Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 28 | Page 26
Special Section
WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE
SPECIAL SECTION FEATURES:
Gut Bacteria Diversity—Key to Health 24
Optimal Prenatal Care—Probiotics
26
Urinary Tract & Prostate Health
28
Mood Influenced by Gut Bacteria
30
Magnesium—Critical for Health
32
Relax & Get Better Sleep
34
UPDATE ON THE MICROBIOME
DIVERSITY IS THE
KEY TO HEALTH
I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Mark Plotkin,
a renowned ethnobotanist who has spent almost three
decades studying traditional plant use with traditional healers
of tropical America. He has previously served as Research
Associate in ethnobotanical conservation at the Botanical
Museum of Harvard University, and now serves as president
of the Amazon Conservation Team. This organization is
dedicated to studying and raising global awareness of the
ever-increasing rates of loss of diversity in terms of both plant
and animal species in the Amazon region.
and every one of us. Like the Amazon, we are, in great measure,
extremely dependent upon the diversity of the organisms that
live within us. Diversity equals resilience.
Dr. Plotkin made it quite clear to me that it is this diversity that
allows the Amazon region to respond to changes in climate and
other environmental pressures. He further revealed how the diversity
of flora and fauna in the Amazon actually influences the health
of the entire planet, providing a measure of resilience, or lack
thereof, in terms of responding to environmental changes. I was
greatly moved by this interview because, clearly, the concepts
he presented are virtually identical to what goes on within each
Many factors conspire to reduce the diversity of the bacteria that
live within us. These include the use of antibiotics as well as other
medications, including acid-blocking drugs, stress and various
environmental toxins. But by far and away, the biggest factors
in terms of influence upon the health of our gut bacteria and its
diversity are the choices we make each and every day in terms
of what we eat. The diet we choose to consume is the most
influential factor in terms of the health and diversity of the
24 Extraordinary Health™ • Vol 28
Unfortunately, research is now revealing that those of us living
in cosmopolitan, industrialized cultures, by and large have
populations of gut bacteria that are dramatically reduced
in terms of their diversity. This translates into a significant loss
in our ability to adapt to the profound number of environmental
stresses to which we are exposed on a daily basis.