Fear of What We Can’t See

In the naturopathic wellness space, there are those who say that the microbiome is creating a stir amongst scientists, or even that it’s the “final frontier” of human health.

But just ask your family or close friends about it, or check out any mainstream news site. You’re not likely to hear too many people talking about it, especially during a pandemic (according to the WHO’s updated definition of one).

It’s true that certain pathogens have taken out many human beings throughout our history, so we all have good reason to fear them.

At the same time, most of us are well aware of how a biodiverse ecosystem like a rainforest flourishes with life. This idea has led many to view human gut flora as a microcosm of a rainforest.

The major limitation of this concept that seems to keep the mainstream from buying into it, is that we’re talking about tiny things that we can’t see, at least not with the naked eye. And until the mainstream media buys into it, the majority of people, of course, won’t have easy access to such information.

This is why we see sanitizer sales off the roof. If you can’t see them [the microbes], they’re scary and they must all be bad, so let’s just wipe them all out.

But perhaps the system is more complex and nuanced than that.

Maybe some of them are our friends, protecting us from the malicious ones.

Maybe even the seemingly malicious ones have their own respective roles in a balanced and biodiverse ecosystem, yes, including inside of each and every one of us. Just like the gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park.

Some of us in natural wellness circles have indeed embraced this concept in how we eat, and in other aspects of our lives. And we feel the difference in our health and how we feel every day.

Having said that, there are certain forces who might like to keep this sort of message out of the mainstream. So it’s vital that we spread it at a grass roots level, using the media platforms that we have at our fingertips.

This way, more people will begin to embrace the idea that, just because we can’t see certain living beings, doesn’t mean that we should be afraid of them. In fact, the reality is that we’re all made up of them. And when we support the good ones, they protect us, and we all thrive together.

That’s the beauty of a symbiotic relationship, inside of, and amongst all of us.