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"Pathogens" Only Exist in Special Places ② [Excerpt from Lecture & Consultation Session]
This article is an excerpt and edited version of the lecture "Ask Wahaha Sensei: Thoughts and Approaches to Children's Illnesses" held in 2018.
*Available in English and Chinese versions
Pathogens only exist in specific locations
Pathogens primarily attach themselves to living organisms.
For example, it is said that food poisoning is unlikely to occur in individual households now.
If it does occur, it would be in cases where honey contains the botulinum bacteria, but this is extremely rare.
If a child under the age of one ingests botulinum, it can be life-threatening, but after turning one, they are generally safe.
Except for poisoning caused by such special bacteria, it rarely occurs within individuals.
Foodborne illnesses caused by viruses are primarily associated with norovirus poisoning from eating raw oysters,
Food poisoning, as we used to talk about, has almost disappeared.
Occasionally, there are cases of mass food poisoning, often from bento lunches taken on trips.
So, the bento made early in the morning, around 4 or 5 AM, was left out without being put in the refrigerator.
When the person who happened to create it injured their finger, bacteria such as staphylococcus entered the wound.
This is the first time such an addiction has occurred.
The human body is usually protected by normal flora, which are the bacteria that typically reside on it, preventing pathogens from entering.
However, where there are scratches, the barrier is weakened, allowing for entry.
It can increase from there.
These days, it seems that people are wearing gloves while making rice balls, saying that they might get contaminated.
You can say that the risk of bacteria entering from rice balls is zero without doing such things.
Pathogens only exist in specific places..
Gut bacteria are amazing
The microorganisms around us are either overwhelmingly beneficial or harmless and unhelpful.
Despite this, we have only feared pathogens and taken measures to combat them.
Finally, we are starting to understand the bacteria that exist within our bodies.
To study gut bacteria, we need to extract the bacteria from the intestines and culture them to increase their numbers.
There are many unpleasant bacteria in the air, and they often die when exposed to the outdoors.
In the midst of this, a person named Tomoaki Mitsuoka has gone through tremendous hardships to cultivate and research.
It was people who named the gut bacteria as good bacteria, bad bacteria, and opportunistic bacteria,
While harmful bacteria may seem quite bad,
Bad things only happen when our body's immune system is weakened,and normally, nothing harmful occurs within the body.
As for opportunistic pathogens, we currently don't have a clear understanding of what they are doing.
It is said that in time, these will be recognized as beneficial bacteria for humans.
It is said that the number of human cells is approximately 37 trillion.
It is said that there are at least about 100 trillion bacteria in the intestines.
There is a book titled 'Your Body is 90% Bacteria,' but essentially, we are
You can think of it as bacteria wearing human skin; that's the kind of state we're in.
There are about 500 to 1,000 different types of bacteria in the gut, and their composition varies from person to person.
There may be someone in the world with the same fingerprint, but
It is said that no two people have the exact same composition of gut bacteria.
It is said that the composition of gut bacteria can change from day to day.
The composition of gut bacteria differs between when a person is sick and when they are healthy, as well as between overweight and underweight individuals.
There is hope that changing gut bacteria can lead to effective weight loss.
In addition, beneficial bacteria mainly consist of two types: lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria.
In infancy, there is a predominance of bifidobacteria, while lactic acid bacteria are very few.
As we age, there are almost no bifidobacteria left, and only lactic acid bacteria remain.
Babies have a high amount of bifidobacteria because bifidobacteria thrive on milk components such as breast milk and formula.
It's because they have the ability to digest. That's why infants have a high concentration of bifidobacteria.
After that, as you start eating, the number of bifidobacteria decreases, and since lactic acid bacteria do not have much digestive power,
The increase in bacteria such as Bacteroides and opportunistic bacteria helps with digestion.
Our bodies adapt to various conditions.
So it's better not to change that.
This is why gut bacteria are extremely important.
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Doctor: Shin Yamada (Wahaha Sensei)
Graduated from the University of Tokyo School of Medicine. Has been practicing as a pediatrician for about 50 years. Director of Hachioji Central Clinic.
Representative of the "National Pediatricians Network to Protect Children from Radiation"
Editorial collaborator for the childcare magazine "Small, Big, Weak, Strong."
With the motto of 'Living freely, living with a smile,' as a friendly neighborhood doctor,
A strong ally for parents raising children.
"A Pediatrician's Guide for First-Time Parents" "Pediatrics Book" "A Book to Read Before Giving Medicine to Children"
Numerous publications, including parenting books like 'Parenting Guide' and picture books such as 'First Body Picture Book.'