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by Patrick Gallagher
Contributor
June 16, 2012
from
ActivistPost Website
Over many, many years, bacteria has been scrutinized and persecuted
for causing the development of thousands of diseases and ailments in
people, but what do we actually know about these microbes that seem
to cover everything at all times?
Recent research shows that we actually don’t know a whole lot about
when we look at the leaps and bounds we took to disinfect and
cleanse nearly everything we own.
In a research project entitled the
Human Microbiome Project (much akin
to the
Human Genome Project of great
relevance), researchers show that bacteria and microbial bodies are
actually much more beneficial than they will ever be detrimental.
Not only do bacteria keep people alive
and healthful by helping to strengthen the immune system, but they
also explain in a broad sense why people are so different when it
comes to vaccinations and diseases.
The research has been conducted between 200 scientists at 80
different institutions in order to gain a better understanding of
the microscopic world and livelihood of the bacteria in relation to
the human body and its systems.
The project analyzed the genetic
material of bacteria from around 250 healthy people; the results
came as a bit of a surprise, finding as many as a thousand different
strains per person, and that many of even the disease carrying
bacteria coexist normally with millions of other bacteria.
This gives us a very broad understanding of why some individuals are
more susceptible to infections and disease and why others are nearly
invincible to the same disease-causers. It is also probable that
these many millions of microorganisms may contribute to a wide array
of conditions like asthma and even obesity.
The research was released last
Wednesday, and promises great change coming to the research playing
field.
Originally, bacteria were seen as a passive presence on all of our
persons at any given time, essentially harmless and doing almost
nothing to interfere with our functionality. This research provides
us with the fact that these microbes are essential to our well
being, and generally speaking promote good health among us all.
It is a great mystery why these essential little buddies were so
understudied, with scientists knowing very little about them for an
extended period of time.
Allegedly, when bacteria and microbes
were actually studied, they were done so in a largely unnatural
environment, leaving the bacteria to act differently than they would
under normative circumstances.
The research has only recently reached
prominence, with new methods and techniques to sustain the study of
microscopic organisms.
Until we gain a broader scope of understanding these little
‘machines’, you can rest assured that they are mostly harmless and
in fact are quite beneficial to your health.
If you are a bacteriaphobe
keeping things around you almost constantly disinfected, you may
very well be
putting yourself at greater risk with all of
the harsh chemicals being used to maintain that
cleanliness.
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