What are we made of?

William Irwin Thompson said “A World is neither an ideology nor a scientific institution, nor is it even a system of ideologies; rather, it is a structure of unconscious relations and symbiotic processes.”

The cover page headlines of the August Issue of the International Business weekly The Economist, screamed “Microbes Maketh Man”.

The traditional view is that a human body is a collection of 10 trillion cells which are themselves the products of 23,000 genes. These numbers radically underestimate the truth! What did this statement “Microbes Maketh Man” actually mean?!!

 I would share below a story about Microbes in three parts, the first part is about what is a microbe the 2nd is about how the microbes are beneficial to humans and the third part is about problems related to these microbes.

A microbe is another term used to describe a micro-organism.

In the nooks and crannies of every human being and especially in his or her guts, dwells "the ecological community of symbiotic microbes that literally share our body space." The expression used to describe this community of microbes is the Microbiome.

Did you know that scientists believe that the human body contains over 10 times more microbial cells than human cells, although the entire microbiome only weighs about 200 grams (7.1 oz),

So How does this arrangement between humans and microbes work? The microbiome does many jobs in exchange for the raw materials and shelter its host provides, like helping the host in digestion, making vitamins and also making molecules which regulate activities of human cells!.

The first job that the Microbiome does is to feed people more than 10% of their daily calories. These are derived from plant carbohydrates that human enzymes are unable to break down.

And not just plant carbohydrates. Mother’s milk contains carbohydrates called glycans which human enzymes cannot digest, but bacterial ones can. This shows how closely host and microbiome have co-evolved over the years.

But digestion is not the only nutritional service provided. The microbiome also makes vitamins, notably B2, B12 and folic acid. It is, moreover, capable of adjusting its output to its host’s needs and diet.

Microbiologists have also found that these so called bugs are making molecules that help regulate the activities of human cells.

Having looked at what a microbiome is and the benefits that humans derive let us look at the harm that a disrupted microbiome can cause. A disrupted microbiome has been associated with a lengthening list of problems: obesity and its opposite, malnutrition; diabetes (both type-1 and type-2); atherosclerosis; asthma and eczema; liver disease; numerous diseases of the intestines, including bowel cancer; and autism.

It also suggests a whole new avenue for treatment. If an upset microbiome causes illness, settling it down might effect a cure.

Yogurt companies and health-food fanatics have been banging this drum for years. And in the case of at least one malady, irritable-bowel syndrome, they are right. So-called probiotics, a mixture of about half a dozen bacterial species found in yogurt, do act to calm this condition.

Many diseases in which the microbiome has a role seem to run in families. In some, such as heart disease, that is partly explained by known human genes. In a lot, though, most notably autism, the genetic link is obscure.

This may be because geneticists have been looking at the wrong set of genes – the 23,000 human genes rather than the 3M non-human genes in the microbiome, for those 3M are still inherited. 

Turning thinking inside out in this way is yielding new insights into seemingly intractable medical problems, and there is a good chance cures will follow.

I think the essence of this relationship can be summarized thus: It is as if the microbes are saying,

You can love us you can hate us but you cannot ignore us!!!!!

Sources of Information: Wiki,  http://www.paulcheksblog.com/microbes-maketh-man/,http://www.economist.com/node/21560559

Jgd. 

The trigger

 It was on the 4th of June in the afternoon, I was on the way back from Manipal Hospital after meeting Dr C Shivaram, Head of the transfusion medicine department at the Hospital.

As I was about to get into my car I received a phone call from my uncle Amarnath who lived in Mumbai and visited Bangalore frequently.

I hadn’t spoken to him for a long time and I thought there was some dinner party he was organizing for which he had called presently.

But as he began speaking I realized that this was regarding something serious.
Uncle Amarnath began by mentioning that there was bad news he wanted to share and this made me anxious and curious.

Amarnath then went on to speak about his other nephew lowering his voice a bit, my first cousin Ajit, a C.A,  having been on his way to meet a client for an audit.

