I haven’t written in a few weeks due to being sick and, quite frankly, just feeling up to it.
“But Joe”, you say, “if you’re not working you can surely write a simple article.” Not a chance. I felt like a dumpster fire on a moving locomotive slamming into a concrete filled tunnel. Besides, my laptop was at the office, and I was stuck at home. And by stuck I really mean stuck.
I wasn’t the only one sick. Quite a few of us came down with Salmonella food poisoning on Sat June 29th. We had an awards ceremony that ended with a catered meal. The meal was contaminated with Salmonella, and we all dug in. The next morning, my son called after his night shift at work to inform us he couldn’t drive home, and we had to go get him. He is still, in the words of Dave Draiman, “down with the sickness.”
I was fairly sick, but several of my friends were really decimated by the meal. I lost over 15 pounds, my son lost over 20, and several other guys at that meeting lost around 20 pounds or more.
During my time on the couch, waiting for my next trip to the toilet, I thought about what a great weight loss idea this could be. Yeah, I get that delusional when I’m sick.
It’s an easy program. Go to Walmart and get the cheapest chicken breast you can find. When you get home, open the package and put the raw chicken breast on the kitchen counter. Leave it there all day, and each time you walk by, just pick up the piece of meat and rub it all over your hands. Several times a day, wipe down your counter tops with the piece of raw chicken meat. Late in the day, make yourself a sandwich. Lay all your sandwich parts right there on the counter and assemble them in place. Then eat the sandwich right there on the counter. No need for a paper plate.
Without fail, within two weeks, you’ll lose at least 20 pounds.
Yeah, I know. It sounds disgusting. But that’s basically what happened I suppose.
I’m finally over the entire episode now, and unfortunately, I’m gaining some of that weight back.
Which finally brings me to the topic of our discussion today.
Bacteria.
One little bacterium caused all these problems for so many people these last two weeks. A tiny single-celled microscopic organism disrupted so many lives.
Which got me thinking about the simplicity of it all.
We humans are comprised of about 100 trillion cells. Hair cells, muscle cells, brain cells, liver cells, fingernail cells, etc. Incredibly, we are also made of 100 trillion bacteria. Without bacteria in and on our bodies, we would die within a day or two. Bacteria digests our food, cleans our eyes, eats our dead and dying skin cells, fights for our immune system, and helps us produce hormones and enzymes. We are not only dependent on bacteria, we are bacteria.
Oddly enough, our immune system is strengthened the more often we get dirty. When kids play in the mud, they are building their immune systems to be stronger and more capable. When we load our houses and cars with HEPA filters and demand we live in sterilized environments, we are weakening our immune systems. Weird, huh?
In our bowels, we have an entire ecosystem of nearly 5000 different species of bacteria. They not only digest food, and but comprise our immune system. It is a very intricately balanced system that operates in perfect harmony. In fact, there are only two things that can disrupt the unity and synergy of this closed system.
The Standard American Diet (SAD). With its abundance of sugars and fake sugars, industrial processed seed oils, and artificial chemicals added for flavor and to ensure shelf stability, these food products cause a lot of harm. The sugars feed some of the bacteria in our gut, causing them to multiply more rapidly and in more abundance than the others. The chemicals in the foods kill off other bacteria, exacerbating the imbalance.
Antibiotics. These are specifically designed to kill bacteria, as the name implies. Most of the time these antibiotics are indiscriminate, killing more than just their intended targets.
Imagine a swamp that has been untouched for thousands of years. Suddenly, someone sprays poisons that kill all the frogs. With the frogs gone from the delicate balance of the ecosystem, the entire system will collapse. This happens to your gut microbiome every time you eat Pop Tarts or take antibiotics.
Yet the introduction of one small bacterium like Salmonella can disrupt the entire program. Our bodies house up to 10,000 different kinds of bacteria, all working in harmony and unity. But one bacteria acting selfishly can send to you the toilet or worse.
Furthermore, there is a prevailing theory that the cells making up our bodies are evolved from bacteria. The organelles inside our cells (mitochondria, reticulum, etc) all look like bacteria. Two theories, endosymbiotic theory and cellular evolution theory posit that at one time, single cell organisms began to depend on one another for life support. Each type of bacteria began to specialize in different function types. These function types began to work synergistically leading to interdependence. A cell is born. Then each cell began to develop its own specificity. Tissues and bodies sprung forth, and here we are, landing on the moon and arguing politics and the like.
Our bodies have different cells, each given their own task. A liver cell can’t do what a kidney cell can do. A brain cell can’t do what a lung cell can do. All are different, but all contribute.
Which leads me to you.
We are all different. We all have different functions. Yet we can all contribute in our own unique individual way. The more we contribute our specificity, the more synergy our society maintains. If we all contribute and add to the collective nature of the world, all things will operate in harmony. But one selfish person who puts himself above others and takes more than he gives can cause great pain and calamity.
You are unique, you have individual talents. You have a gift, and you are a gift. But if you don’t add it to the world, no one will ever know how incredible and unique you truly are.
Show us who you are.
Give what you’ve got.
Weeg
Joe “Weeg” Weigant is a Board Certified Massage Therapist, Holistic Health Authority, Reiki Master Teacher, Herbalist, Metaphysician, and Empowerment Coach. He combines bodywork, energy work, and coaching to improve quality of life by healing from the outside in and from the inside out.
Weeg sells Nature’s Sunshine Products, Pure Herbs Ltd., doTERRA, and Juice Plus+. Weeg suggests lifestyle changes and provides herbal remedies to his clients so they may build new habits for long life and vibrant health. He teaches Karate and Tai Chi, Reiki Certification, as well as seminars and workshops in metaphysical and spiritual matters. Weeg is available for sessions at Tri State Holistic Wellness by appointment only.
Contact by text 812.568.5356, or Facebook Messenger to set an appointment.
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