Month: June 2019

Imagining that I am the head of a funding agency that is looking at research project proposals, and based on what we have learned this term, a research project that I would be interested in funding is one that studies how sanitation affects exposure to microbes when we are young. I think it would be interesting to gain a better understanding of the interactions and mechanisms behind establishing the microbiota at a young age. This would give us a better understanding of what behaviors are important to keep, change, or actually stop doing.

As we have seen throughout this class, having a diverse microbiota is essential to human health and thus understanding how to maintain or establish this is crucial to understanding how to have better health and avoid potentially dangerous diseases. By establishing a better microbiota at a younger age, it may lead to less risks for microorganism influenced diseases later on in life.

Understanding more about this can also impact healthcare decisions, both in a professional healthcare setting and in day to day healthcare related decisions. For example, understanding more about how current healthcare practices influence the ability to develop our microbiota may lead to changes in protocols. More specifically, because much of our microbiota is initially developed at a young age, this may mean changes in hospital (and home life) procedures following birth. By having a greater understanding of the interactions and mechanisms behind establishing a healthy microbiome equilibrium, we can make more informed and guided decisions within healthcare.

Part 1:

Through the course of this class, we have learned about tons of different human non-infectious diseases that are influenced by microorganisms. There are some diseases which are more obvious such as those associated with out gut, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or different gastrointestinal diseases. However, our microbiota is actually connected to a more diseases and health related responses within our body. For example, microorganisms affect diseases such as diabetes or obesity which have to do with our glucose and nutrient intakes. Surprisingly, microorganisms have also been tied to influencing human mental health such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

 

Part 2:

Looking back at my first writing exercise where we also made a list of non infectious diseases that are affected by microorganisms, I can see that my knowledge has become more broad. I remember when I first the first writing exercise I felt pretty clueless and didn’t know where to begin until I had done some preliminary research. However, for this assignment I was able to reflect back to the past 10 weeks and remember different diseases we had learned about.

I think the most important thing I will take away from this is that the gut microbiota affects just about everything that is related to our health: from gastrointestinal diseases to mental health to our sleep and circadian rhythm. Therefore, it is extremely important to take care of our gut microbiota and make sure it is diverse and has proper levels of healthy bacteria. Just from this class, I have already started to be more mindful about what habits I have that affect my gut microbiota, such as my diet, daily behaviors, and any routines I might have. From initially being something that I rarely thought about at all, I am now realizing how impactful the gut microbiota is in our lives and how many factors can affect it.