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Health and
Fitness
The Good, Old Mantra
is Still Best
by
Rajgopal Nidamboor
Ancient Ayurvedic physicians
knew the existence of microbes — the Sanskrit equivalent for them being
“krimi.” Agreed that they did not “tick-off” microbes as the
primary causal factor in the onset of disease, unlike conventional
physicians. It ain’t needed — because, Ayurveda does not treat or
compartmentalize an individual into parts. It aims at treating
holistically — looking at the individual, in totality. This obviously
also holds good in combating microbes, or organisms, which attack and/or
damage our body, system, or immunity.
The study of microbes has, of course, been a sizzling area of research
for just over 250 years in the West. Even as Louis Pasteur was mounting
his theories of infection, at one time, a notable contemporary, Antoine
Bechamps, was developing a different perspective on the idea. Bechamps
observed tiny particles in blood that he said pervaded all living
systems. These “microzymas,” as he called them, were, he felt, the basic
building blocks of life. It is from them, he claimed, that bacteria as
well as the cellular components of our own bodies began.
It is, of course, true that Pasteur’s work goes down in history as the
“harbinger” of the germ theory. However, it is said that Pasteur, in
spite of all his enormous glory and genius, recanted and admitted
towards the end of his life that the microbe was merely secondary. It is
primarily the condition of the body, he said, that determines whether or
not micro-organisms can flourish.
Long after this time in history, microbiologists have taken the issue
forward with “Pasteurian” intent — not so much as one would have wished
with Bechamps’ theory. That the bacteria, and other microbes, must be
introduced into a system. It is only then can they reproduce themselves
in a tight, unchanging lineage. In addition, microbiologists have, in
the course of their work, also described a host of intermediate cell
wall deficient bacteria and surprising shifts from one species to
another.
It was Gunther Enderlein who, during the first half of the last century,
pulled together a spectrum of groundbreaking ideas and observations.
Enderlein, along with his associates, after decades of careful study,
charted the course of the development of organisms — from the tiny
particles Bechamps had vividly described through a sort of life cycle
that included the transformation to intermediate forms and ultimately
into microbes associated with disease.
The concept, it maybe mentioned, has been resonated in a different form,
more recently, in the work of Gaston Naessens. Naessens’ life cycle of
microbial forms in humans includes bacterial versions as well as yeast
and fungi. The best part is — both ideas are revolutionary in their own
right, although conventional microbiologists don’t fancy the perception.
Some of them even think of the novel idea as being nothing short of the
eccentric.
The reality of it all lies, probably, somewhere in-between the two,
because current research misses the connection of observations — in
other words, it skips the threads that tie the whole picture together.
To think of another major example. It is an accepted fact that
conventional blood work and even high-power electron microscopes could
only be best used for blood smear or tissue to be examined, destroyed
and “fixed,” with chemical agents and dyes. Not otherwise!
To move into a different plane altogether. What is inside the gut is a
part of you and yet not quite a part of you — the gut reflects your
nature, it also reflects that larger nature outside you. Quite like the
world outside, it has its own ecological balance of life forms, being
populated with a complex range of microbes. These are bacteria, fungi,
single-celled animals, and even viruses. These microbes exist in complex
relationships that carry over from their lives outside.
Fungi and bacteria, for example, are old rivals; they have been waging a
never-ending war over territory long before we humans showed up on
planet Earth. However, the fungi, whose spectrum include moulds, yeasts,
and even mushrooms, learned long ago to secrete a sort of toxin that
could destroy bacteria, or keep them at bay.
We have learned to use fungal toxins, such as penicillin, to eradicate
bacteria that had begun to proliferate in the body. But, you should not
think that the bacteria are going down without a fight. They have their
own bag of tricks. They have learned to counter the toxins, by becoming
resistant strains. You could think of a classical example — the
development of resistance against antibiotics.
This battle continues among other places in your intestinal tract.
What’s more, the fallout from the relentless battle can have serious
consequences on your health.
