Microbiome First Medicine in Health and Safety

Abstract

Microbiome First Medicine is a suggested 21st century healthcare paradigm that prioritizes the entire human, the human superorganism, beginning with the microbiome. To date, much of medicine has protected and treated patients as if they were a single species. This has resulted in unintended damage to the microbiome and an epidemic of chronic disorders [e.g., noncommunicable diseases and conditions (NCDs)]. Along with NCDs came loss of colonization re-sistance, increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, and increasing multimorbidity and polypharmacy over the life course. To move toward sustainable healthcare, the human micro-biome needs to be front and center. This paper presents microbiome-human physiology from the view of systems biology regulation. It also details the ongoing NCD epidemic including the role of existing drugs and other factors that damage the human microbiome. Examples are provided for two entryway NCDs, asthma and obesity, regarding their extensive network of comorbid NCDs. Finally, the challenges of ensuring safety for the microbiome are detailed. Under Microbiome First Medicine and considering the importance of keystone bacteria and critical windows of development, changes in even a few microbiota-prioritized medical decisions could make a significant difference in health across the life course.

Microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract: Friend or foe?

“…The microbiota are currently considered an external organ of the human body, which provides important mechanisms of metabolic regulation and protection, alongside the development and functioning of all organ systems[ 79 ]. It performs the following functions, the list of which is incomplete.…”

The Earth-Connected Human Superorganism Vs. The Machine

“…The two must be in sync and balanced for our health, well-being, connectivity to our environment, and full human capacities to emerge and be maintained. When damaged, we are left weak, sick, functionally dulled, and increasingly dependent upon the healthcare structure and others [6,56]. A prolonged public health and policy assault has been waged against our microbiome-systems biology integrity, and this has been going on for more than a generation [56].…”

“…Triclosan Exposure to this antimicrobial exacerbates microbiome-driven colitis and colitis-associated diseases [81,82] Bisphenol A Exposure can cause gut microbiota dysbiosis and predispose for several chronic diseases. [83,84] See also [6,56].…”

“…Instead, we learned they are a critical and vast component of the human body (in the form of multi-body site microbiomes) needed for optimal everyday "human" function and health [6,85]. With each new discovery of relevance to the human microbiome, we learn that microbes are not just tagging along for the human experience.…”

“…Recently, a collaborator and I wrote four review articles detailing the need to approach healthcare, medicine, safety, pain management public health and holistic wellbeing by placing the human microbiome front and center. Nowhere was this more obvious than in the care of children after adverse childhood events [1,5,6]. This priority ensures not only that the attention is placed on better health for the whole human (the superorganism), but also ensures that we all go through life better connected to Earth's natural internet of microbial life.…”