nasty and abusive about this theory. Doctors who espoused it were all humbugs, crooks and/or fools, according to the gatekeepers of “real” science. Well time proved we were right, at least to a degree. Eventually, after a 20-year cultural lag, orthodox doctors got onto it too. You’ve probably heard the old scientific gag, that medical research goes through several clearly defined phases: 1. You must be crazy, that’s ridiculous 2. There might be something in it 3. Where’s the proof? 4. We knew that all along We seemed to have reached stage 4 with probiotics. Orthodox colleagues then actually brought in the concept of prebiotics and began to study them. Prebiotics are substances, typically natural foods, that favor our natural, friendly gut flora and make them feel at home. Fiber is one of the classic prebiotics (Jerusalem artichoke is a prime example). This turned out to be an A-1 good idea! Prebiotics make probiotics work much better than before.

I was one of the pioneer clinical ecologists in the late 70s, early 80s, who found, purely empirically (trial and error) that probiotics help quell gut inflammation. It was easy to create a theory that matched: antibiotics had trashed our natural bowel flora, aliens had moved in and, by restoring the balance, using probiotics, we were able to bring about recovery. If you have been living on Planet Zod and not yet heard about probiotics, that means friendly germs, like the yoghurt bacteria, which are supposed to fill our and gut push out the unhealthy microbes. Antibiotics suddenly seemed not nearly such a good idea. I think we were a little smug, with hindsight. We scoffed at our orthodox colleagues, who just didn’t “get it”. Indeed, they reciprocated by being nasty and abusive about this theory. Doctors who espoused it were all humbugs, crooks and/or fools, according to the gatekeepers of “real” science. Well time proved we were right, at least to a degree. Eventually, after a 20-year cultural lag, orthodox doctors got onto it too. You’ve probably heard the old scientific gag, that medical research goes through several clearly defined phases: 1. You must be crazy, that’s ridiculous 2. There might be something in it 3. Where’s the proof? 4. We knew that all along We seemed to have reached stage 4 with probiotics. Orthodox colleagues then actually brought in the concept of prebiotics and began to study them. Prebiotics are substances, typically natural foods, that favor our natural, friendly gut flora and make them feel at home. Fiber is one of the classic prebiotics (Jerusalem artichoke is a prime example). This turned out to be an A-1 good idea! Prebiotics make probiotics work much better than before.