PICTURE: Robert Hill (iStockphoto.com) "Most foreign microbes are only dangerous if they are able to get into your blood-stream, and to do this they either have to break through the physical barrier of your skin, airways or digestive 'tube' (did you know that 'inside' your intestines is technically still 'outside' your body?). This process is called translocation. Even if some of your friendly bacteria translocate to inside your body they too can become unfriendly. But the good news is that the friendly guys have much less tendency to translocate than unfriendly ones."

11th September, 2004

NICK HODGSON

Did you know that many bacteria are actually good for us? - In fact our body is full of them! 'Normal flora' covers our skin and our airways, and the intestines have layers upon layers of 'friendly bacteria'. When you move your bowels most of the bulk is dead bacteria - not left over McDonalds!

These bacteria actually cohabit with our body in a 'symbiotic' (helpful) relationship. Many help to pre-digest our food and some actually produce vitamins as a by-product; which we then absorb and benefit from.

They also act as part of our defence against not-so-friendly bacteria, fungi and viruses. The better 'coated' and 'armoured' you are with friendly bacteria, the harder it is for the bad guys to invade your body. There's safety in numbers.

Most foreign microbes are only dangerous if they are able to get into your blood-stream, and to do this they either have to break through the physical barrier of your skin, airways or digestive 'tube' (did you know that 'inside' your intestines is technically still 'outside' your body?). This process is called translocation. Even if some of your friendly bacteria translocate to inside your body they too can become unfriendly. But the good news is that the friendly guys have much less tendency to translocate than unfriendly ones.

Once microbes translocate to inside your body it is up to the immune system to destroy the invaders. (If you really need to know more detail, there are also immune cells on the surface of your body that try to mop up foreigners before they can invade.)

Most of the symptoms you experience during an infection are actually sensations of your immune system and metabolism working overtime to battle the unwelcome guests: sneezing and coughing are violent winds your body produces to expel unwanted guests from your airways; vomiting and diarrhoea are strategies to fast-track foreign microbes back to where they came from – outside; and fevers are a sign of a metabolism and immune system being hotted up to kill the invaders. The desires to rest and sleep are good – your body is asking to be given permission to focus its energies on the most important job at hand - healing! Aches and pains are often the result of the massive killing field of dead enemies and allies accumulating in your intercellular fluids. It’s interesting that in our culture we will go to great lengths to switch off these God-given processes.

One of the best ways to encourage the bacterial good guys to stay in large numbers, (and hence to make it hard for the bad guys to invade) is to set up the right body environment for the good guys to live in:

• Try to avoid antibiotics: these not only destroy the bad guys, but wipe out most of the good guys too: for example oral penicillin treatment for only four days is enough to disrupt the gastrointestinal ecology (the good guys) to such a degree that bacterial translocation continues long after antibiotic therapy is stopped. It takes 31 days after the antibiotics for ecologic equilibrium to re-establish. Some other antibiotics studied have similar effects. Especially beware if you are told you have a virus: antibiotics don't kill viruses!

• Supplement your diet with some 'good guys'. Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most common one. This can be eaten in good yoghurts (Nestle LC1 is great and Jalna use a good culture), or drink such as Yokult. If you’re not a yoghurt or dairy fan then you can buy powders or capsules from most chemists/health-food stores.

• Avoid junk food, especially high-sugar foods - the 'bad guys' love to feast on sugar! Foods like fruits and vegetables are high in natural fibres and their more complex carbs are much more conducive to healthy bacterial growth.

• Keep your mind, body and spirit growing in healthy and fertile environments: a stressed, tired, angry, unhappy, bitter, frustrated, and/or lonely body produces chemicals uninviting to your littlest friends, and more conducive to unwelcomed guests!

Dr Nick Hodgson is a chiropractor.

You can read more articles like this one at www.healthetalk.com.au

The information contained is this article is of a general nature only. For advice on your specific situation, please consult your medical professional.