How Healthy is Your Microbiome?

New studies and research have found that our bodies are not just our own, but are also home to a lush ecosystem of bacteria that interact much like a rainforest. There are predators and prey, which coexist in a way that keep your body healthy and resilient when balanced, warding off sickness and disease.

Scientists call this collection of trillions of microorganisms the human microbiome, and we each have our own collection of these microorganisms that we begin acquiring at birth. Like a rainforest starting from just a few saplings, the development of our microbiome is a lifelong process that is always changing and growing.

A growing number of medical researchers are arguing that in the future, medicine will focus on how we can tend to our own ecosystems and what makes them strong. Rather than the slash-and-burn method of conventional modern medicine, imagine a true individualized system of healthcare in which your doctor will be able to discern your body’s unique strengths and weaknesses on a microscopic level. 

The idea is to one day not only be able to treat sickness, but prevent disease altogether by building your microbiome to be so tough that this season’s bugs can’t disrupt its balance in the body. Does never getting sick sound like an ideal state of health? Our microbiome has been linked to many more health conditions than the common cold., however. It is thought to be a contributor to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autism, eczema, depression, anxiety, and many other disorders.

There are many different habitats within our microbiome. Places like the stomach, nasal passages, throat, genitals, and skin have a varied collection of bacteria that ideally make sure everything is working top-notch. But when things get out of whack, your microbiome has fallen out of balance, and those areas will then be more susceptible to disease.

For example, if you suffer from chronic sinusitis, your doctor would most likely find an imbalance in your sinuses’ microbiome. In the medicine of the future, rather than prescribing antibiotics, the doctor would give you a treatment containing probiotics that would restore the equilibrium of your microbiome, in turn curing you of chronic sinusitis. 

As we learn more about the bacteria in our bodies and how they interact, we may take greater strides towards a better understanding of the underlying problems of health conditions. No one is throwing antibiotics out the window just yet, but one day there might not be a need for many of the harsh drugs and treatments we endure today. 

Microbiologists are still researching and developing microbiome technology, but many see the human microbiome as the key to unlocking a new era of medicine—a new approach designed to cultivate, preserve, and respect the healing power that already exists within our own bodies.

For more information about the human microbiome and those currently researching it, check out our article “The Human Microbiome: What It Is and Why It Matters.”