With respect to microbes

#ThrowbackThursday or #TBT is a trend that we’ve decided we want to be a part of – albeit just once a month. Today is our entry to our #TBT initiative. The idea is to pick up issues that are important or particularly topical that we feel might otherwise be lost in the archives of ANH-Intl’s website.

This #TBT week our theme is microbes, inflammation and mental health. Over the last century or so, following acceptance of Louis Pasteur’s germ theory of disease, whether in our homes, in healthcare or in agriculture, we’ve decimated microbial populations. Now we know this disregard for microbes carries a big cost, not just to our own health, but the health of our food.

An aspect of this case – the relationship between depression and inflammation, was clearly presented by ANH friend and health journalist Jerome Burne writing in the Daily Mail this week. Given the connection between inflammation and our microbiome, we re-run one of our feature articles looking at why the right kind of contact with our microbial ‘old friends’ could be both prevention and antidote for depression.

Sustainable health and agriculture requires much greater respect for those organisms we can only see with a microscope. You’ll find out more in our lead and #TBT stories. This week’s news looks at how diet and lifestyle changes can positively impact our health and considers Big Pharma’s increasing interest in manipulating our microbes for their gain.

In health, naturally and sustainably

Rob Verkerk, PhD

Founder, executive & scientific director