Update: August 2025
We recently came across this enjoyable and eye-opening article published by the BBC last year. It was a nice change of pace from the usual news. And it was exciting to appreciate the microbes on our skin in a new way. We're sharing this information to help you expand your thinking when it comes to the microbes in and around you, and the broad range of ways they affect your health.
"You might already have heard of the gut microbiome – the ecosystem of microbes that inhabit your intestines. It is well established that the diversity of this collection of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other single-celled organisms plays an important role in a range of diseases, from diabetes to asthma and even depression.
The skin microbiome is second only to our guts when it comes bacterial diversity. This is quite surprising if you think about it. Compared to the safe, warm and moist habitats of our mouths or guts, the skin is a pretty inhospitable place.
Over millennia, these microbes have formed a kind of symbiotic relationship with us humans. The bacteria, fungi and mites living on our skin benefit from a constant supply of rich nutrients. But we rely on our skin microbiome too, as beneficial species help us repel more harmful, pathogenic bacteria by competing against them."
Our skin is teeming with microbes. We should learn to love them.
[BBC, August 2024]
Ready to learn more about microbes and how to establish and keep the peace with them so they can support your health and well-being? Read the introduction to the Perelandra Microbial Balancing Program Manual by Machaelle Wright here.
And for another fun, engaging experience, step into the world of microbes by listening to Machaelle's Microbial Balancing Program Workshop Introduction. The audio recording is free online here.
Some common mental disorders may be contagious, transmitted by kissing.
[Earth.com, May 2025]
How Bacteria Rule Over Your Body – The Microbiome
[Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, October 2017]
Why a balanced scalp microbiome is key to getting healthy, thick hair.
[The Telegraph UK, April 2024]
Young people are more likely to die of heart attacks post-COVID, study finds. But why?
[NBC Today, February 2024]
Beyond breathing: How COVID-19 affects your heart, brain and other organs
[American Heart Association, January 2024]
Viruses and cardiovascular disease: from bad to worse
[Nature, July 13, 2022]
A New Approach to Spotting Tumors: Look for Their Microbes
[The New York Times, September 2022]
Why Stinky Sweat Is Good For You
[NPR's All Things Considered, August 25, 2022]
The Puzzling Virus That Infects Everyone
[The Atlantic, March 2022]
Unlocking the ‘gut microbiome’ – and its massive significance to our health
[The Guardian, July 2021]
Gardeners Take Heed: It's a 'Tick-y Year'
[The New York Times, June 2021]
A Changing Gut Microbiome May Predict How Well You Age
[The New York Times, March 2021]
What happens in the mouth … doesn't stay in the mouth
[Ohio State News, February 2021]
Gut Bacteria's Role in Anxiety and Depression: It's Not Just In Your Head
[Discover Magazine, October 2020]
Does Your Gut Hold the Secret to Performance?
[Outside, January 2018]
How superspreading is fueling the pandemic — and how we can stop it.
[Vox, June 2020]
Flushing the Toilet May Fling Coronavirus Aerosols All Over
[The New York Times, June 2020]
Coronavirus destroys lungs. But doctors are finding its damage in kidneys, hearts and elsewhere.
[The Washington Post, 4/15/20]
How To Boost Your Immune System
[The Guardian, 3/8/20]
Unusual flu virus is hitting children hard, vaccine is a poor match
[The Washington Post, 1/10/20]
Measles Wipes Out Immune System's Memory, Study Finds
[The Guardian, October 2019]
The Fundamental Link Between Body Weight and the Immune System
[The Atlantic, August 2019]
More Than Half Your Body Is Not Human
[BBC News, April 2018]
Europe Set to Suffer as Climate Change Brings Mosquito Threat
[Aljazeera, April 2019]
Germs in Your Gut Are Talking to Your Brain. Scientists Want to Know What They're Saying
[The New York Times, January 2019]
Researchers Find a Web of Factors Behind Multiple Sclerosis
[NPR, January 2019]
Flu Season Is Here, But How Effective Is The 2018 Flu Shot?
[Fortune, September 2018]
Diet Hit A Snag? Your Gut Bacteria May Be Partly To Blame
[NPR, August 2018]
Treating Disease by Nudging the Microbes Inside Us
[The Atlantic, January 2018]
Viruses: What are they and what do they do?
[Medical News Today, May 2017]
What are Bacteria and what do they do?
[Medical News Today, October 2017]
What is Sepsis
[Prevention, June 2018]
Tick and Mosquito Infections Spreading Rapidly
[The New York Times, May 2018]
Beyond Lyme: New Tick-Borne Diseases On The Rise In U.S.
[NPR, March 2017]
Most tick-borne diseases are from bacteria.
More Than Half Your Body Is Not Human
[BBC News, April 2018]
The human microbiome: Why our microbes could be key to our health
[The Guardian, March 2018]
Your Gut's Gone Viral, And That Might Be Good For Your Health
[NPR, August 2016]
Bacteria Use Brainlike Bursts of Electricity to Communicate
[Scientific American, September 2017]
When Yogurt Affects the Brain:
Gut bacteria play a role in mood and emotion.
[The Atlantic, September 2014]
Can the Bacteria in Your Gut Explain Your Mood?
[The New York Times Magazine, June 2015]
Mouthwash may kill beneficial bacteria in mouth and trigger diabetes
[The Telegraph, November 2017]
In the Flu Battle, Hydration and Elevation May Be Your Best Weapons
[The New York Times, January 2018]
Plus, an informative link to help you navigate the season:
• CDC's Weekly US Map: Influenza Update
'Australian flu': spread prompts handshake ban in Northern Ireland churches
[The Guardian, January 2018]
Immune boosting virus could be used to treat brain tumors
[Reuters, January 2018]
This year's flu season looks like a bad one — and it could be coming early
[Popular Science, December 2017]
The Ground Beneath Our Feet
[The1A.org, December 2017]
December 5th is "World Soil Day."
Flu season is here, and experts are already concerned
[CNN, November 2017]
Ancient Viruses Are Buried in Your DNA
[The New York Times, October 2017]
From Blue Cheese To Dirt, How Beautiful Bacteria Can Be
[WBUR.org, October 2017]
Find Out What New Viruses Are Emerging In Your Backyard
[NPR, February 2017]
A preemptive note: We aren't trying to scare you! This article is simply
an excellent example of the way things are changing globally.
Why You Should Eat Your Halloween Candy All at Once
[TIME, October 2017]
Gut Bacteria Can Fluctuate With the Seasons
[The New York Times, August 2017]
Washing Hands for Full 20 Seconds Will Kill Germs and Cut Need for Antibiotics
[The Guardian, September 2017]
Gum Infections Linked to Several Cancers in Women
[Reuters, August 2017]
Gut Bacteria's Belch May Play A Role In Heart Disease
[NPR, August 2013]