And then he mentioned what had happened, about the tragedy, 40 year old Ajit had suffered from a massive heart attack and had breathed his last before he could be admitted to any hospital to treat his malady.

This heart-wrenching information filled me with grief, how could a person of such a tender age have a life-span so brief.

The reason I share this story is not only to draw your attention to the steep increase in incidence of Life style diseases like Heart ailments, Diabetes and hypertension

Neither is the intention to highlight the twists and turns of destiny and how shocking incidents can shake up the lives of people like it did to Ajit’s family.

What I want to share today is the race that I as an individual am running and about the trigger that set me off in the first place.
Health is wealth, Good health is the greatest asset, however,  very often as we go through life, we ignore this very facet.
 Although good health habits like exercise and healthy food can't ward off all illnesses, they go a long way towards preventing many major illnesses, such as Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis etc.
It took an indication of cardiac risk (read high cholesterol and a failed treadmill test) for me to start going through the rigor, in a way this indication, served as a trigger.

There are three valuable practices that have been making a difference over the past few months.

1)      Exercise: Besides being able to burn calories and shed excess fat I have found another benefit of walking or running every morning, it helps me focus better as an additional benefit.

2)      I have been off fatty foods and junk food and which has resulted in an overall sense of well-being and better mood.

3)      Adequate Sleep is a must as experts will tell; If you can include some meditation and Pranayama in your day’s activities it would serve you well.

Well I agree there’s nothing new or revolutionary that I have to share however its not the understanding but the implementation of this messages that’s rare.
One can always take baby steps towards inculcating these habits.
For example:
In place of running yourself ragged at the gym straight away, take the stairway instead of the elevator.
Set time aside for slowly enjoying each meal and prevent mindless overeating.
These tips often don’t get implemented as we don’t know where to begin, or we may begin but we don’t know how to sustain. Take my example, in my case the starter’s gun for this race, my failed treadmill test, told me one thing
That these changes need to be brought in Now.
I would like to end with a quote by Eckhardt Tolle nothing has happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.
You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy. Everything else is just like sprinkles on the sundae.
Till next time Jgd.
(Names have been changed to protect the respective identities.)

Taking life in Stride!

The maverick Business Mogul Sir Richard Branson and the phenomenal swimmer Michael  Phelps have something else in common besides both of them being great achievers.

Both these individuals are successfully living with a medical condition. Both Michael Phelps and Sir Richard have been diagnosed with attention deficit order while Sir Richard is Dyslexic as well.

There was this famous hindi movie released in 2007 about an eight year old ‘difficult’ child who was later diagnosed as having dyslexia.

The child was chided, rebuked and scolded at school for saying that 9X2=0 because of the example he gave, of how if the 9th planet and the 2nd planet collided, they would get destroyed, so the net result would be zero.

Today I would like to discuss a different perspective on these so called foot draggers, the capabilities that they have and getting on with life notwithstanding the challenges it may hold in store.

I have a friend Suresh who was a topper every single year at school went to IIT Mumbai. After working abroad as an engineer, for a few years, he then took up a job as a team  leader in a company at Goregaon, Mumbai and failed miserably.

It was here that he realized that being decisive was not his cup of tea at all, he went into depression, so much so that he decided to chuck everything and put himself permanently to sleep, thankfully he didn’t do that, providence had other plans for him!

He then realized that there was something different about him, that was not out of his own  doing!
Being an achiever throughout his life, until then,  he wanted to get to the root of the issue and started gathering information on depression and other conditions that could possibly be affecting him.

He then came up with something called adult ADHD and found that his symptoms fitted to the T, with this condition.  The Doctor in the colony where he used to stay, confirmed the diagnosis.

He didn’t stop at that, he went on to discover that ADHD can be managed and also that people with ADHD had many positive traits

To quote ADHD coach Nancy Ratey, positive ADHD traits include "problem-solving, creativity, being spontaneous, being risk-takers in a good way, and having the courage to follow their intuition."

Today Suresh is enjoying life on his own terms shuttling between Singapore and India pursuing his passion for Astronomy besides a part of the engineering  team for an MNC.

