Download 1. Biome depletion: The loss or alteration of species from the

FOUR POST-INDUSTRIAL FACTORS
WHICH DESTABILIZE THE MODERN IMMUNE SYSTEMa
COLOR CODE:
• RED: Can be remediated by the use of body biomics
• BLUE: Can often be avoided when patients and knowledgeable physicians work together,
taking advantage of lessons learned from modern science to prevent damage to
the immune system.
• GREEN: Can often, or even always, be avoided by most determined individuals.
Education is critical.
1. Biome depletion: The loss or alteration of species from the ecosystem of the human body.b
(a) Essentially total and widespread loss of some components of the biome (e.g., multicellular
species like helminths) due primarily to water treatment facilities and toilets (hot water heaters
are also to blame, in part)c
(b) Alterations in the microbiome: highly variable in the population
(i) Un-natural birthing practices (C-section, removal of the vernix, use of soap and disinfectants
on the newborn’s skin)
(ii) Replacement of breast feeding with infant formulas (Penders, 2006)
(iii) Widespread use of antibiotics
(iv) Inflammatory diets, particularly high fat diets, directly alter the microbiome. (Daniel, 2013;
Leone, 2013)d
(c) Loss of contact with soil bacteria caused by modern housing construction and industrial
associated job functions that involve no contact with the soil.
2. Chronic psychological stress: Many factors in post-industrial society can lead to chronic stress.
These include financial and career insecurities, over-loaded schedules, and a lack of physical
exercise.
3. Vitamin D deficiency: This factor is almost exclusively due to working indoors with electric lighting
rather than working outdoors. Fortunately, supplements are available.
4. Inflammatory diets: Inflammatory diets can begin at a very early age when infant formulas are used
to replace breast milk, and can continue throughout life.
(a) Substituting infant formulas for breast milk removes a number of important immune molecules
from an infant’s diet, and has a profound effect on immune function. (Parker, 2013)
(b) Our increased consumption of complex carbohydrates (potatoes, soft drinks, sugary breakfast
cereals, etc.) is highly associated with increased inflammation. (El-Tawil, 2011) In fact,
research shows that a diet high in sucrose (table sugar) is associated with an increased
risk for developing inflammatory bowel disease, whereas a high fructose diet (the sugar
found in fruit and vegetables) is negatively associated with inflammation. (Reif, 1997)
(c) Post-industrial humans consume an excessive amount of omega 6 fatty acids – especially in
proportion to the intake of omega 3 fatty acids. A corn-based diet high in omega 6s in
comparison to omega 3s is highly pro-inflammatory. (Harbige, 1998) Ideally, that ratio should be
closer to one-to-one. Currently, in the United States, the ratio is approximately 15 or 16 to 1.
(Simopoulos, 2002)
FOUR POST-INDUSTRIAL FACTORS
WHICH DESTABILIZE THE MODERN IMMUNE SYSTEMa
Page 2
Footnotes:
(a) This outline describes those factors which predispose to disease in post-industrial society. Once
the disease process begins, chronic illness can be associated with a wide range of metabolic and
inflammatory factors which form a vicious cycle, leading to ever-increasing sickness. This outline
does not include those factors which participate in that disease-induced vicious cycle. Rather, it
includes only those factors which may set up an otherwise healthy individual for disease.
(b) Biome depletion is distinct from several other factors, including chronic stress and vitamin D
deficiency. Vitamin D, for example, is not technically part of the biome. It’s a part of the ecosystem, but
since it’s not alive, it’s not part of the biome. (The “biome” is only the living part of the ecosystem.)
(c) HDCs represent one out of three of the three major components of the biome involved in biome
depletion. It is almost certainly the most important one, but the others are very important.
(d) Some factors stand alone as a separate category (inflammatory diet, for example) because they have
direct effects on the immune system (by causing oxidative stress, for example,), but they also affect
the microbiome. Thus, the overall picture is more complex than a simple outline can depict.
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