With H1N1 influenza news pervading the media I want to find a good thing in life. But, a good thing in life always has a vague history of its origin. The elixir of the fermented milk or yogurt has its origin lost in the mists of time. Fermented milk was already being used in prehistoric times. The ancient Eastern tribes who were nomadic shepherds preserved their milk, from cows, sheep, horses, goats and camels, in containers made from these animals’ skins or from their stomachs. Legend tells that yogurt was discovered as a shepherd, forgetting some milk in one of thes skins for a while, when he finally remembered it, found it transformed into something denser and tastier.

In history, Francis the First suffered from a severe diarrhea which no French doctor could cure. His ally, Suleiman The Magnifient sent a doctor, who allegedly cured the patient with yoghurt. Being grateful, the French king spread around the information about the new food which had cured him.

Gut Health

85 percent of our strong immunity system depends on the gut. Russian biologist Professor Ilya Ilyich Metchnikov, a researcher at the Pasteur Institute in Paris discovered that birds live longer than mammals because the latter have a colon. It is in this final tract of the intestine that a multitude of harmful bacteria develops. If these bacteria are not suppressed or eradicated by ‘good bacteria’ our immune system will utimately fail. According to Metchnidov, man’s normal diet slowly posons the body, weakening its defences. Professor Metchnidov declared that the intestine can be kept free from harmful bacteria and in healthy conditions by constant and regular use of yogurt or other types of acid milk; he even claimed that someone who regularly eats yogurt could quite happily live to 150 or over.

Probiotics

The question for the last hundred years is how bacteria makes us sick and how our immune system fights them. The abundance of ‘harmless’ or ‘good’ bacteria in our bodies and in our environment have a very calming effect on our immune system. They are really showing the other side of their existence; how bacteria in our immune system interacts with our own existence. That really explains the epidemic inflammatory diseases that have come with modern sanitation and antibiotics. Indeed, modern sanitation has saved more lives than probably in any other civilisation in human history.

There was a trade-off. We suddenly distanced ourselves from this ocean of bacteria. We used to live, sleep on the floor and pull our food right from the ground and store it crudely, and had all these harmless bacteria flowing through our bodies. It is really facinating. When we boil our water, good bacteria are killed together with other pathogens.

Antibiotics are life saving medicines and at times be life threatening as well. Intake of antibiotics will kill all bacteria including the good ones. When this happens, the absence of ‘good’ bacteria is a door way for bad bacteria and other pathogens entering into our body system is very high. Therefore, moving from antibiotics to probiotics is most logical thinking.Probiotics simply means introducing ‘good’ bacteria into our system. Intake of fermented milk or yogurt is the simplest example.

Virus

Bacteria were first observed in 1676 whereas virus was first noticed in 1898. Bacteria had been the building source of life on earth for billions of years ago. We are all a by product of a bacterium. Since a virus is one hundredth the size of a bacterium, it is understandable that it may have been discovered later stage than bacteria. A virus could have been a replication of a bacterium.

A virus outside the host body is dead. Once outside it will survive on very specific conditions : right temperature and liquid environment. They cannot survive for long in the environment outside the host as they lack the basic structures for independent living that would protect them from the sunlight or chemicals in the air. The most reasonable environmental niche for their survival could be our nostrils.

A virus, like the flu virus, can be passed on to another host through liquid transmission. Most cough, cold and flu viruses are transmitted to another host by respiratory droplets. Contact can occur by direct bodily contact ( such as kissing) or touching something with virus on it ( such as shaking hands with someone who has the flu) and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. Sneezing by host can be propelled right to our eyes, nose or mouth over short distances.

Virus, for example the HIV virus, grows on undigested protein mucus. These clings to the walls of the colon. As the virus grow it passes through the blood stream through the colon walls. The ever presence of the undigested protein mucus makes the virus multiply at a faster rate putting much pressure on the immune system of the host. One possible way to cut of the supply of these mucus is by taking in a cup of yogurt after a meal. This will help to digest any protein thoroughly before it passes to the area of the colon. When the supply of ‘food’ for the virus is cut off the virus will not be able to replicate and multiply. Moreover, the ‘good’ bacteria from the yogurt can suppress and wipe out the ‘bad’ bacteria. By this the immune system will be driven from exhaustion to rejuvenation. This will then help the host to recover from virus infection at a faster rate.

Actify good bacteria by taking yogurt to recover from flu infection. A yogurt a day keeps virus away.