I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong

 

I Contain Multitudes

by

Ed Yong

         "I Contain Multitudes" by Ed Yong is a great book.   It is full of fascinating information about the microscopic creatures in the world we live in.  It is a work of  non fiction and tells both sides of the story about microbes.  So often we think only of negative connotations about the bacteria that surround us.  And while it is true that many bacteria cause diseases,  some bacteria have positive roles in our lives.  Ever since Pasteur's time we have spent all sorts of time and money trying to kill all the germs around us.  So much so that the microbes that help us can't survive in these germ free environments.  Mr Yong covers much of the animal kingdom and explains what he calls synergistic partnerships between insects and microbes and animals and microbes.  He covers ways that building a home or hospital may someday change to accommodate new information to introduce and incorporate beneficial micro-organisms.  Yong explains how microbes can be utilized instead of chemical pesticides for controlling pests in farming.  Bill Gates wrote a wonderfully detailed review of the book which can be found HERE and during that time interviewed the author.  Watch part of that interview in the video below.  

    Since we have that wonderful bog post by Bill Gates available to us,  I won't repeat a detailed book review here.  But I promise if you read this book you will not be disappointed.  It is excellent!  Ed Yong did a great job explaining complex concepts in easy to understand language.  The material is covered in a thorough manner and reading it really makes the microscopic world pop to life.  It was a New York Times Bestseller and has been nominated for many while receiving some awards.  It is a book that everyone should read.  Especially in 2020.  I intend to read more of what Ed Yong has written and will watch for what he writes in the future.  

     I came across "I Contain Multitudes"  as I was reading up on gut health.  Between my interests in cooking healthy meals for my husband and myself,  safe house cleaning practices, trying to keep my immune system top notch and maintaining my health for as long as I can, gut health came across my radar.  I found what Ed Yong writes about probiotics especially interesting.  He explains the probiotics which we take do not make it out of the stomach because they are destroyed by the stomach acid.  And he said that if they did make it to the colon, to add the bacteria without giving the  body enough to feed them causes the good bacteria just introduced to die off instead of allowing it to recolonize.  He suggests eating foods that will feed and nurture the bacteria in the probiotic  and he mentions something called a prebiotic that he feels might solve this problem.  Foods he suggested included onions, garlic, bananas, and chicory.  I take Life9 probiotics by Young Living.  They are time released to enable them to make it to the part of the gut where they need to arrive.  And I drink Young Living's multivitamin drink Ningxia Red daily.  It contains  the wolf-berry which is a prebiotic.  I am a wholesale customer with Young Living so pay wholesale prices for the items I purchase from them.  Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain these and lots of helpful healthy products.   

   In closing, when you have time, enjoy the video that follows.

If I Were King

 

     In the 1960s when I was a kid the local governments had trucks drive around in the evenings with bug spray spewing out the back to control mosquitos.   As the pictures above indicates we chased the trucks.  My parents, once they caught the fact we were doing this, told us to stop.  Their reasoning being if the spray was bad for mosquitos it couldn't be good for us either.  But that is how life was in the 1960s.  It is 2020.  Today as the noon news played out the unrest and sickness we are struggling with in our larger communities, I began to day dream.  In my fantasy, trucks drive around with diffusers attached.  They diffuse essential oils.  While I can't "prescribe", I can suggest what I would use to "promote" certain things in my world.  I would have the trucks make the rounds a few times each day, and what was in the trucks would depend on what was happening in the community.  In the mornings, the Young Living blend Valor would start our day keeping  us on an even keel emotionally and full of courage.  Then later, the Young Living blend Thieves would purify the air during flu seasons or pandemics.  In the afternoon our focus would be brought into clarity with some peppermint.  As we wound down in the evenings the YL blend Stress Away would help us relax.  And then once it became dark Lavender would help us all wind down to prepare for a restful nights sleep.  The possibilities of which oils to use is endless and it is a wonderful mental vacation to think about it. 

     Of course it is a pipe dream to think about such trucks in our streets.  But we do have control over what we do in our homes.  We can diffuse oils to promote health and wellness and to support our emotions on a daily basis in our homes.   We can share with our friends and family and thereby enable them to do the same.  I doubt it is a coincidence that the areas which are most troubled by disease and unrest are the areas the farthest from the plants that grow in the wooded areas and meadows.  These plants are our partners in health.  If you are interested in knowing more please click HERE and enjoy the video that follows.