However every one with these conditions does not have a happy tone to the story. Friends did you know that as per a survey by a U S based NGO MINDS foundation, only 1 percent of India’s revenue is spent on mental well-being as against upto 18% in western countries.

So we live in a developing country whose need for development is measured in terms of the need to tackle the issues of unemployment poverty and corruption,  I think we also need much more self-awareness and progressive thinking to move from developing to developed. 

Guiding, counselling and training on essential  skillsets all play a vital role but so do accepting ourselves and other people as we are.

Friends, we are all faced with seemingly unsurmountable challenges as we go through life. These may or may not be as serious as the ones faced by my friend Suresh, we may want to rid ourselves of excess weight , do away with a drinking problem or a get over a quirky habit of procrastinating.

All it takes is a decision and working at it with a plan

For Suresh, what worked was  M & M & M & M (Meditation, Moving Forward, Mental Hygiene and Medication) as suggested in the book You mean I am not Lazy Stupid or Crazy by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo.

For our specific issue there will be a specific solution as well.

Like it’s been 9 month and 10 days that I have walked or jogged every single day just so that I never ever fail a tread mill test like I did some time back.

So Lets take life in stride with all that it has to offer and live life to the fullest and who knows India may soon produce our own versions of Sir Richard and Michael Phelps!

Till next time then and keep smiling :)
Jgd.

Born to Fly

The real purpose in life has its importance and the struggle you embark on, in your life to receive and to attain it, has the greatest worth. ……….. You can smile in difficulties, gather vigor, fortitude and valor from anguish and win at the end, like the butterfly breaking open from the cocoon……….. or you can decide on living in your confined cocooned life.  

I would like to share a few glimpses of some people who have gone after what they are passionate about in their lives and succeeded…
The gorgeous faces of the glamorous and glistening world that inspire millions have their own struggling story to tell.

Al Pacino, one of the most outstanding actors of our time and possibly of all time too, is one such person.  Al Pacino is best known for playing the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy and Tony Montana in Scarface. He was extremely shy and introverted in his childhood. He was inspired to become an actor after viewing Anton Chekov’s ‘The Seagull’ at the tender age of 14. Pacino joined the renowned High School of the Performing Arts but dropped out of school at the age of seventeen after failing in every subject,  except English.

Despite his failure, his ambition to become an actor never dimmed. During those years, he did several low-grade jobs that included working as a busboy, messenger boy and postal clerk to continue his acting studies and he went on to reach dizzy heights in his acting career.

Today the 25th of April happens to be his birthday and kudos to this living legend.

This brings me to the point how important it is for one to be in a vocation that one is passionate about.

In case this is not possible then at least one should have a calling in life, wherein he is able to do things that he is passionate about besides doing his job reasonably well and with utmost sincerity so that he can earn his daily bread.

The Head of one of the biggest Diagnostic labsin the country is also an ardent wildlife photographer. He reminded me of the character "Farhaan" played by R Madhavan in 3 idiots!

During all these years, the passion of wildlife kept him motivated even with the busiest schedules of all other professional pursuits.

When I met the doc some time back, I was able to see the glint in his eyes.  When I spoke to him about his passion for photography, the almost immediate change in his body language,  the boyish grin writ large on his face was clearly visible. Such was the zeal with which he was pursuing his hobby of camerawork.

You may have various talents, something that you are passionate about, I believe that it is never too late to go after your passion.  That way you will be able to bring to the world much more with every passing day.

To conclude, I would like to quote Albert Einstein who said “Every One is a Genius but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid."

Einstein's quote should remind us to think twice before measuring ourselves against inappropriate standards.

Everyone has a different ability or particular "genius." Often, comparing yourself to someone else's abilities might mean overlooking what it is you are naturally more suited towards doing. In other words, stop being a fish trying to climb a tree and embrace your fishiness.

Aim for what you're good at, work hard for what you want, the Sky is the limit for You to fly!...............
Jgd.

Al Pacino

                                                          Al Pacino-Any Given Sunday.