Gut reaction

Have you ever heard the statement, 'we are all one?' This is probably more than just a statement of philosophy. Folks that practice meditation can experience this sense of 'oneness.' Apparently, certain types of drugs can result in an experience of this. Interestingly, there is more and more science to support this. Anyone can point to say the air cycle and see a general relationship. Plants take in carbon and breathe out oxygen. We, humans, breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon. We don't live in a vacuum. We need each other. Well, human definitely need trees, and plants, both surface and oceanic plants, and plankton. We are connected.

Below I have included more evidence of this. Fairly recent, and scientific to boot, evidence for being connected. Take Suzanne Simard's evidence for how trees communicate. It's actually a great deal more complex than most people have ever considered. This is not just some 'Gaia' oriented philosophy. Trees share carbon, chemicals, and likely a rudimentary memory. There is evidence for forests becoming compromised when the 'elder' trees are cut, which is what humans do. We cut out the old trees, and interestingly, the surrounding trees are suddenly more likely to suffer from infections and pests. The older, experienced trees shared their immunity with the surrounding trees. That's interesting. Sure, if you believe a tree is just a tree, and old tree is closer to death, take the old one leave the young ones, and everything will be okay... If Suzanne's assessment of her data is correct, that philosophy needs to change. It also suggests a parallel with human societies, 'respect your elders' isn't just about recognizing authority, but also about stability due to experience, and who knows, maybe sharing our immune systems? We do share. There is no doubt about that. Ask any man who has ever shared morning sickness with a pregnant wife. Ask any group of females who lived together so long that their menstrual cycles were entrained.

We share everything, with every breath in and out- we share neural transmitters. We share flora and fauna. There is evidence that even flora and fauna may affect us more than we ever imagined. Physically and mentally! We all have and are host to bacteria, for example. We could not survive without it. The primary source of vitamin k, for example, is when we digest certain bacteria that created vitamin k. New evidence suggest our memories and our personalities may be directly regulated by the state of health of the communities that we host! It may even be a bigger factor in weight loss than we ever considered.

Have you ever tried to loose weight, but it seemed like no matter what you did, how you restricted or regulated food, or how much you exercised- you just couldn't loose weight? In one of the studies you can find in the video and books below, a particular female was discussed who had been reasonably thin all her life. On discovering a particular cancer, she received treatment, and the cancer was put in remission. part of the treatment required that the bacteria she had be killed, and replaced with what is known as fecal transplant, to replace a culture of bacteria. The donor had a weight problem. Shortly after the procedure, the lady and recipient of the transplant started having weight issues, something she had never had before, and strangely, failed to respond to medically imposed diets, exercise, and medication for weight loss!

We all experience a sense of self, something that seems separated from nature, even from others. But in truth, we are all so more intricately linked with each other, each species, that we fundamentally couldn't exist without everything else. Assuming this is just the tip of the iceberg, I wonder what more we might discover in the near future that reveal how complexly related we all our. I have a sociology background, and one doesn't have to read any further than Durkheim's treatise on suicide to realize we contribute to the health and well being of everyone around us by our thoughts and actions. That is not a metaphor. Durkheim demonstrated, scientifically, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that suicides are not random, but is a function of society. Different societies have a different rate, and the rate can lead to predictions of how many suicide to expect in a year- and the formula is so precise that the actual number is in line with predictive numbers. If suicide was random, Durkheim would not have made it to the top of the sociological reading list.

We have cut down trees without considering its affect on neighboring trees. We have taken antibiotics without considering the collateral damage inside of us, or how superbugs may result in the future. We have killed each other, sometimes with no more thought than we would by culling a tree from a forest. I don't know. I don't know about you, but my gut reaction to this suggest you, all of us, are much more important than we can ever imagine.

It is in recognition of your worth, your value, that I send you this, and a warm welcome- thank you for sharing this now, this life with me. May you and your families be well, and should your particular place in this now be less than perfect, may you find comfort in knowing you're not alone; and should your experience be less than ideal, may that very thing we all need to experience-strength, resilience, and compassion- be a part of your story. With love, J and L.




NOTES:

youtube

Nature's Internet: how trees talk to each other in a healthy forest, Suzanne Simard- TedxSeattle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=breDQqrkikM

How the gut microbiomes affects the brain and mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4CBy0uVqRc

Intra and Inter species cell to cell communication in bacteria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Rvu5A8iWw


books

The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long Term Health

Book by Erica D. Sonnenburg and Justin Sonnenburg

Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain for Life

Book by David Perlmutter and Kristin Loberg