<http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_body_politic/> which contains ...
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Researchers have largely concerned themselves with bacteria’s negative role as pathogens: The devastating effects of a handful of infectious organisms have always seemed more urgent than what has been considered a benign and relatively unimportant relationship with “good” bacteria. In the intestine, the bacterial hub of the body that teems with trillions of microbes, they have traditionally been called “commensal” organisms — literally, eating at the same table. The moniker suggests that while we’ve known for decades that gut bacteria help digestion and prevent infections, they are little more than ever-present dinner guests.
But there’s a growing consensus among scientists that the relationship between us and our microbes is much more of a two-way street. With new technologies that allow scientists to better identify and study the organisms that live in and on us, we’ve become aware that bacteria, though tiny, are powerful chemical factories that fundamentally affect how the human body functions.
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I have a great regard for the poop chute and it's role in human health. It seems that colon cleansing could be deadly. And killing bacteria that adapt to support and sustain you seems wasteful. (Unless they come back stronger.)
All the conversation about food must have brought me back here.
martin