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Is Our Gut Microbiome Another Organ?
Yes: current research seems to indicate that it is
People know that keeping their heart healthy is crucial for their survival and wellbeing. We know about strong, healthy bones and joints. We know that our liver is critical for our metabolism, and our kidneys filter impurities from our blood.
On the other hand, most people don’t even know they have a microbiome, what it is, or where it might be located. Over 1 trillion microbes comprise our microbiome, and the majority of them are found in our gut. Weighing over 2.5 pounds, and potentially up to two kilograms, the microbiome has been called “the last organ under active research.”
This area of medical research is in its infancy. Today’s high-tech society often tells itself it “knows everything,” but the understanding of the microbiome today is comparable to the Western understanding of the human heart back in the 17th century. Believe it or not, back in King James’ day, most British doctors thought the lungs pumped blood around the body.
In 1628, William Harvey became the first person to demonstrate and illustrate that the heart, not the lungs, pumped blood around the body, publishing “de Motu Cordis” in Latin.
