Dr. Cathryn Nagler, “one of the best immunologists in the world”, (because who else would MacPhail interview) is focused on our biome- bacteria, virus and fungus of the “commensural bacteria” engaged with our bodies. The gut is microbiome headquarters with the greatest number and diversity of species, especially in the colon. Trillions thrive there.
Scientists know a little about their interactions with our immune systems. Five or six strains of bacteria seem to be protective, while three others lower the number of T-regs that dampen inflammation-a good thing. Some cheese bacteria produce histamines that fuel allergic reactions with hyper-inflammation, like pre-war Germany.
“All creatures have an associated microbiota, which perform vital physiological functions.” Life would not exist without these allies or enemies. Amphibionts are “microbes that can be a pathogen or symbiont”, harmful or helpful. The human gut contains and produces 100 trillion microbes, disrupted by antibiotics, meat fattened on antibiotics, plant foods sprayed with herbicides, antiparasite paste, chlorinated water, or starved out by lack of nutrients from ultraprocessed diets.
Nagler remembers when “food allergies began to climb in the late 1980’s”, mostly to eggs, milk, peanuts and wheat. Kids can “get allergic responses within the first months of life”, which she blames on skin contact and breast milk, not increasing mandatory “immunizations” after PhrMa was given immunity from damages in 1987.
She warned that early introduction of food antigens “is risky, but withholding is not good either.” Not exactly reassuring. Food Allergies used to appear between two and four years old and were frequently “outgrown.” Now, they aren’t eliminated by maturing immune systems and adults develop them too. A mystery to her, but the diminishing diversity of our biome is probably the cause, Nagler told MacPhail, although far less is known about our gut bacteria in the 1960’s through 80’s, the Go Go years for ultraprocessed foods and antibiotic use in humans and livestock.
Even their previous guesstimate of 3 million species in the microbiome was recently doubled when 99 tropical coral reefs were genotyped-sampling plankton, with a few coral and fish species. There are “exponentially more bacteria living on the planet than previously thought.” Jennifer Biddle, a microbial ecologist at the University of Delaware said, “We’re always under counting microbes with the methods we’re using.”*
“A healthy immune response to food relies on an intricate balance between friendly bacteria that live inside us and the types of food we ingest. Our children’s earliest environment are the most crucial. Bacteria in their guts increase hundreds of times after solid foods are introduced.” Our biome is “incredibly stable by age three.” Quicker than the Catholic Church’s fabled inextricable grip by age seven.
Nagler poopoohs the most popular remedies for improving gut biomes. “There simply isn’t enough scientifically valid evidence to support any dietary changes.” Pro and prebiotic promises are bunk by her, and condemns the probiotic and prebiotic industry to anti-vaxxer status.
Along with Orgone Accumulators, Colema Boards and “easy” weight loss claims. FDA prisoners. Best to stay on the thin side of the law. Claim no Cures. Nothing is easy. Change is Hard.
“Everyone can agree our gene environment interaction- epigenetics- have a large role to play in the rise of allergies, as does our nose, gut and skin microbiomes.” Just how needs more funding, because genetic materialism become fractally complex when epigenetics pokes its nose in the tent.
This delicately balanced blend of bacteria, fungi, viruses and archaea underlies the Barrier Regulation theory. They provides a thin layer of defense against pathogens in the surface slime of our mucous membranes and our skin. Our alimentary passages (guiding food and liquid through to finished product), various orifices and penetrations of the skin are primary routes of exposure to pathogens, since time immemorial from one celled to complex creatures.
The microbiota of the human gut, nasal cavity and skin “led to a reformulation of the hygiene hypotheses as the biodiversity hypotheses of allergy”, because changes in the environment, diet and lifestyle of Westernized, industrial countries have altered the diversity of our microbiome. This diversity regulated our immune function through training from mild infections of mumps, measles and rubella during early childhood. Their absolute risk is minimal, while children’s immune system were trained and disciplined to not go off the rails, when challenged.
We’ve cut off the biodiversity of our biome, compared to Pygmy Poop. This skews our immune function towards T helper cell type 2- creating an allergic response along with IgE. However, T1 disorders like multiple sclerosis and other autoimmmune diseases are also on the rise. A conundrum. T regulatory cells, (Tregs), “play a crucial role in tamping down our inflammatory immune responses.” MacPhail is keen on repeating medical terminology, but remains oblivious to iatrogenic causes of these diseases, namely immune damaging vaccinations.
Theories abound. Bed dust exposure from less frequent changing of linens may be beneficial to our nasal and airway microbiome. One proposed a thought experiment on a control group to prove whether more diverse biomes prevented allergies, that went “back to a much older way of life. Eat foods grown without pesticides. Eat whole foods and wide variety. Don’t use dishwashers or detergents. No more allergies.” Sounds like an updated Michael Pollan. No more vaccines, wasn’t imagined by any expert.
Pamela Guerrerio told MacPhail that Genetically Modified Organism foods, “are not contributing to our malaise”, because “there are no new allergies to new proteins, just more of the old ones.” She’s not into biomes, only inflammation triggers, siloed like commercial GMO crops designed to tolerate biocides, primarily Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, but liberally applied to most commercial crops. Like DDT in years of polio epidemics.
There are glaring contradictions from her experts, but none that MacPhail dwells on. She’s happy to preach, “The good news is that scientists are diligently trying to figure out which microbes are critical for healthy immune function. Until the science advances, this is all we’ve got.” Although intestine implanted Pygmy Poop is promising.
*-Bacteria may be underestimated. Erin Garcia De Jesus, Science News, July 1, 2023