To draw a simile. It must be remembered that the network of life on the
surface of the planet is complicated and interdependent, and that the
removal of one species can upset the whole, even resulting in
substantial changes in the Earth itself — viz., erosion,
desertification, and major shifts in climate. This very same principle
applies to our intestinal ecology.
It is said that encouraging an overgrowth of fungal forms, as you’d
know, will displace and disrupt bacterial growth. Also, one must bear in
mind that bacteria are essential to the healthy functioning of the
lining of the intestinal tract. Without them, the normal processes of
digestion and assimilation are crippled. Losing them amounts to losing a
component of the lining itself — the result is irritation and
inflammation.
The current attacks on the reliability of our intestinal ecology, as
you’d immediately connect, are varied. First and foremost, the ideal
bacteria for colonizing the gut maybe missing in the outside world. They
have, perhaps, faded away during shifts in bacterial population caused
by toxic environmental chemicals. Their absence makes the intestinal
tract more than a bit “vulnerable” to disease invasions — most often
from birth. Also, the replacement of breast milk with infant formulae
probably undermines the process of establishing an optimal population of
bacteria itself.
As you’d know, a diet rich in sugar promotes an overgrowth of yeast.
Likewise, the addition of oral antibiotics, a common practice to combat
infection and disease, running erratically through the gut, is
tantamount to a series of nuclear attacks, devastating populations of
bacteria that were trying to maintain themselves there. The combination
of sugar and antibiotics sure makes a powerful and destructive “ammo,”
blasting through the intestinal tracts of a large population of people,
and creating devastation.
The best thing you’d do is — follow a regimen that is simple and
practical, just like how your ancestors, or grandparents, did. Eating
nourishing food, greens and vegetables, walking more than a couple of
miles a day, practicing meditation, taking time off in communion, and
leading an active, spiritual life.
This is still the best way to maintaining good health and keeping
diseases at bay — notwithstanding all our amazing advances in science,
medicine, and technology!
February 26, 2006
Top |
Health and
Fitness
The Week of February 26, 2006
Sonia Gandhi Fact-File by Rajinder
Puri
India's Foreign Policy Held at Ransom by
Leftists by Dr. Subhash Kapila
US History - Lesser Known
Facts, Analogies & Surmises Part 3 by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
Vastu and Interiors – The
Living Room by Niranjan Babu Bangalore
& Raman Suprajarama
The Good, Old Mantra is Still
Best by Rajgopal Nidamboor
Children's Poetry and The Making of
a Good Poem:
An Interview with Popular British poet Philip Bell by Dr. Amitabh
Mitra
A Crazy Wish A Short Story by NS Murty
The Journey from Creation to Creator by Dr.
Vidur Jyoti
Incomplete Ideologies by J. Ajithkumar
The Journey of the Soul by Tom
Beal
Journey to Britain as a Student by
Brindha Saran
Arithmetic of Life by PGR Nair
A Perfect Life by Purva Bhatia
The Future of Communications by
Arya Bhushan
The Mystery of Human Life by TA
Ramesh
Peace Talk, The Female Way by Stephanie
Hiller
Kuwaiti Women Eye Parliament by Barbara
Lewis
Beating
Breast Cancer by Sharmistha Choudhury
More Bad News for Women Smokers by
Kavita Devgan
Patent
Insurance by M. Qaiser and P. Mohan
Chandran
Curd Curry - Recipe by Lakshmi Devi
Coconut Curry - Recipe by Sugandha
Indulkar
Dal Makhani - Recipe by Sugandha
Indulkar
Hyderabadi Tamarind Rice - Recipe by
Sugandha Indulkar
Maharashtrian Oyster Masala - Recipe by
Sugandha Indulkar
Masala Brinjal - Recipe by Manpreet
Mehta
Pumpkin Erissery - Recipe by Lakshmi
Devi
Shahi Tukda - Recipe by Sugandha
Indulkar
Spicy Tomato chutney - Recipe by Shanth
Shenoy
Stuffed Crabs - Recipe by Sugandha
Indulkar
Vegetable Korma - Recipe by Shanth
Shenoy
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