Biodiversity and microbes: Ecological solutions to the human health crisis

摘要

The balance and composition of human microbes are a product of our societal ecosystems and how we live — including both our stressors and our positive emotions and experiences alike. There are clear links between environmental change, "dysbiosis" of the human microbiome, and the pandemic of modern lifestyle diseases. Most of these inflammatory conditions (ranging from allergy, obesity, diabetes heart disease and even mental ill health) are mediated by effects on the immune system, which is altered by dysbiosis. The factors driving personal dysbiosis are ultimately the same factors that are driving planetary dysbiosis (which literally means "life in distress") on every level, from the first moments of life. Galloping consumerism, excessive consumption of ultra-process food, and an indoor device culture are driving us away progressively from nature and each other - all adding to stress, anxiety, sleep disturbance, alcohol and drug dependence, isolation and depression. All these factors interact with our microbiome and our immune health, promoting dysbiosis and inflammation. Paradoxically in a culture "where there is never enough" we are losing much of what is important for health and happiness. Environmental erosion and "nature deficit" are progressively eroding positive emotions such as empathy, compassion and optimism, which in turn undermine immune resilience. In essence, a spiral of self-destructive interactions manifest at the individual level in our health and across societies in broken systems, environmental degradation and social inequality. The solutions depend on understanding these interconnections - seeing ourselves as part of these ecosystems, and taking lessons from the natural world. Microbial solutions already reveal the value of restoring ecosystems for both human health and for breaking down man-made waste, plastics, and pollutants. However, any such solutions will only be meaningful and sustainable if societal values promote ecosystems that thrive on mutually advantageous relationships, rather than mutually destructive ones. As well as the immediate benefits - for personal health, food choices, nature relatedness, microbiomes, optimism, immune health, sense of purpose and connection to community — a sense of symbiotic mutualism has flow-on benefits to the whole of society. Ultimately, a normative shift towards more mutualistic values is the only way we will to overcome the erosion of our social fabric, the natural environment and our health.