We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in health that is akin to the discovery that the earth was not at the centre of the solar system – we orbit the sun, part of a system much bigger than us. It was an astronomical shift from being the centre, to being part of. The discoveries in the world of microbes, the microbiome, the virome and the mycelial networks of soil is demanding a profound paradigm shift in our understanding of what health is, and what causes disease. We are not the centre of the ecosystem, we are part of a system, much bigger than us. Human health is not centred in the cell, it is in our relationship to the ecosystem through the microbiome (microbes), the virome (viruses) and the mycobiome (fungi).
We are sicker than ever, and many of our modern living practices are to blame. We have literally been at war with the network of communications and transmissions that nourish our health. Never before has this been more clear.
As a collective, we are at a crossroads of deciding what health truly is to each of us, and whether or not we believe we can find it in nature and the intrinsic processes of who we are in relationship to the ecosystem, or whether we need to manufacture it.
The knowledge of the virome (the collective of viruses that live on and in us) have been credited with influencing over 50% of our current DNA. Yes, that is mind blowing. We are quite literally influenced by viral messages in the form of nucleic acids, informing our DNA and fueling our evolution. This is a fundamental shift from a place of war with the biome and the virome, to one of fellowship and relationship. That is not to say that the biome and the virome do not pose serious challenges to our health and survival. It is our innate immune system that allows us to come into a balanced relationship with the virome and the biome. It is our innate immune system that deserves the limelight right now, and all the ways we can protect and support it.
Lets look more closely at the mucosal membranes that form so much of this innate immune system. The nose has within it turbinates. These structures control the air flow as it enters your respiratory system. The air flow is optimized for temperature and humidity, and filtered by trapping pathogens in the sticky mucous that lines the membranes of the sinus cavities. Once trapped in the mucous, our mucosal immune system can neutralize the pathogens and eliminate them before they enter the lungs. You can connect the dots to see one of the many reasons why nose breathing is better for your health than mouth breathing.
Our innate system is about keeping the outside world out, and the inside world in. While it might seem backwards at first, our gut tube (mouth to anus) is actually part of the outside world – and the decision to bring things into our body is determined at the mucosal membrane of the gut tube, or the lumen. Glyphosate (the active ingredient in round up) is extensively documented in its harmful relationship to microbes, and ultimately our mucosal membranes – specifically the tight junctions. The tight junctions hold the cells together, and when injured the membrane becomes permeable to unwanted guests in the inner world. This permeability makes us vulnerable to pathogens, and also contributes to food sensitivities and allergies.
Why then is glyphosate still endorsed by Health Canada? Good question. Many countries have or are in the process of eliminating it, including Austria, France, Russia and Mexico. Courts have ruled it cancer causing, and the WHO listed it on the possible carcinogens list in 2015. Several organizations in Canada have lobbied Health Canada to reconsider, unsuccessfully.
Ultimately, regulators have not kept pace with the profound shift in our understanding of what health is, and what causes disease. The protocols that are used to assess what is safe, and the thresholds that are used are simply not applicable when we consider the intricacies and critical importance of the microbiome and the virome. This is a major undertaking, and even if there was no resistance to change it will take considerable time and effort. The intrinsic resistance to change is embedded in the good business practices of capitalism that prioritize profit, inadvertently politicizing health.
The crux is that we seem to be confusing what is legal, with what is right.
So what do we do in the meantime? Well, each of us as individuals need to educate ourselves and become conscious of what health is, and where it comes from. We need to care deeply for our innate immune system and make the radial paradigm shift that the microbiome knowledge warrants. We need to ask ourselves if we are doing what is legal, or what is right? We need to incorporate this new knowledge into our health practices, so that our personal and collective outcomes can improve. We need to be in nature, immerse ourselves in the ecosystem and minimize our toxic exposures to chemicals. We need to ask questions, and to challenge mindsets that do not operate in a health protective lens. Health is the currency of our survival. When we boil it down to that, the future of our species will be determined by the decisions we make about our individual, collective and planetary health.
We can do better, and with curiosity, inquiry and learning I believe we will.
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