Of Mice and Men

Germ-Free Mice And The Human Microbiome

My husband told me a story, whilst snuggling in bed about a study he read, about mice who were defined as GF (he joked gluten-free, before clarifying he meant that they had been declared “Germ Free” - a term he knew I knew from the context, but was being diligent and silly - because when you’re talking about research while snuggling, it’s better that way.)

The GF mice, which originally did not have diabetes were given “transplants” from human patients with diabetes. The GF mice developed diabetes.

Now this a pretty straightforward story. Exposure to the microbiome of people with diabetes caused the poor GF mice to develop the disease. Reverse engineer it and see what conclusion you get.

GF mice have to be very tightly controlled artificially in order to survive, because they have spent so long living in symbiotic relationship with their natural flora. My understanding is that when scientists embarked to study mice without a microbiota, at first all the mice died. Since then they’ve learned to manage their bubble to keep them alive for longer, to show us just how vital it is that we nurture healthy flora instead of becoming antiseptic humans. Our flora helps us with our total wellbeing, if our flora is healthy for us!

It is our warlike attitude toward all germs that could potentially cause harm our soulful physiology - including our microbiome - that would benefit from re-examination. Instead, how about we focus on helping the whole human organism, animated by love and the Source/Soul that animates We could create health rather than prevent disease. Creation of health is by nature a co-creation. We are an ecology in an ecology.

When we kill off the life that makes life good - in an effort to be antiseptic - we create an imbalance that puts all life at risk. In terms of the gut, most of humanity is at risk for a host of problems when all it needs, in most cases is to be a better host and be more selective about which gets have a hospitable environment once invited over, if a rebalance is needed. Yet those who seek to isolate humanity, or even isolate compounds from nature to turn them into controlled substances - those who seek to control all our functions in such myriad ways, seeking that we become like the GF mice - this is something to examine with the eyes of sovereignty and compassion, so that perhaps, we can support a healthy community inside us and all around us and in our broader world, as well.

3 Things nearly all of us have experienced (or at least our mothers have,) that kill your healthy microbiome or alter it in such a way that harmful germs are more likely to thrive: stress, antibiotics and infection.

Here’ a great diagram:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8835713/

Years ago there was talk of a gut-brain axis. Now you can find articles on the gut-brain-heart-access and on and on. It literally effects everything. If you’re going to trust your gut - you might want to have a good one, right?

If all our major health issues can be solved through food and supporting the microbiome, it won’t make very much money for those who profit from illness. I don’t mind if they don’t make money at humanity’s expense. In fact, I think it’s a joyful rebellion to choose to do that which supports health and unlines the pockets of those who profit from keeping knowledge out of lay hands and coveted behind closed doors and censored results.

How can we nurture our heart and gut? L. Plantarum has evidence for the gut heart axis.

How can we help children stay healthy and miss less school? When parents ask this question of my husband, he will typically recommend L. Reuteri, which has good evidence for that, along with a lot of other things, including benefits related to ASD/autism spectrum.

I take a probiotic that was developed by Dr. Ohhira. The probiotics are incubated over five years and they are played classical music while they ferment. Dr. Ohira got the idea for this probiotic when he got sick at an architectural conference and someone recognized it as food poisoning and gave him a shaman’s mash of something dark and medicinal. He was cured so well he devoted his life to discovering the scientific basis for the shamanistic formula, instead of continuing his work as a park architect!

Strain and quality matter with probiotics - they are not all created equal, as is true with everything in the supplement industry. Choose using your soul, your wisdom, your discernment and your own research, in partnership with your doctor.

Probably that partnership won’t involved snuggling in bed, but hopefully it will involve open conversations, curiosity and a willingness to ask, “What might work that isn’t a drug, an injection or a surgery?”

Sometimes we need drugs, injections and surgeries. But if we create the conditions for health in the first place, they’ll be rare and eventually non-existent, I suspect, especially as we clean out our epigenetic envirvonment - within and outside our physical selves.

Instead of an axis of fear, let’s be an axis of love. Feed your gut good things. Just as breath in the belly effects the heart being able to open, supporting the physical gut can help the physical heart. And when we feel better, we are more capable of focusing on love, when the world needs it most.

A final story of a mouse:

Last night I was up in the middle of the night as I am now - well actually it’s 333 am now. I got to bed early so that if I get a creative urge I can follow it without being too sleep deprived. I happened to look over at my counter and a mouse was just short of drowning in a nearly full glass of water, all completely wet, fur splayed everywhere and just its head above water. We have had a mouse problem for a little while this winter and set various traps but we haven’t been harsh about it. The poor little mouse’s eyes looked right at me. I told him, poor thing that it would be alright and I immediately dumped the water and the mouse outside. I wondered if I should do anything else but I wasn’t guided to, so I went back inside. No sign of the mouse the following day. He must have made it or ascended…or his spaceship came for him.

Wishing you a happy Microbiome in the New Year!