Taking Care of Our Microbes

Or should I say, taking care of ourselves since our microbes are us?

Photo by julien Tromeur on Unsplash

I’m sure you’ve learned by now that we have trillions and trillions of microbes living on and within us, collectively known as our microbiome. Over the last few years, research into these microscopic communities has exploded. Scientists used to think our microbiome outnumbered our Human cells ten to one, but more recent research suggests an average adult has about 30 trillion Human cells and roughly 38 trillion bacteria.

Either way, experts have learned that our microbiome exerts far more influence over us than we ever imagined. We now know that the microbial half of us regulates our immune system, creates neurotransmitters in our guts, and helps shape our personalities. Considering all this and more, taking care of our microbiome and keeping it healthy should be paramount. But how exactly should we go about this?

What does a healthy microbiome look like?

A good place to begin taking care of our microbiome is knowing what a healthy one looks like. It should be simple enough, but rarely does simple mean easy. According to Paul O’Toole, a researcher, professor, and the Head of Microbiology at University College Cork, Ireland:

“There are no overt physical…